RandomK(e)

I have no idea how they would prefer to be called but for some reason RandomK(e) is the name of the punk rock band functioning in Beijing. Unlike typical Chinese bands (can I even compare to them to Chinese bands..hmm) the band is made up of whites who met in Beijing. Maybe you can call them a western band, but their audience are largely the Chinese community.

They are described as everything and often their music cannot be restricted to any particular genre.

I haven't exactly researched on their fan base here in China but should be pretty large I guess. Asians are open to all kinda music even if we fail to grasp the meaning of the song. (Me, myself listens to Hindi, French songs and I don't comprehend a single thing).

Anyways, this RandomK(e) English Band are touring China, it took them 4 years to move outta Beijing and reach out to a wider mass. Kudos to that effort. Their current stop is Shanghai. YAY!
But no, I'm not attending the show. Obvious Reasons. Sighs. Professors and Academic Institutions limit my ability to reach out to budding talents to encourage them. In other words, I have exams.

I read the interview that these guys gave for Shanghaiist. There was one thing (actually two things) that one of the fellas mentioned and it made alot of sense to me. ALOT I SAY!

"The reality is - and I know this because I find myself doing it all the time - people, whether Chinese or foreign, who go to rock shows and see that there are foreigners on stage will likely think: ‘These guys couldn’t do this back home because they weren’t good enough, but here, they think they are’ (unless they think: ‘hey, they’re foreign, they must be good’).

While there are certainly crappy bands of foreigners, there are a ton of not crappy bands with foreigners. And hey: Aren’t there tons of crappy bands with Chinese, too? We’ve found that it’s hard to be taken seriously as a band as non-Chinese, but that’s changing with more people who come to see our shows, because live, it’s so obvious that it doesn’t matter where we’re from. It’s useful as biographical material, but not as a descriptor."

Ain't it true?

I see myself saying that too when we see foreign bands in Singapore. Sadly, I failed to realize that maybe they were trying to be different. They are trying to play for a different audience. One doesn't have to be terrible at something to move base. (though there is a possibility ..hehe.. at this point we are overlooking that fact..alright?)

Then again, I hardly ever listen to local numbers. (Unless, national songs are taken into account) As mentioned before, I did give reasons like "they probably couldn't make it in their homeland hence they are trying their luck here" when foreigners do ever perform in Singapore :s

(When I refer to foreigners in Singapore, I am not talking about the large scale productions that tour the world. MAN, THEY ROCK! But, I'm referring to mini bands that function within Singapore and Southeast Asia. You might wanna call them Asian bands maybe..)

My sincere apologies to talents in Singapore (both for local and foreign performers). Your talents will be greatly appreciated the next time I visit ;)