Wild Children reborn after long hiatus

Updated: 2014-08-04
By Chen Nan ( China Daily )

Wild Children, a band from Lanzhou in China's northwestern Gansu province, is legendary for its fusion of local folk songs played on Western instruments such as the guitar, accordion and harmonica.

Founded in 1995 by Suo Wenjun and Zhang Quan, the group disbanded in 2004, when Suo died of cancer at 34. Zhang, the band's lead vocalist and guitarist, left Beijing unable to bear the loss of his lifelong friend and fellow musician.

Nearly a decade later, however, Wild Children has returned under the banner of Tree Music, a Beijing-based independent record label that will produce the unnamed new album.

The band Wild Children is known for its fusion of Chinese folk songs played on Western instruments. Provided to China Daily

The new album follows the musicians' trademark style with high-pitched singing and simple lyrics. Their love for Lanzhou shines through and some lyrics are performed in the local dialect.

The band will kick off a tour featuring its older songs in Chengdu, Lanzhou, Nanjing and Xi'an from Sept 6.

"I didn't dare mention the name of the band for years because for me, everything had ended. I just sang under my own name," Zhang, 46, says.

After Suo's death, Zhang sold River Bar, a run-down venue for live music, which he and Suo had opened in Beijing's entertainment hub of Sanlitun in 2001. Many of China's famous folk musicians, including Wan Xiaoli, Xiao He and Wild Children members accordion player Zhang Weiwei and hand-drum player Guo Long, had performed there.

Zhang Quan traveled through the Tibet autonomous region before settling down in Dali in Yunnan province, where he sang some of their old songs at a small concert in 2008. It was then that the thought of restarting Wild Children struck him.

Prior to starting Wild Children, Suo and Zhang Quan had traveled along the Yellow River in Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces for more than a month, listening to farmers and shepherds sing.

"People from northwestern China sing not as a way to perform but to express. The influence has always been in my blood," Zhang Quan says. "It will never change."

In 2008, he connected with former band members Zhang Weiwei and Guo and recruited Western instrumentalist Ma Xuesong to the band. Wild Children was reborn.

Zhang Weiwei, who has played for numerous bands in Beijing since Wild Children broke up, says that he has felt "directionless" without the group.

All members of the new Wild Children now live in Dali and treat their music like "farmers treat their fields". They rehearse daily for at least four hours.

Zhang Quan, now married with two children, has been influenced by a lot of ethnic music from around Yunnan. His newly assembled band is also about the members' reflections on their lives.

"We all have experienced some unforgettable events in our lives. Those made Wild Children grow up," Zhang Weiwei says.

Wild Children has attracted scores of new fans through the Internet in addition to its loyal followers from the past.

"In 1996, Guo and I watched Wild Children perform at a Beijing bar for the first time. They were a bunch of people sitting at a table, playing cards, but we were totally blown away by their music," says Zhang Weiwei.

chennan@chinadaily.com.cn