MUSIC & ARTS
PAIRS P
airs from Shanghai, China will be coming to our fair city in the valley on October 3rd, to scuzz rock some socks off. We sat down for a friendly bit of emailing with drummer/ singer Xiao Zhong, to see what’s what in the land of outspoken political comment deleted. So what inspired you to come up with one of the hardest to Google for band names in history? Originally, the idea was to have a constantly changing name, so one week it would be Their Pairs, then the next it would be They’re Pears, then it would be There Pearz, but I think we realised that was pretty stupid and settled in Pairs. Sadly, we didn’t think about the difficulty in Googling, otherwise it’s a safe assumption that we’d be the biggest band on the planet. Will this be your first time in Korea? If so is there anything you want to try? Yeah, totally first time in Korea! Should be an alright time. When I asked about where we should sleep after the shows, I was told that love motels are the way to go. That sounds pretty awesome! But personally, I don’t need to do any touristy stuff, I’m happy to just sit and drink on a street corner and talk to anyone who wants to talk to me. Mini golf and laser tag are always cool though.
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PF October 2013
Is it difficult to get a band started in China? Is there any red-tape you have to go through? For example, do you have to submit your lyrics to The Man for approval? Nah, not really. If you play big festivals you have to submit your lyrics and set lists, but like most things in China they aren’t really enforced or policed. Smaller shows are no real problem. You can find people to play with, find spaces to practice, and venues to play in, but finding people with similar ideas or ideals is a bit of a struggle. Finally, what would you like people to bring to your shows in Korea? Any good stories involving B or C grade celebrities. I’m all about that, I just heard a good Kenny G one. Also, any good heckles! I love that stuff. Chinese audiences can be too quiet and shy. I like it when people yell stuff and get involved. If anyone wants to bring their band CD’s or merch, we’re happy to do a swap or something. Bring anything that you reckon will make your night better. Maybe one of those sticks with sliced potato on it. Are they good? They look pretty ace! Pairs will play at Jeng-iy bar on October 3rd. With support from local band Colours Infotainment can be attained here: facebook. com/events/583833415012648/