Life

Rock encore

By Chen Nan (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-01-04 08:04

Rockers like Yaksa, winner of the Best Metal Band, turn the Midi Awards into a six-hour rock marathon, on New Year's Eve. Photos by Wang Jing / China Daily

The awards night features fresh faces, including Nan Wu, winner of the Best New Rock Artist.

Midi Awards draw enthusiastic crowds for the second straight year. Chen Nan reports.

Zhang Fan, organizer of the Midi Awards, dedicated to Chinese rock, has repeatedly been asked this question over the past year: Do we really need rock music awards? The answer was obvious at the second Midi Awards held on Dec 31 at Starlive, one of the most popular live music venues in Beijing.

More than 1,000 people packed the venue as 12 rock bands, the winners in each category, stepped on stage to thrill screaming crowds until 1 the next morning.

"There are so many Chinese music awards for other genres, like pop, R&B and folk music, so why not for rock 'n' roll? Fans want to see their rock heroes on stage too, celebrating their achievements," Zhang said.

In December 2009, more than 1,000 fans were treated to a heavy dose of rock music when the inaugural awards were held at a large two-story building in Beijing's 798 art district. Six bands played 20 songs on stage for the three-hour show.

The 2010 show featured more bands, from rock stars such as Xie Tianxiao, Miserable Faith, and Twisted Machine, to young talents such as the winner of the year's Best New Rock Artist, Nan Wu, and lead nominees Paper Person. They turned the awards night into a six-hour rock marathon.

Xie, who is considered to be an heir to Cui Jian (the godfather of Chinese rock music), bagged two important awards - Best Male Rock Vocal Performance and Best Live Performance. His playing of the guzheng (ancient Chinese zither) to the heavy rock beats supported by his band, made fans go wild.

Xie won the same awards as in 2009 and when people acclaimed him as "king of live music", he said, "I don't know whether I am the best but one thing is for sure and that is, live music is heaven for rock, because it's real and powerful".

Miserable Faith, another big winner of the night, was nominated for seven awards. The band won Best Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Rock Performance by Group with Vocals. Gao Hu, the lead vocalist, performed songs from their just released album, Blooming.

"It was exciting seeing so many people celebrating the rock music awards together," said an exuberant Gao. "Rock 'n' roll may not go mainstream but we need it. Let's hope Chinese rock music will continue to bloom."

The show was presented by music producer Wang Di and Helen Feng Haining, the lead singer of the rock band, Ziyo, who won for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance in 2009.

"We had 128 judges from the music industry, such as music critics and media persons, which was double the number for 2009," Zhang said. "Hopefully, the show will be the catalyst for the next big music star. Chinese rock is badly in need of fresh blood."

For the fans, who paid 100 yuan ($15.20) for a ticket, the night was as enjoyable as an outdoor music festival. They jumped, shouted and laughed with the musicians on stage.

"This (awards) show was different from others, which are usually boring. The winners often give long thank-you speeches and even shed tears, which is dramatic but unreal," said Li Qi, a rock fan who also attended the 2009 Midi Awards.

"Both the winners and the fans shared the night together. We did not have to sit down and keep quiet. We could talk freely, drink beer and joke like friends. They (the music stars) were reachable and real."

Li said despite the small size of the venue and the simple stage design, "It was an exciting night and a great start to the new year."

 

Zhang mulled the idea of organizing a rock music awards show for more than 10 years. He has been heading the Midi Music School since its founding in 1996. After successfully holding the first Midi Music Festival in 1999, with barely 20 bands on stage and 100 people in the audience, Zhang was determined to keep bringing the power of Chinese rock music to fans.

The Midi Music Festival has also reached out to fans outside the capital. At the Midi Music Festival 2010, which was held during the National Day holiday at Zhenjiang, Jiangsu province, more than 100,000 people watched performances by more than 100 rock bands from China and other countries.

"Every year fans can see new faces at the Midi Music Festival. We bring pioneering rock acts to cities, big and small, to allow everyone a taste of the rock spirit," Zhang said.

"December is usually a quiet time for the industry, but fans get to see a snapshot of Chinese rock music over the whole year and also a sneak preview of what is on offer in the year ahead," he added.