The Hong Kong Invasion: Here Come the Spectators

The Offset: Spectacles are:

In a quiet corner of Beijing’s eastern suburb of Tongzhou sits an abandoned building covered in dust and dead branches. Not your typical image of a rock star hangout, but this is nevertheless where many a Beijing rock star can be spotted. Local mainstays P.K.14 and SUBS practice here, as well as a few newcomers from Hong Kong – The Offset: Spectacles.

The Offset come to this dusty building on weekends, for like most aspiring musicians in Beijing (and the world over), each band member maintains a day job. Li Wentai is a freelance translator (people in Hong Kong can understand the Oprah Winfrey Show and Fear Factor thanks to his dutiful subtitling), while Wu Zhuoji teaches animation and Ou Jian sells her own cloth handicrafts while also working on other solo projects as an indie musician.

But when the three are together, they become "Spectators". “I got the idea of ‘spectacle’ while translating Guy Debord’s The Society of the Spectacle,” explains Li (aka "Spectator V"). “I was inspired by his left-wing philosophy. As for ‘offset,’ it combines different spectacles with multiple colors. So it’s like our different personalities blending together into one piece of art. Within this offset, we are observing each other as well as the outside world.”

The band first formed in 2005, when Li, Wu and former bassist Feng Yaozhong discovered a shared interest in The Velvet Underground. In early 2008, however, Feng decided to leave the band and fully dedicate himself to social work, leaving the door open for Ou Jian – otherwise known as “Spectator O” – to fill his spot on bass. The band performed in Beijing for the very first time at Modern Sky's annual music festival in October 2007, where they received a warm reception from the Beijing crowd. In early 2009, they finally made the move to China’s rock & roll heartland, bringing the entire stage set with them. “Here's the irony - living in Hong Kong can be so stressful and depressing that it's actually quite inspiring for making new music, but meanwhile you will have to face the lack of livehouse performances, ” says Li. “Back then we only got to perform two or three times a year, whereas here in Beijing, we’re getting that many every month.”

For Wu, or “Spectator K,” the difference between the two cities couldn’t be more obvious: “One is an environment for live music and the other is not.” Case in point: Since their arrival in Beijing, they’ve been scouted by Maybe Mars Records. With any luck, they might one day achieve the reach of a P.K.14 or Carsick Cars (both of whom are signed to Maybe Mars). In fact, P.K.14 lead singer Yang Haisong was the one who fostered the relationship between the band and the prominent local label.

As Beijing’s rock scene becomes inundated by aspiring musicians, bands need an extra something to set themselves apart. For The Offset, it’s their lack of a drummer. “Drums really aren’t that indispensable,” says Li. “There’s this Belgian gypsy jazz guitarist named Django Reinhardt, who was doing amazing things with his trio without the use of drums, and that was in the 1930s.” Instead, Wu Zhuoji’s steady rhythm guitar creates a pulse that Li Wentai and Ou Jian follow in true Velvet Underground fashion – only the Spectators also mix in electric organ and viola for an added haunting effect. Watch their performance on Modern Sky Strawberry Festival here.

What further distinguishes The Offset from other bands in Beijing is the fact that they sing in Cantonese – hardly common for mainland music outside the pop realm. “Back when we started the band in 2005, around 90 percent of Hong Kong bands sang in English,” recalls Li. “We decided to use our native tongue, because we consider lyrics as important as any other instrument. We won’t just add random words to some melody to make a song. You’ve got to be expressing something.”

What are these "Spectators" like in real life? Ou Jian has her extra going-ons beyond music: “My biggest passion besides music is making handcrafts, but I’d also love to be a painter. Li and Wu are really good at it but they rarely paint, whereas I’m spending more time on it but still not as good. That really makes me jealous.” Described as being “dedicated” and “a man of principle” by other two band members, Li spends his time exploring the Tongzhou neighborhood on a bike, while the “funny and reliable” Wu is mad for football and model making...

The band has been maintaining a low profile since their arrival, or you could say they are using an unconventional way to express themselves, whether through their esoteric style or foreign lyrics. But can these "Spectators" from Hong Kong win over spectators in Beijing? Only time will tell. Good thing, then, that they plan to stick around town.

The Offset: Spectacles will be performing with Fireballoon, 24 Hours, Steely Heart and Careless on Jun 6 at 2 Kolegas (RMB 50, RMB 40 for students, 10pm); Jun 12 with Re-TROS at Yugong Yishan (RMB 60, 9pm); Jun 20 with 8 Eye Spy, Hot & Cold and Ourself Beside Me at D-22 (RMB 50, RMB 40 for students, 10pm).