Article by Yimeng Geng
Photo credit Jialing Shen
On this fine Sunday afternoon, the chilly weather and autumn leaves helped kick off the second day of Modern Sky Music Festival, which was located in Central Park, Manhattan. As I entered the venue, I immediately felt the powerful energy of music as well as the enthusiasm of the audience. From fashion style to personality, these fans were living in the Rock and roll spirit. The entire venue was filled with laughter and shouts of joy.
Queen Sea Big Shark
Queen Sea Big Shark
Formed in Beijing, China. Queen Sea Big Shark is a Chinese indie rock band who believes in the motto of promoting its own style of “DANCE ROCK”. The majority of their music is very upbeat and energetic, conveying a positive and lively attitude.
The performance opened up with the lead singer, Fu Han, running towards the audience all the way from backstage. The entire concert atmosphere was immediately hyped up. The show incorporated five of their most popular songs, including their new hit single: “Himalaya”. Just like the mountain range “Himalaya”, which includes the world’s highest peaks, this song also became the peak of their performance. Many fans in the audience were shouting out the lyrics, immersing themselves in the endless energy of rock music. Besides singing, Queen Sea Big Shark’s performance also incorporated guitar solos and harmonica solos, making the show more dynamic and compelling. By the end of their last song, voices of “Encore!” started emerging from the crowd. Because of the time constraint, Queen Sea Big Shark had to leave the stage and say farewell to the audience. However, during the following break, its lead singer, Fu Han, proceeded to the back of the crowd to take pictures with her fans.
Shuh Tou
Shuh Tou
Shuh Tou is a very unconventional punk rock band, originated in Xinjiang, China. The term “Shuh Tou” means “tongue” in Chinese, which symbolizes their only channel of conveying oppressed feelings. The band focuses on expressing wild and angry emotions with messy rhythm and hateful lyrics. Their music unleashes their inner monster and reveals their dissatisfaction and animosity towards the society. The entire performance is accompanied with a black and white video background of disfigured screaming faces of different members of the band. The lead singer screamed out the lyrics, which were difficult to understand, while rocking back and forth and whipping his hair. The entire performance possessed a very dark tone, and the messages that were delivered from their songs were very extreme.
Second Hand Rose
Second Hand Rose
Based in Beijing, China, Second Hand Rose is a traditional Chinese all male rock band who is known for also being cross-dressers. During a performance, all members of the bands wear makeup, accessories, and colorful women clothes. Their music is based on “Er-ren Zhuan”, which is a genre of local folk music in Northeast China. Second Hand Rose combines both modern day rock and traditional Chinese folk music together and promotes Chinese culture in an innovative and compulsive way.
Second Hand Rose
During this event, Second Hand Rose coordinated their outfit to red and green floral clothing. A highlight of the show was their guitarist’s green short tank top and shinny red tutu. He became the center of attention as soon as he entered the stage and the audience instantly started laughing and taking pictures. However, once the lead singer began to sing, cheers and applause filled up the entire venue. His voice was powerful and expressive, with a hint of femininity.
Second Hand Rose
Despite their unique music style, their humorous lyrics and goofy facial expressions also brought so much laughter to the crowd. The entire concert experience brought the audience’s passion and excitement for rock music to a whole new level.
Second Hand Rose
These three bands are different in their own ways yet are all name cards representing modern day Chinese music. When I left the festival, I walked away with a heart full of rock and roll music and a memory of a great afternoon.
Leave a Reply