Re-Tros

Post punk trio re-TROS are flying the flag high for Beijing bands.  Having travelled around 21 states in 20 days in the States, they are on the eve of their second appearance in Hong Kong in as many years.  Ladies and Gentleman, we give you: re-TROS!

Hi Re-Tros! Introduce yourselves!
Hua Dong - guitar/vocals, Liu Min - bass/vocals, Ma Hui - drums

How did you guys get together?
Liu Min & I (Hua Dong) first met in Nanjing.  Then we moved to Beijing and met our drummer Ma Hui through a friend in 2003.  He is also into 70's post-punk music and we shared similar music tastes.  There were not many people who liked this kind of music so we thought we would form a band together.

Where does your name come from?
Each of us picked a word and we combined the words as our band name.
Liu Min picked “Rebuilding”, Ma Hui picked “Statues” and I picked “Rights”.  At last, it became “Rebuilding the Rights of Statues”

What's the style of your music?
Late 70s – mid 80s post-punk.

Who are your influences?
Bauhaus, Joy Division & Gang of Four.  It’s not solely their music but also the way they live and their attitudes which has a great influence on us.

How about the best and worst thing about being in Re-Tros?
The best thing is being able to do what we like and getting closer to what we hope to achieve as well.  The worst thing is the pressure.  When we’re making music, we want to make it better than our previous work.  This gives us a lot of pressure every time and eventually we all get into a bad mood.

How was your American tour? Did you learn/ experience anything new? If so, what did you take away with you?
The American tour was very exhausting. Imagine we travelled 21 states in 20 days!  Those cities included New York, Chicago, Texas etc.  It was a new experience for us since every aspect involved was very professional compared to the Mainland situation.  Not only the bands we played with but also the soundmen, the equipment, the organizers and the promoters.  We met a few US indie bands during the tour.  The way they played and their styles were very new to us and I hope to bring these new elements to our music.

Do you guys get recognised a lot? And if so, what is the most drastic thing a fan has ever done for you?
The most drastic thing was during a show in Chu Hai, there were very few indie bands playing. In fact, we covered Shadowplay from Joy Division.  This guy got on stage, grabbed my mic and sang the song.  He even pushed me aside onstage.

Haha... Trying to steal the show huh? Tell us about Beijing Explosion – what does the event mean to you?
This is the 2nd time we've play in HK.  Last time the live performance was like an introduction to the HK audience.  This time the performance will mean more to us.

If you were to compare your music to another group, who would it be and why?
We’d like to be Bauhaus in China.   They are very talented musicians and their music is so touching.  I hope we can reach their level and become as successful as them.

Apart from music, what else do you guys like to do during your free time?
Get on the Internet, watch films...  Recently I was involved in a film.  It was a tiny role playing as a band member.

A musician and an actor...Impressive! If you could share the stage with any band in the world – who would it be and why?
Bauhaus.  We would be very proud if we could play with them.  Prouder than anything else.

Imagine you’re stuck backstage at Beijing Explosion in a locked room for 2 hours – who would you most like to be back there with and why?
P.K. 14 or New Pants.  We are very good mates indeed.

What’s coming up next for you guys (after Beijing Explosion)  Tell us your plans:
We will have a new album this Sept.

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Catch the wonderful  re-TROS on the 29th July, live at the Fringe Club in HK as part of Beijing Explosion

Responses[2]

Posted by AMP Ed on July 20, 2007 11:29:22 AM HKT #

the barboss   ( 12 months ago ) # listen to our numbers!!!

rosemary   ( 11 months ago ) # hey ho.....listen to our song.......