Yin (音, “music”) is a weekly Radii feature that looks at Chinese songs spanning classical to folk to modern experimental, and everything in between. Drop us a line if you have a suggestion.
We kicked the work week off with some punk rock love to celebrate Chinese Valentine’s Day, and we’ll end it with more of the same. Radii is very excited to premiere the latest slab of snot from Beijing punks The Diders:
Like many of Beijing’s best punk bands today, The Diders formed in the shadow of Joyside. Their singer Wang Zilu got his start in the scene bartending at D-22, a now-closed venue in Beijing’s university district where Joyside and their ilk were regulars. I actually worked at D-22 when Wang started there and remember those days fondly. Whenever Joyside disciples like The Bedstars would take the stage, Wang would get thoroughly tanked and sing along to every song, which didn’t make him the greatest barback, but did establish his punk rock bona fides.
Wang picked up a guitar and started his own band in 2012 or so — he explained to me at the time that the band name is pronounced deeder deeder deeder, his vocal approximation of Johnny Thunders‘ guitar tone. Fast forward five years and Diders are one of Beijing’s best and most blistering acts, touring regularly and always sure to wash your soul in beer foam when they play at their home base, School Bar. They’re among my personal favorites in the Beijing punk scene right now, as I favor their fast-and-pissed hardcore aesthetic over the slightly more melodic-leaning output of some of their contemporaries.
The tracks above come from The Diders’ brand new split 7″ with legendary Vancouver hardcore act D.O.A., which was just released by Genjing Records. Cop that here, or at School Bar this Sunday if you happen to be in Beijing — D.O.A. is popping in to formally release the disk.
Cover photo: John Lake (via Maximum Rocknroll)
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