Expat Rocker Bids Beijing Adieu By Screening Trailer for Local Punk Scene TV Series at Hot Cat Club, Mar 4

Nearly 20 years after he founded one of China's earliest rock bands, Big Aeroplane, Justin Richardson is now training a camera on the music scene that he long been a part of. The Australian expat's forthcoming, zany, low budget, Flight of the Conchords inspired TV series, Subtrainian, will showcase his band NZT and other steady Beijing troupes. Richardson will screen a trailer for the series at Hot Cat Club on March 4 before taking to the stage with NZT. The occasion will not only be a premiere of his TV series, but also a goodbye from Richardson, who will be returning to his native Melbourne at the end of the month. Ahead of his final Beijing gig Richardson tells us more about his new TV series.

What inspired you to start working on Subtrainian in the first place?
I have always been interested in cinema and have always wanted to be somehow involved in the industry, either as an actor, or as a director, of sorts. That ongoing interest, together with my passion for performing live music, inspired me to do something that could showcase Beijing and its live music scene in a positive and fun way.

My hometown Melbourne is known as a great city for live music, and I believe Beijing has an amazing live music scene, but it isn't known internationally, so I wanted to address that with Subtrainian.

What did you enjoy most about working on it?
Firstly, it was fun. Super fun. Secondly, and honestly, most importantly, I was overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and support of all my friends, as well as the new friends I made, who got involved and supported the project. Without them, Subtrainian would never have got off the ground.

I've been here almost 20 years, and I think even newly arrived expatriates soon learn the concept of guanxi. Well there is guanxi, and then there is your network of friends.

A special mention goes to Ian McMath, for leading the filming, editing, as well as playing lead guitar in NZT [Richardson's band, which is featured in Subtrainian, and currently playing the live scene in Beijing].

And of course, lastly, I loved showcasing Beijing in great way, because it's a great city. I wanted to provide a short piece that foreigners who haven't been to Beijing, or China, may have an independent view showcased, and of course, this also applies to the domestic China market. There is a whole new generation of Chinese young people listening to rock and roll as well as new Chinese bands that would be appreciated in the West if there was a platform to do it.

How do you think Beijing's underground music scene will react to Subtrainian?
It's all been extremely positive and there has been lots of support. I think most people in the live music scene here, as well as the creative space, such as, art, design, dance, fashion, and even craft beer and cafes and restaurants, can see the potential for a TV show like Subtrainian, which as I stated above, is like a platform to showcase Beijing.

Lots of people in the Beijing underground music scene are also creative people and members of performing bands, not to mention a few English teachers [laughs]. I've been asked by many of them if there would be an opportunity to feature them on future episodes, and that really is the plan, but we'll wait and see what the public reaction is when it is eventually released, hopefully mid-April 2017.

What are some of the things that influenced this project?
I definitely love comedy, and I love the "mockumentary" genre, such as found in The Office. That kind of filming allows for actors who are naturally funny, to have a more "live" kind of comedic spontaneity on screen which you often can't write in a script.

Definitely Flight of the Conchords was a major inspiration. The story of two naive New Zealand musicians trying to make their way in New York was hilarious, and I loved their funny music and low budget crazy music videos. However, whereas they mostly wrote "throw away" pop songs to fit the story line, I wanted to write my own songs for NZT that I could release as a serious EP. In fact, I've been spending the last few months recording an original EP with NZT, which should be ready for release summer time.

The actual concept for Subtrainian came to me one night whilst I was about to fall asleep, so I jumped out of bed and wrote down a few ideas and then went back to sleep. The next morning I added more to the concept and contacted some friends, and we literally started filming two weeks after that.

Richardson will screen a trailer for his series at Hot Cat Club on March 4. Entry is free. The fun starts at 9pm, and Richardson's current band NZT will perform afterwards, along with opening acts like Zhen Ren and Better Off Alive.

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Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
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Photos courtesy of Justin Richardson