Jake Newby takes Shanghai's underground queens to Baby Doll.

“A lot of boys here are afraid of girls who play rock music,” says Ding Jia, lead singer of Momo. “Yeah, my boyfriend’s not really that comfortable with me being in a band,” agrees Bang Bang Tang lead singer Xiao Bai, “he’s a bit traditional and doesn’t think I should be out late or doing this sort of thing. We’ve got an agreement that once we get married I’ll definitely stop making music.” Welcome to the world of female rock in Shanghai.

We’ve assembled the cream of the city’s female alternative musicians in Baby Doll – a Shanghai princess’ dream made real. It’s wall to wall cutesy tackiness – neon lights and glitzy mirrors, pink sofas and sickly sweet desserts. On stage, these are Shanghai’s riot grrrls, fighting mainstream pop with their alternative sounds. In person, save for the odd tattoo or piercing, they don’t seem all that out of place amongst the flowers and fruit teas. And, in many respects, they are quite normal. Aside from Momo, the only band of the six who are signed to a label, all the girls are students at the city’s universities, studying subjects that range from film to finance. They are all fiercely intelligent and articulate – just as at home discussing Edgar Allen Poe as Jay Chou (although they hate the latter). Yet, despite their unassuming appearance, they’re more into The Slits than S.H.E. So are they typical girls?

 “I’m 100 percent Shanghainese and proud,” says Xiao You of Pinkberry, whose sharp banter and super confident on-stage persona is no act. “Some Shanghainese girls have a reputation for being pretty demanding and prissy, but I hate those kind of girls, they all listen to pop music. I’m hoping to change all that.” She’s not alone. At a recent show, Jia Die of noise group Torturing Nurse was taped naked to a chair and bound to a mic stand before being “tortured” by Beijing sound artist Yan Jun. Her bandmates fared little better: Junky was strapped to a table with a contact mic taped to his throat, while Youki was tied into a bag with another mic. “I want to f**k the audience,” explains Jia who studies psychology at Fudan University, “I never want to be predictable – if the audience want to see me naked, then I won’t do it any more. I can’t always directly subvert their expectations, but I don’t like them to be able to predict what will happen either.”

This wasn’t the first time Jia had been part of such a revealing show. Torturing Nurse have built up quite the reputation for extreme behavior since their formation in 2004 – bondage, self-harm, and nudity regularly featuring in their live performances. It’s enough to make the average parent balk. “If my parents knew what I did they would kill me!” admits Jia. “People my parents’ age don’t really understand a lot of what young people do,” says Ding, “music is no different. My parents don’t fully understand it but they’re still supportive of me.” “When I first started, as long as it didn’t affect my studies, my parents weren’t too bothered,” says Bai, “but now my Dad is quite proud of me and likes to tell everyone that his daughter’s in a band.”

Parents’ fears about their children’s safety and the pressure on young Chinese to sacrifice all in the name of education are the main reasons that there aren’t more girls making alternative music according to Vivian Chiang, lead singer of goth-rock band Moongazer. “A lot of parents worry that if their child joins a rock band they’ll be around a lot of negative influences – they think they’ll start smoking and drinking a lot – so they protect their children and insulate them. A lot of parents in China are overly protective in this way.”
Given such concerns, and the pervasiveness of traditional stereotypes, surely it’s especially hard being a girl on the underground music scene? “If you’re a singer it’s ok,” says Melody Li of rap-rock outfit Candy Shop, “more boys tend to come to your shows if you’ve got a female vocalist, but if you’re playing an instrument they don’t respect you as much as a man playing the same thing.” “Women are often just treated as objects when performing alternative music,” says Jia, “it’s very much a man’s world.”

"I wouldn’t say I’ve had any particular difficulties because I’m female,” argues You, “I’ve been into music since I started playing electric guitar in grade three at junior high and I’ve never felt it was a problem. I think girls on the rock scene get attention as well as boys.” However, You is a female singer for an otherwise all-male band and, as Bai (who’s also the only girl in her band) points out, this can be problematic. “Because I’m a girl, people tend to focus on me when we perform. It’s not fair really because the boys are all very talented and I don’t want to take attention from them.”

Given these pressures and challenges, how have they succeeded where others haven’t? “Maybe we’re just lucky,” suggests Li, “my family have always been very supportive, but I know a lot of people whose parents would be against them joining a band. And that’s a big obstacle.”

Indeed, just making it out to watch live acts can be difficult for many young people. “It’s not just that most people in China mistakenly associate rock music with crime and drugs meaning parents don’t let their kids go to shows,” says Jia, “a lot of universities shut off the electricity at 11pm, making it difficult for students to stay out late anyway.” “It’s a real shame,” agrees Li, “because this kind of music doesn’t have to have negative influences – it can make a positive difference. People just don’t get a chance to hear it.”

“I think there’d be more girls in bands if they had more opportunities to hear this kind of music,” says You, “I’m always telling my friends to listen to more rock and punk and to come to our gigs. I’d love to play more shows at universities but you can’t make any money there.” Indeed, while Shanghai’s live music scene is slowly growing, few young people in the city are aware of what some of their contemporaries are doing. “A lot of my friends don’t even know where Yuyintang is,” says Chiang, “but I practically live there!” Instead, for many young people, picking up a microphone means going to KTV, not starting a band. “If there was more of this kind of music on TV then more people would form their own bands instead of going to KTV,” agrees Jia, “but getting on TV with this kind of music is difficult at the moment.”

