|
australasia
diy tour circuit |
++ astro
can caravan ++ experimental dental school
++ demerit ++sabot
++ pk14 ++ limited express (has gone?)
++ NOWnow ++ stalwart
++ plat ypus ++ zu
++ can can heads ++ hinterlandt
++ kroko ++ baseball
++ carsick cars ++ the
thaw ++ ni-hao! ++ the
sprouts ++ hira hira ++ pay colour
++ imodium ++ scul hazzards ++ the
night crash ++ crux ++ pazahora
++
formed in qingdao in 2004, and having moved to beijing the following
year to be closer to the center of the chinese music scene, demerit
is widely recognized as the best street punk band in china. they play
blazing sets with a ferocious energy that masks the craftsmanship of
their music until, during their increasingly popular acoustic shows,
it becomes obvious that these guys also write great songs. unlike a
lot of punks, their musical tastes are also fairly wide-ranging, with
band members regular attendees, for example, at concerts by mafeisan,
the anarchic wild men of beijing noise. their debut “never say
die” was released in mid 2006.
originally a quartet (vocals, guitar, bass and percussion), the band
recently added a second guitar to fill out their sound and to allow
more guitar experimentation. the result is a very rich, open sound that,
while remaining firmly within the fast-paced tradition of angry street
punk, is capable of beautiful chords and haunting melodies. not just
musicians, demerit takes the rebellious spirit of punk very seriously,
and they have cooperated widely with foreign bands touring china as
well as with young new Chinese bands just starting out. they have also
planted the flag of chinese punk throughout the country during their
wide-ranging tours.
for many of the younger punks they are seen as leaders and guides, but
they are clearly at their best when they are on stage, ripping through
their songs while front man liyang snarls out his lyrics. in september
of 2007 public enemy’s bassist and producer brian hardgroove,
one of their most hard-core fans, came to china to record their new
cd, returning again in january to finish the recording and to mix and
master the final result. now with a high quality recording to their
name they are prepared to take on not just all of china but also the
world.
