Knotty Party Boys: Rock Duo Tydi Knots Get Debauched Ahead of Feb 7 School Bar Gig

Some bands throw TVs out of hotel windows. Others bite the heads off bats. But Beijing’s up-and-coming Tydi Knots like to keep things relatively simple, raising eyebrows with some good, clean (and not so clean) drunken antics.

And while the South African drummer and guitar duo of Rudi Botes and Tyron Naudé certainly know how to have (too much?) fun, they don’t take their musical duties lightly. Their gigging discipline has already helped the relative newcomers secure a steady run of live shows a mere year after arriving in Beijing, a fraction of the time that most expat bands take to establish themselves. Ahead of their Feb 7 School Bar gig, they tell us about working as hard as they play, the venue owners and mentors who have guided them along the way, and their upcoming recording sessions.

How did Tydi Knots form?
Rudi Botes: We initially started off as friends and bandmates early in 2009, back in South Africa. We used to play thrash metal. Tyron was the lead man, and I the drummer. During our time at university, we had more projects that never seemed to work out. After we graduated from university, both Tyron and I relocated to South Korea, where we started Pan Valley in 2016. It was mostly an experimental acoustic duo. We have been in Beijing since April 2017. Shortly after arriving, Tydi Knots became established, and it evolved and changed rapidly. I feel like we are finally where we want to be as artists.

What have been some of your biggest accomplishments as a band?
Rudi Botes: Moving to new countries as a band, and being able to fit into the scene as fast as we possibly could. We have been told that most foreign musicians who would like to start a musical project often hesitate and end up taking sometimes a year or two to get started. We decided from the start that we’d hit the ground running.

A big milestone for us would be creating Muti. It's the sister band to Tydi Knots so to speak. Tydi Knots used to have two different kinds of shows – Tydi Knots as an alternative band and Tydi Knots Unplugged, but we quickly came to realize that it is confusing and makes it difficult to book the two different shows. Also, 90 percent of the unplugged songs are different, so the whole musical experience is very relaxed and worlds apart from the alternative set.

Tell us about the music you've been working on.
Rudi Botes: We are proud of all the songs currently in our set. They are only some of the many songs that we have written. We often write, then showcase a new song to try and perfect it, but in many cases, we throw out the ones that either break the energy or that don’t have anything special to them. I would say that we tend to favor the simpler songs. They are often clear and easy to follow. Our closing song "Under the Sun", has been our favorite for a while now. It goes through a journey of a summer love that ended and continues on to anger because a good thing ended.

Ok, let’s get into some juicy drama – what have been the most outrageous or embarrassing moments each of you has experienced since you dived into Beijing’s music scene?  
Tyron Naudé: We played a show at Temple one night in May 2017 and Rudi got incredibly drunk. We ended up taking the subway home first thing the next morning, and Rudi fell asleep on my shoulder and drooled about a liter of saliva on my jacket, which dried up and turned white. Pretty gross.

Then there was the time we played Yue Space and, again, Rudi got super drunk and decided to run home after the show. I ended up finding him sleeping in the middle of the road as taxis continued to drive around him hooting frantically.

What are the best and worst things about being a band in Beijing?
Rudi Botes: The best thing would be that Beijing is a music hub, and everyone here seems to be accepting of all kinds of music. It's also great meeting other musicians and bands who take it as seriously as we do. There are so many places and opportunities to play, you simply just have to do it. We have had a lot of extra help from organizers like Felix of School Bar who hooked us up with this interview. And Marshall from Temple Bar for guiding us along.

The worst thing about being a band in Beijing is building a Chinese fan base because we have yet to find a platform that reaches everyone. As a foreigner, Facebook, as a prime example, is an easy way to build up a fan base. And also we are quite new to Beijing and are not familiar with all the different kinds of platforms available.

You've shared the bill with widely loved local psych-rockers Whai a few times recently. What do you admire about them?
Rudi Botes: Whai has a "no care" attitude. Almost nihilistic. It's amazing. They incorporate a bunch of dark synth sounds that push the experience through the roof. The music is simple and repetitive and that’s where the sweet spot lies. Most would try and put in a hundred ideas into one song, not Whai. The thing that we admire the most about them, is that they are mixed with two guys and two girls, but the girls look so scary, they never smile on the stage [laughs]. It is so intimidating. There aren't enough women in the scene. They have been a band for 10 years now and they are at the point that they don't do soundchecks anymore, yet they still own the hell out of each show. My favorite thing about them is that they create this trance-like vibe, almost like a dance club or like African music. I honestly don't know how to explain their sound, maybe ambient? At a Whai show, you will always see someone dancing.

What's next for Tydi Knots?
Rudi Botes: We have been preparing for the studio. We are going to be busy this month recording our eight tracks that will be split into two four-track EP releases. We are looking to tour and we will be creating merchandise soon.

Tydi Knots will perform at School bar on Feb 7. They share the bill with D. Cortisol and Swarrm (who we also profiled recently). The music starts at 9.30pm, and entry is RMB 40. For more information, click here.

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Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
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Photos: Courtesy of School Bar, Modern Sky