Brain Failure | es

Brain Failure is one of the leading punk bands in China. It all started in 1997 when recent high school dropout Xiao Rong started looking for something fun to do to waste time. He soon began writing his own songs and playing in some of the few clubs that existed in Beijing at that time. A year later Xiao Rong and his band were playing in the infamous Scream Club (RIP), one of the most important places in the early Beijing Punk scene. Four Scream Club veteran bands , Brain Failure, The Anarchy Boys (AKA Anarchy Jerks), 69 and Reflector put out a split together called “Wu Liao Jun Dui” best translated as “Army of Annoyance”. This album showed the people of China intensity never found before in Mainland Chinese music and anger at the boring life forced upon China’s youth. From there Xiao Rong was asked to appear in a Levi’s commercial in Europe. The year 2000 saw many changes in Brain Failure’s lineup. Several members had left the band for various reasons. The drummer and guitarist were replaced by Xu Lin and Wang Jian from the band Azrio. Veteran bassist Shi Xudong of Wuhan’s hardcore band Shit Dog was brought in. The success of this lineup sold out the famous CD Café in Beijing and solidified Brain Failure’s place on the Beijing Scene. In 2002 they toured Japan with Japan’s Last Target, Sobut and Garlic Boys. Xiao Rong also discovered a talent for tell-it-like-it-is lyrics. Coming Down to Beijing expresses the unhappiness of many locals of seeing the city that they grew up in becoming a place they don’t recognize. For Brain Failure “urban renewal” is urban decay as the old homes of Beijing become glass walled sky-scrapers. The tone of urban isolation and destruction carries through in the songs Living in the City and My Simple Life, an ode to the boring existence of youth in Beijing, staying up all night looking at porno on your computer. Harassment by your neighbors because you look different or act differently gets covered in Call the Police a hyper ska song about people threatening to call the police on you all the time. The pastimes of local yuppie “trend-setters” get covered in songs like Fucking Disco and KTV (Karaoke Bar) about how these locations are basically just whore houses for local elites. Most of Brain Failure’s lyrics deal with the social problems and attitudes present in China today rather than political problems. Their rise in China was difficult because of average people’s aversion to rock n’ roll and a near complete lack of any media coverage. Finally after years of fighting underground Brain Failure achieved one of their dreams in 2003 and played in the US on Asian Night at SXSW and CMJ. Later they would play with the Dropkick Murphy’s in California and form a friendship with Ken Casey, who would produce their 2004 album American Dreamer. Soon after the release bassist Shi Xudong left the band for personal reasons and was replaced with Ma Jiliang, a former band mate of Xu Lin and Wang Jian. Supporting their new album and trying to make a name for themselves on the US scene, Brain Failure played a few dates on the East Coast with the Dropkick Murphy’s, Stiff Little Fingers, and Kings of Nothing. 2005 was a big year of touring for Brain Failure seeing them do two US tours with The Unseen and Street Dog. During the summer that year they did a small tour with the Briefs and Street Dog and even played a weeklong stint on the Warped Tour. A year later they were back in the studio working on a split with Big D and the Kid’s Table called From Beijing to Boston, once again Casey was in the booth for Brain Failure’s tracks. In the same year they toured the US two more times supporting Against All Authority and the Business. Watching Brain Failure play is an amazing experience. They bring a power and a passion to the stage from years of playing underground shows in Beijing. No other band in Beijing can pump up a crowd like they can. Xiao Rong is relentless, tireless, like a possessed man. Wang Jian’s wild antics and Xu Lin and Ma Jiliang’s determination create a spectacular stage presence. Off stage they are friendly and love to meet new people wherever they go. China’s seminal punk rock band, BRAIN FAILURE sings in English and Chinese, belting melodic, upbeat ditties about politics, parties and “the Social Living situation in the P.R.C.” BRAIN FAILURE’S power-packed lineup is: Xiao Rong on lead vocals and guitar, Wang Jian on guitar, Ma Jiliang on bass, and Xu Lin on drums. As the first generation of Chinese musicians since the 1949 Communist Revolution to grow-up in relative political stability, economic prosperity, and exposure to western popular culture, BRAIN FAILURE is influenced by bands like The Clash, Ramones, Rancid, Op Ivy, Green Day. They had been the first musicians in China to have Mohawks and belt-out the dissonant sounds of revolution over power-chords, in the late 1990’s. Appearing on China’s first punk compilation, Boring Army(Wuliao JunDui), they soon started a punk rock Wave in the P.R.C. BRAIN FAILURE has inspired an entire generation of Chinese youth, and an evolving punk and hardcore scene that is growing around the country. BRAIN FAILURE has since become the first Chinese punk band to release their album and tour widely on the international scene. With the release of their album Turn on the Distortion in 2002, on Japanese independent label Bad News Records, they have toured in Asia and the United States. In 2003, they performed at the Austin SXSW, and New York CMJ music festivals. They have also performed with punk rock greats, including DROPKICK MURPHYS and THE CASUALITIES in California, DILLINGER FOUR in Chicago, and with THE FORGOTTEN in Japan. In January 2004, BRAIN FAILURE finished recording their second album with DROPKICK MURPHYS bassist Ken Casey. In a Boston Globe article about the recording, Casey praises BRAIN FAILURE saying “I love their music,” and that “their musicianship is incredible, and the songs are very catchy. It's real interesting to see a band come out of a place where punk rock is very much underground, while over here it is so commercialized.” With the US release of this album named American Dreamer on Thorp Records(Sailors Grave Records) in 2005, they have toured with DROPKICK MURPHYS, THE UNSEEN, RAMALLAH, ROGER MIRET AND THE DISASTERS, THE BUSINESS, THE BRIEFS, STREET DOGS, AGAINST ALL AUTHORITY, CRIME IN STEREO, select 2005 WARPED TOUR dates and more. They also appeared on Hellcat/Epitaph’s punk compilation, Give ‘Em the Boot Vol. IV, and had 3 songs on the Xbox 360’s Amped 3 Snowboarding video game. In the summer of 2006, BRAIN FAILURE took off their busy tour schedule long enough to record again with Ken Casey to release a split CD with Boston’s BIG D AND THE KIDS TABLE on Bad News Records’ US label in 2007. As the irreverent punk rock voice of China’s burgeoning youth culture, BRAIN FAILURE has been featured in the international media, including European Levi’s Commercial, Details magazine, The Boston Globe, The Village Voice, The San Francisco Guardian, San Francisco Chronicle, Giant Robot, Revolver, Skratch, Slap, Alternative Press, AMP Punknews.org, , and many others. MTVU and MTV Chi, MTV’s new Asian American channel, also did a news piece on the band which also lead to BRAIN FAILURE hosting a half an hour of their favorite videos on MTV Chi. BRAIN FAILURE is one of the only tried and true punk bands to survive and make it out of Beijing, China. Having formed in high school, the band has been crafting their street punk anthems for years. After many demos and smaller releases the band has now made it out of China, most notably, by catching the ear and winning the support of Ken Casey of DROPKICK MURPHYS. Forwarding a musical agenda of classic punk, BRAIN FAILURE will appeal to fans of RANCID, THE CLASH, and STIFF LITTLE FINGERS. Catchy choruses, strong mid-paced punk rock riffs, and impeccable style and musicianship make BRAIN FAILURE a band that rivals any in today's U.S. punk scene. And some more .