Performers who made their mark last year

Chinese indie bands used to appeal to a minority taste. But in the summer, New Pants, a punk rock outfit based in Beijing, gained a large number of new fans after appearing on The Big Band, where it performed a retro blend of disco music and electro-rock songs, wowing audiences. Peng Lei and Pang Kuan, New Pants' lead vocalist and keyboardist, both age 43, are arguably the best-known middle-aged members of the country's indie rock music scene. Classmates at middle school, they started a punk band in 1997, signing with Modern Sky Records, then a lesser-known label, but now the biggest indie music record company in the country. To support their musical ambitions, Peng works as an animator, and Pang as a designer.