Loud and proud

By Cheng Anqi (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-01-03 16:36

The godfathers of Canadian punk are on their way to Beijing.

Hailed as the "founders" of Canadian hardcore punk, D.O.A. will stop in the capital during their 30th anniversary tour. They are set to belt out their classic anthems as well as new punk ballads from their recent album Northern Avenger.

They will be joined by fellow punk rockers SUBS and Demerit, two of China's finest hardcore outfits.

With three decades of punk performances under his studded belt, band founder Joe Keithley - known for his slogan "Talk-Action=O" - shows no signs of slowing down. He's kept his sense of adrenaline-drenched musicality in shape by running Sudden Death Records.

The pioneering hardcore unit is currently between records.

"If you play punk rock, you've got to have conviction ... you've got to call it like it is," Keithley says.

"The thing that I don't think people understand about punk rock today is that you may have a loud, obnoxious band with a really loud guitar and play really fast, but if it says nothing, and you're still only singing about cars and girls, then it's really like pop music dressed up in a really loud suit," he says.

Keithley says it didn't matter how loud and angst-ridden a band played on stage; if songs said nothing or did not contribute to people's thinking, it was useless.

"It's just serving the same needs that pop music always has done forever and always will do for people," he says.

The album, I, Shithead chronicles Keithley's recollections of a punk rock life.

It starts with a crew of kids in Burnaby who are transfixed on the erupting punk movement and traverses a generation disillusioned with the status quo. It's riddled with tales of riots, drinking, traveling, playing and conquering all manner of obstacles through sheer determination.

It's a befitting contribution from a band credited with creating the hardcore scene alongside outfits such as Black Flag, Minor Threat and the Cro-Mags. Henry Rollins, acclaimed American punk singer-songwriter and spoken-word artist, called them "one of the best live bands ever", adding, "the band is legendary".

9 pm-12 pm at Mao Livehouse 111 Gulou Dongdajie, Gulou, 鼓楼东大街111号, 6402-5080