At the centre of the China’s burgeoning rock scene is Beijing, and at the centre of the capital city’s rock scene is Subs, whose screaming garage-punk rock is the most sought-after live experience in the country. Subs have risen quickly through the rock ranks based on their reputation for riotous live sets that are explosions of pure energy rare to the Middle Kingdom.
Inspired by bands such as the Hives, Fugazi and the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, Subs’ brand of garage punk rock makes a distinct musical mark. The band’s live performances feature vocalist Kang Mao's jumps, wails, dives and screams supplemented by the rest of the band’s equally abundant energy. Thanks to an invitation to play as Oslo, Norway’s Øya Festival and the small tour that followed, the band has won over a new European audience and garnered interest from local and international print and broadcast media along the way. A second trip to Europe is to occur in October 2005, the result of an invitation to the Amsterdam China Festival, and plans are in the works for a return to Scandinavia in 2006.
Subs Chronology
February 2002: Subs forms in Beijing.
February 2003: Subs’ first gig at Beijing’s CD Café. Soon thereafter, SARS (Sever Acute Respiratory Syndrome) shuts down gigging possibilities for much of the next six months.
April 2004: The EP Subs Life was recorded and later mastered by Mats Hammarström (Isolation Years) in Sweden.
July 2004: Subs performs their first gig outside of Beijing at the Suanle ba (Forget About It Bar) in the southern city of Guilin; a video of that show appears on Subs Life.
August 2004: Subs plays with UK band Rising Times.
September 2004: Subs plays with UK band Dogshit Sandwich.
October 2004: Subs is invited to play with Norwegian band Bonk in Beijing and Shanghai. They release and distribute the EP Subs Life on their own and play at the Midi Music Festival in Beijing to a crowd of over 10,000.
May-June 2005: The band goes on a 17-city tour of China, playing to an average 200 people per city.
August 2005: Following their set for several thousand to close out Oslo’s Øya Festival, a tour of seven cities in Norway and Finland sees the band play at, among others, legendary clubs Last Train (Oslo) and Tavastia (Helsinki).
October 2005: Subs is invited to the Amsterdam China Festival; a small second European tour will follow.