BAND: Joyside

A small but enthusiastic crowd has assembled at the newly re-opened and fantastically refurbished Yugong Yishan in Beijing for the launch of the new Joyside CD. Disco balls hang above the stage and glittering strands of tinsel sway beneath bright lights: It’s a high school dance after-party with a whole lot of spiked punch. Feedback blares from the speakers and empty glasses and beer bottles hurtle through the air—nearly taking out the band—leaving shimmering shards of glass on the stage. Chinese punks and the odd foreigner slam into each other in a furious celebration of alcohol and rock ‘n’ roll while the boys of Joyside carry on with their set. Lead singer Bian Yuan, China’s answer to Jim Morrison, staggers and leers, oblivious to the destruction around him.

Since forming in 2001, Joyside has turned this riotous bad boy act into one of the mainland's more successful punk ‘n’ roll franchises. They’ve released five albums, toured Western Europe, have been featured in two documentaries and have drunk more beer than any other band in town. Their newest release, Booze at Neptune’s Dawn, is a departure from the beer-soaked, completely out-of-control on-stage reputation they have cultivated over the past six years. Instead, it presents a much more disciplined, hopeful and exciting display of who the foursome really is. Despite clocking in at just over 40 minutes, the album’s 10 tracks propel listeners forward with an intensity and focus unseen in most of the band’s local performances. The vocals are cleaner and the end product polished and tight as Bian Yuan’s leather-clad ass.

Michael Pettis, whose newly founded Maybe Mars record label released the Joyside album (the same label responsible for the much anticipated Car Sick Cars album and the debut album from Snapline), remembers meeting the band at the end of 2003. Upon opening D-22 last year, he immediately hired Joyside as a house band. “I remember thinking that not only were they playing great music, but that they also had the kind of genuine love of rock and roll music and the lifestyle that you rarely see any more,” Pettis says. “Even before you meet them it is pretty clear that there is no bullshit about any of them.” Pettis, known for being a tireless supporter of the Chinese rock scene, is unapologetic and unabashed about Joyside’s future, at one point even calling guitarist Xiao Hong “one of the most impressive young guitarists in China, maybe even the world.” Maybe Mars Records

Bian Yuan: Drunk as Hell

Shop?

Half of my clothing I’ve bought from second hand shops, and the other half is stuff that I’ve had tailored. I like pretty, vivid clothing, like ‘70s rock band style.

Before a show?

I drink. The first times we played, I was so nervous that I drank too much. Now it’s become a habit.

Drunkest moment?

The drunkest was in 2005 in Dali. There were so many different kinds of alcohol, we were all wasted and I pissed behind a fake mountain on the stage while we played. Most people think we’re total alcoholics now.

Best European tour moment?

I have so many favorite moments, but maybe the moment we saw the White Cliffs of England while we were on a fucking huge boat, drinking white wine and crossing the English Channel. I was so excited! Another favorite moment was one morning in Paris when I was at Jim Morrison’s grave, drinking wine and talking with him. It was wonderful.

–Jenn Wong