Of course, no one expects a nationwide indie music scene to develop overnight – while it’s easy to bemoan the depth of Shanghai’s live music scene, in many cities there is still no scene at all. “We did a gig in Wenzhou once,” says Ding, “and people were shouting out requests like we were a cover band. They wanted us to play pop songs like Laoshu Ai Da Mi! They had no idea.” And even Shanghai has a long way to go. “The scene here has got better in recent years,” says Ding, “but we’re still a long way behind Beijing. There’s a really developed scene there. Here, you play some places and people don’t really seem too bothered – you could just be a CD on at the bar. There’s still a long road ahead.” “Beijing has at least three gigs going on every night,” explains Jia, “and whereas a lot of musicians and bands in Shanghai are still students, in Beijing a lot of the bands are full-time.”

Regardless, the girls are adamant that the scene is growing and that they can do their bit to help it along. “Some bands just have the attitude that they do what they do and they don’t need an audience,” says Bai, “but I think we need to let people know that going to a live music show is a much better way to spend your night than playing video games or going to a club – and our music is better than the mainstream songs at KTV bars.” “Ticket prices for our gigs are pretty cheap,” agrees Ding, “and our shows are much more entertaining than a night at Babyface or somewhere like that! Forget the clubs, come to our gigs and pogo instead!”

Who’s that girl?

Xiao You is the lead singer of pop-punkers Pinkberry. Despite only forming three months ago, the band have already caused a stir on the local scene. “Everyone has two sides. We’re cute and fierce at the same time.” Go listen. Watch: Pinkberry will be in Beijing for the  AsiaBeat China final but will return on Dec 14 with new songs and plans for more shows.

Ding Jia is lead vocalist for all-girl band Momo. Formerly Happy Strings, the band came together in 2005, changing their name and their style in February of this year. “Happy Strings was a punk band. But Momo is different – it’s cute and naughty pop music.” Go listen. Watch: Indie Top Showcase, Dec 5.

Melody Li is the female vocalist for Candy Shop. Despite the name, there is little sweet about this rap-metal six-piece who have honed their sound in recent months and will headline their own show this week. “We mix nu metal and electronic music, with a bit of pop as well.” Go listen. Watch: At Live Bar, Dec 6.

Xiao Bai is lead singer of indie pop outfit Bang Bang Tang. Despite being unsigned and forming just over a year ago, Bang Bang Tang's reputation is growing. “Our music seems to suit quieter audiences, but we seem to be attracting bigger crowds all the time.” Go listen. Watch: 0093 Showcase, Dec 12.

American-born Taiwanese singer Vivian Chiang of local goth-rock band Moongazer is the only girl of the six who isn’t a Shanghai native. “I’m really into ‘80s metal like Metallica. I also really like 65 Days of Static and Muse so they influence me a lot.” Go listen. Watch: 0093 Showcase, Dec 12.

Jia Die is a member of Torturing Nurse, one of Shanghai's most established (and most infamous) acts. The noise outfit are at the forefront of the city’s avant garde – the cover of their forthcoming album will be made of sandpaper. Go listen. Watch: At NOIShanghai XXI, Dec 21 at Live Bar. It’ll be Jia Die’s last show with the group (she’s moving to Sweden to study).

Sound of the Underground

Friday December 5 sees the launch of Soma Records’ indie-rock offshoot at Zhijiang Dream Factory. Entitled Indie Top, the label has signed a host of young bands and artists, and has a series of albums in the works for 2009. Before that, they’re putting out a compilation record with tracks from each of the artists on their roster. This event marks the launch of the CD, and is a chance to see some of the leading lights of the city’s underground music scene, including Momo, Little Nature, Crazy Mushrooms, Sonnet, Zhong Chi, Qing Ma Dao, and Wang Xiaokun. We spoke to Li Dalong, singer with Crystal Butterfly and one of the founders of Indie Top.

SH: Why did you start Indie Top?
LD: We want to give indie musicians a boost by showcasing them and their music. We have our own studio and I've worked with many musicians before. There's a lot of people out there with great sounds, so we want to provide an opportunity for them to be heard. Although the forthcoming compilation album is more about rock and pop, we're not so bothered about style – we just want good quality music, good rhythms, lyrics, and production. We provide the means for people to produce their music and to make great albums.

SH: Which bands on the label excite you personally?
LD: The singer Wang Xiaokun works hard and has a great voice. Little Nature are young and honest – they have a kid’s optimism and attitude, which is great. As for Crazy Mushrooms, I signed them personally so I have a special affinity with them. 

SH: What can we expect at the Indie Top Showcase? 
LD: It's a chance to get to know some up-and-coming bands. The event will be a success, I'm sure of it. There are very few listenable albums in China, but this compilation is one of them and I know the bands’ live performances are just as good.

SH: And after that?
LD: We're going to be releasing a couple of albums a year, and we'll encourage more bands and artists to join our label. We're hoping to have national tours promoting each CD release. Continuing the series is something we're dedicated to – we won't give up halfway. Hopefully, Shanghai will have more and more live concerts so more people get to experience this music. Young people should be spending their money on renting a studio and practicing music, not going to KTV at the weekends. It costs the same amount of money, but making your own music is so much more meaningful and enjoyable.

Special thanks to: Andy Best (and his local music scene blog), Evans Best, Marty Campaign (for the photos of Xiao Bai and Jia Ding), Super Sophia (from Yuyintang), Gregory A. Perez (for the on-stage photo of Jia Die), and Baby Doll, 158 Huaihai Lu, near Pu'an Lu, 5306 0012 (淮海路158号, 近普安路).