Almost four decades on, the raucous punk music scene still thrives in the East.
When the Sex Pistols came out with their iconoclastic anthem “God Save the Queen” in 1977, China was a very different place; the majority of the population were well below the poverty line, GDP per capita was a mere 341 yuan and much Western music was outlawed. Now a young urban class in China’s capital is rediscovering the controversial art form that once rocked the UK.
The earliest adopters of punk music in China were bands like Underbaby and P.K. 14, who were exposed to punk in the mid-90’s. As their predecessors, the Sex Pistols, were before them, Underbaby were a rowdy gaggle of unskilled musicians seeking an alternative to the local music scene. Over the years, however, the scene has developed a dedicated and growing Beijing following.
Gao Wei, lead singer of the capital city's Underbaby, believes the exuberant and raucous nature of punk music imbues its listeners with a sense of freedom. Although the social topography of 1970s London is vastly different from Beijing in 2013, many people are still partial to the odd 'pogo'.
Sex Pistols front man, Johnny “Rotten” Lydon, recently performed a sell-out concert in Beijing to a massive crowd.