Dirty Fingers Discuss the Benefits of Not Becoming "Part of the Beijing Clique" Ahead of Dec 30 DDC Show
[Updated Dec 27,10.30am] A previous version of this blog stated that the release show would occur at Yugong Yishan. It will in fact take place at DDC.
Frontman and lyricist Guan Xiaotian, guitarist Bing Xiaohai, bassist and principal composer Zhang Haiming, and Brazilian drummer Ale Amazonia make up the Shanghai-formed punk rock band Dirty Fingers, who are currently celebrating the release of their Maybe Mars-backed second album How’d I Turn So Bad.
Consisting of 12 tracks, the new album was recorded at both Yugong Yishan and Little Wizard’s rehearsal space in Shaoxing, and continues the group's raucous, messy, and intoxicating style that has thus far made the punk rockers highly entertaining and full-of-swagger fun. The album's first single "I Like Your Girlfriend Too" has been described in a review by Noisey as being "like phlegm stuck on your body which you cannot get rid of."
The 2013-founded band have gradually gained a following and are jokingly labeled "the rising bastard lords of punk in China," looking to shake the relative peace within China's music industry and build new chaos in the minds of their listeners.
Even though the album was released through Maybe Mars and features involvement from Yang Haisong, frontman for P.K. 14, Dirty Finger’s new LP bears little similarity to most Beijing-based bands.
"We don’t want to become part of the Beijing clique" is what Ale "Alex" Amazonia emphasizes most during our recent interview with him. “There is a downside of being a part of the industry in Beijing, which is already very overwhelming. Bands here tend to be influenced by the trends and the market they are surrounded by. But we don’t want to sound like the other bands.”
The band is currently traveling around China for their 14-city tour, including an upcomming stop Beijing, for what’s sure to be a memorable show at DDC on Dec 30.
Below, drummer Ale tells us more about the new album as well as his aspirations for the band.
TBJ: How long have you been preparing the new album?
Amazonia: Roughly two years. By the time we released our first album in 2015, we already had half of the songs ready.
Why did you choose the name How'd I Turn So Bad?
Over the past two years, we went through drug busts, jail time, and death threats, and now we feel like it’s a moment for us to reflect on ourselves. When the first album came out, we were young, naïve, and pure but during the process we got corrupted. The second album is about this kind of strong feeling.
Do you have a personal favorite track on the new album?
"Undercover Cops." It’s the most distinctive song on the whole album. It’s dark, mature, deep, and the lyrics are very revealing. It reveals our relationships with undercover cops, about the censorship problems we have.
What are the major differences between this new album and your previous release, Monkey King?
We've become more patient and more precise, and we've improved a lot in terms of the quality of our music. The second album also shaped our identity more than the first one and we care more about expressing our inner nature. We don’t limit the band to a specific style; we are quite open to feel what we want to do and there are no limits for the band – everything is acceptable.
Tell us about some of your favorite memories from your wildest shows.
We have a policy of not making a set list so we don’t know what we’re going to play before we get on stage. We want to have fun with what we are doing and also give that sense of fun to the audience. We usually get drunk before our shows since playing a gig sober is weird for us when everything is so clear. I rushed out to puke during a show one time.
As a Shanghai-formed band, do you think Shanghai gives your band a different influence to what you might find in Beijing?
It does. People in Shanghai didn’t like us when we first came out but we started to become more respected by the audience. And I think we still don’t fit the vibe there, but that’s the charm. While in Beijing we feel more confident and comfortable.
You've said you don’t want to be part of the Beijing clique. Why is important for you to remain independent?
I go to lots of gigs in Beijing and I feel like they sound very similar to each other. Few are trying to break the style or trying to push things in another direction. So for us being out of Beijing, we think of the bigger picture of things and try not to do what others are doing, and push ourselves to create something new.
What were some of the unique challenges you faced when making this album?
It’s always hard to convert ideas. During the process, there are many directions you can approach from to make an album. That’s why we recorded the album twice.
What do you expect for Dirty Fingers within five years?
We just got a contract with Billboard, they want to include one of our songs on an Asia rock compilation album. We’re targeting global domination, but we don’t have the ambition to be famous and too mainstream, we want to find our own level and build our audience.
Head to DDC this Saturday (Dec 30) to see Dirty Fingers get loose at their How'd I Turn Out So Bad release show.
