Not just a girl band: Interview with Ming Ming from The Hormones

It’s that time of the month! Local Chengdu indie-rock band the Hormones 荷尔蒙小姐乐队 will kick off their first ever national tour tonight at Little Bar 小酒馆. Bassist and lyricist Ming Ming 明明 invited me over for dinner to talk about vengeful elephants in Yunnan, menstrual cycles on tour and the new EP. The Hormones 荷尔蒙小姐乐队, are a five-piece indie-rock band fromContinueContinue reading “Not just a girl band: Interview with Ming Ming from The Hormones”

Some TING! 听 #005 Terror of the Deep & Mr. Graceless

For a healthy dose of guitar-jangling, tambourine-shaking vibes, crank up the volume with Wellington’s own Terror of the Deep and Mr. Graceless from Beijing. >>>>>Terror of the Deep are an unsigned three-occasionally-four-piece band from the bakery paradise of Newtown, consisting of guitarist/lead vocalist Oliver Dixon, bassist Taipua Adams, drummer William Daymond and Tom Watson (Head Like a Hole, Cassette, Lawrence Arabia)ContinueContinue reading “Some TING! 听 #005 Terror of the Deep & Mr. Graceless”

High Fiving the All Seeing Hand: Interview with Jonny Marks

KC Cafe is fucking delicious. So I was stoked when experimental vocalist Jonny Marks of The All Seeing Hand was keen to meet over some mapo tofu 麻婆豆腐, and talk about how he honed his throat singing technique Inner Mongolia. Hey Jonny! What have you been up to lately? (note: this interview took place last month) Hey! We’re currentlyContinueContinue reading “High Fiving the All Seeing Hand: Interview with Jonny Marks”

Some TING! 听 #004 P.K.14 & Die! Die! Die!

Feel the sweat-dripping, head thrashing angst of post-punk/experimental local heroes P.K.14 and Die! Die! Die! >>>>>P.K.14 formed in Nanjing in 1997 during the Rotten Generation movement. Their permanent move to Beijing in 2001 and regular slots at D-22 could be said to have sparked the rite-of-passage pilgrimage to the capital that has seen the Beijing music scene growContinueContinue reading “Some TING! 听 #004 P.K.14 & Die! Die! Die!”

Some TING! 听 #003: Skip Skip Ben Ben & Astro Children

Skip Skip Ben Ben and Astro Children are two bands from your wildest grunge-noise-pop-shoegaze-dream. Find them in your nearest garage. BYO booze. >>>>>Skip Skip Ben Ben was created in the mind of Taiwanese guitarist/songwriter/singer Ben Ben 斑班, one half of the now defunct but brilliant Boyz&Girl of Taipei. After gigging and collaborating with bands on the D-22 scene and “ping-ponging between TaipeiContinueContinue reading “Some TING! 听 #003: Skip Skip Ben Ben & Astro Children”

Some TING! 听 #002: Hiperson & Cut Off Your Hands

Hiperson from Chengdu are one of my favourite bands right now. Cut Off Your Hands were one of the first live bands I ever saw in Wellington. They are both awesome. >>>>>Hiperson 海朋森  Hǎi péng sēn are a rock band from Chengdu, the capital city of the mountainous greenery that is Sichuan. Their super tight rhythms, haunting male-femaleContinueContinue reading “Some TING! 听 #002: Hiperson & Cut Off Your Hands”

Some TING! 听 #001: Carsick Cars & Ghost Wave

Introducing… Some TING! 听 (tīng, ‘to listen’) sharing independent music from both China and Nu Zilland. This week we’ve got Carsick Cars and Ghost Wave. Jangly guitars, surf rock, sunglasses and cigarettes. >>>>>Carsick Cars are a guitar-bass-drum trio from Beijing that formed back in 2005. Despite a few line-up changes in recent years, the band have retained the catchy, guitar-driven melodies that haveContinueContinue reading “Some TING! 听 #001: Carsick Cars & Ghost Wave”

Quit punkin’ around: Interview with John Lake

What happens when a Wellingtonian photographer resides in Beijing for three months with a camera, no Mandarin and a passion for punk music? Kiwese caught up with John Lake of Up the Punks down at his current BEIJING DAZE exhibition in Newtown. Hey John! Favourite punk bands in Wellington at the moment? The Johos, Johnny and the Felchers,ContinueContinue reading “Quit punkin’ around: Interview with John Lake”