Life

Rustic melodies turn their angst into heartbreak

By Han Bingbin (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-04-14 07:59

Beijing band Rustic say rock shows how energetic people are despite all the heartbreak and horror in the world. Provided to China Daily

The country's youthful indie rock scene is continuing to be sculpted by China's rapid social transformations, and the changes are captured in the music of the Beijing band Rustic.

The three-piece - the oldest member of which was born in 1988 - has come to embody the odium of the times and reflects its angst in its debut album, City of Heartbreak 'n' Horror, which will be released this month.

True to its name, the album shuns the contrived cheerfulness that endows pop with its pep. The band insists it is instead a raw portrayal of its members' authentic worldviews.

"The world is like a horror movie, awash with heartbreaking moments," Li Yan, lead singer of the band told METRO.

"What we see the most when walking through crowds is the sadness and helplessness in people's eyes," he explained.

"More often than not, life pressures us and lets us down with unsuccessful relationships, dirty trade, scattered families, earthquakes and tsunamis. Sometimes, we are so helpless but must bravely confront all these things."

They want listeners to know that rock music is "real" and has nothing to do with pretentious love songs that lyrically fuss over nothing, they said. Their pursuit is straightforwardness and honesty.

They do not mince words, as can be seen by their candid espousals of their admiration of the opposite sex in the song Wild Women.

But the band insisted rock 'n' roll isn't merely morose and can also prove to be a positive force.

"Unpleasant as the world is, we are still doing what we enjoy and are trying to make the best out of the heartbreak and horror. That just goes to show how energetic and unrestrained we are," Li said.

Li Yan, Ricky and Li Fan formed Rustic in February 2006.

Although they all had yet to celebrate their 16th birthdays, they toured their home province of Hebei in North China.

Beijing's relatively conservative neighbor has yet to come close to being ready to host a world-class rock scene. But the teenagers presented to Hebei a style that was then viewed as an inheritor of the ethos of such Western punk icons as Johnny Thunders and the Sex Pistols.

They then tried their luck in Beijing - a decision that proved life changing.

On April 27, 2010, the group beat dozens of the world's leading bands at the London Scala in the United Kingdom and took the top spot of the Global Battle of the Bands (GBOB), the world's biggest live talent competition for musical groups of all genres.

The GBOB judges included such professional and selective world-class musicians and commentators as Norwegian producer and songwriter Mads Hauge.

But Rustic's members said they do not recall feeling any nervousness before the event.

"Just like we said at the competition, we were glad to attend this performance and we didn't see it as a competition," Li said. "We treated the judges as if they were our fans, and didn't bother to guess what they were looking for. All we had to do at that moment was present our best performance."

They believed the incorporation of a clarinet into their show helped them stand out among the who's-who of top-tier contestants.

"Rock bands rarely use instruments like the clarinet," said Li Yan, who had formally studied the instrument for years at a Beijing music school.

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

"Rock is an international language," he said. "We hope rock fans across the world can have a chance to listen to our creations so they will feel the vitality and charm of Chinese youngsters onstage."