Chinese Speaking - Teenage wasteland

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CITYLIFE / what's on








Teenage wasteland

By Anton Berkovich (That's Shanghai)
Updated: 2007-07-06 09:47 Even if you're not a fan of punk rock music,
it's hard not to admire P. K. 14. Indeed, the four-man Chinese punk band
based in Beijing has been nominated for "Best Band" and "Best Rock Band"
at past Chinese Music Media Awards. But better still, unlike their
Cantopop counterparts, they're not afraid to make a statement. "Why take
the easy way out and sing, 'I love you', or 'You're breaking my heart?'"
says drummer Tan Tan "Mainstream is there for those who want it, but it
doesn't speak to us.”

P. K. 14 (short for Public Kingdom for Teens) is part of a generation of
musicians who came of age in the mid-nineties and have rejected the
Teresa Teng-inspired sappiness which dominated the music of that era.
That said, they don't copy their American and British punk counterparts.
Put another way, P. K. 14 and like-minded bands aren't street corner
anarchists. Rather, they voice a simple desire to do their own thing, and
connect with their audience. "It's important to be small and see issues
that are immediate and local," says Tan.

The band reaches out to its demographic with songs such as "Religion
Lost" and "Speaking Wounds". "I think it comes back to the fact that we
like singing about things around us and talking about the little local
occurrences," says Tan, commenting on the band's decision to sing in
Chinese.

Which may not sound usual until one considers the number of bands that
have switched to English. "You lose a lot of meaning when you sing in a
second language," says Abe Deyo, P. K. 14's promoter. "I really like the
fact that they still sing in Chinese. It adds to their authenticity and
contributes to the truthfulness to their lyrics. That's what makes them
stand out."

Though their classification as punk is the subject of much debate, the
band accepts it for the sake of convenience. They waste little time
worrying about what to call themselves and focus on what they do best,
playing music. Says Tan, "We don't force anything. Of course, we have
strong blueprints for some of our sounds, but others are just a natural
fit."

Quite so. Their sound is an easy melange of garage music, with hints of
Gang of Four, Queens of the Stone Age and Wire, cut in with catchy, funky
bass lines and Nirvana-like grunge guitar riffs. But the energetic vocals
brought to the stage by front man Yang Haisong is really what sets P. K.
14 apart.

It’s a sound that they plan to keep, as the band objects to the idea of
a record label dictating its musical direction. Still, they're not fazed
by the lack of industry big bucks. "If you don't make money," says Yang,
"you're useless. You have no worth in this society."

Over the past ten years the band has seen members come and go; in fact,
Yang is the only remaining member of the 1997 line up. But changing
membership hasn't held them back. P. K. 14 has toured both China and
Europe extensively, has been nominated for several awards, released three
albums and one single. And they still maintain the energy of a pack of
teenagers, skipping school to smoke up and write songs in their garage.
That is as long as things keep moving forward and they don't lose
momentum.

P. K. 14
Location: Eno, 139-23 Changle Lu, by Ruijin Lu
Time: 4pm, July 7
Ticket: free entrance and free drinks
Tel: 021-6386 0120

P. K. 14
Location: Yuyintang, 4F Bld. B, Door 10, The New Factories, (Tonglefang)
28 Yuyao Lu,by Xikang Lu
Time: 9pm, July 7
Ticket: RMB 30, RMB 25 for members

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