Beijing

Some may deprecate China's indie rock scene, but some local indie groups are proving the critics wrong by reaching up to a whole new level. They have the success to prove it - having taken their music overseas in a way their mainstream competitors can only dream about.

The lineup for this year's highly influential South by Southwest Festival, to be held in March in Austin, Texas, will feature four young bands from Beijing: Carsick Cars, Nova Heart, Rustic and Deadly Cradle Death.

The seasoned indie rock band Carsick Cars will be returning to the festival while the others are making their debut. Though relatively new, the bands have all had considerable experience performing overseas.

Rustic, for example, beat dozens of leading bands worldwide at the London Scala and took the top spot in the Global Battle of the Bands, the largest live talent competition for musical groups of all genres. It won for its pioneering effort in incorporating a clarinet into Rustic's music.

Chris B, GBOB China's director-general of distribution, says Rustic's success at the global competition broadened the horizon for performers in Beijing and the entire country.

In September last year, Rustic toured six cities in the United Kingdom including London and Manchester and recorded two singles with Norwegian songwriter and producer Mads Hauge at Rak Studio in London.

Li Yan, lead singer of the band, says such singing experiences overseas really helped him mature, both as a musician and performer.

"The interaction with foreign musicians and the traveling experience itself always give me a lot of inspiration. I've created some new songs out of that," he says. "Moreover, because I don't know how the audience will react, I really try my best with every performance and they all turned out to be rewarding."

But there is at least one connection Li shares with the audiences: He sings songs in English.

That's something Rustic has in common with many other local indie rock bands. They may not be fluent, but their decision to sing in English has been an effective tool in attracting foreign audiences at clubs and bars.

Besides the fact that English is phonetically more suitable for the straightforward rock style, Li says, he writes songs in English also because he wants them to be heard by more people.

But Zhang Shouwang, lead singer of Carsick Cars, doubts that language has been a factor in their success overseas and rejects the idea that many see them as "being fashionably international".

"Western audiences accept you only because you have good music. That has nothing to do with being so-called international," Zhang says firmly.

"To use English or Chinese is just like a choice between whether to use piano or guitar. I'll make the choice according to what I want to express at that moment."

You can listen to the bands at a preview performance this week.

You may contact the writer at hanbingbin@chinadaily.com.cn.

China Daily

(China Daily 02/26/2012 page15)