New pants remain fashionable

Peng Lei bursts into laughter when he is asked about the birth of his band, New Pants. “I really didn’t expect that we would go this far,” says Peng down the phone from his home in Beijing.

As the frontman of New Pants, Peng founded the Beijing-based band in 1996 along with his schoolmate, Pang Kuang. They were both students at an art college in Beijing majoring in animation back then.

“I thought the band would break up or soon be forgotten,” adds Peng, the self-taught guitarist, who had previously formed his own band in high school.

Decades later, New Pants has grown into one of the most-watched bands in the country and has released eight full-length albums, including their 2007 hit opus,

which mixes vintage 1980s’ new wave with disco. They play a retro blend of synthpop, punk and rock, drawing influence from a diverse spectrum of bands from the 1970s, 80s and the early 90s.

On March 23, New Pants will be performing in the capital for the first time in eight years with a concert at Beijing Workers’ Gymnasium. It is a testament to the ensemble’s enduring popularity that when tickets for the concert went on sale on Feb 15, they sold out within 10 minutes.

The show will be the finale of the band’s nationwide tour, entitled New Wave, which kicked off in April last year and has encompassed more than 10 cities, including Changsha, Hunan province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, Chongqing and Tianjin.

“We are not productive as a band. For each show, we want to have fun and be different,” says Peng.

This ethos is demonstrated perfectly by the poster for the upcoming Beijing concert. It pays homage to the cover of the band’s self-titled debut album, and has the four members: guitarist-vocalist Peng, keyboard player-vocalist Pang, bassist Zhao Meng and drummer Hayato, lying on their sides, facing the camera in mock-seduction, set against bold, primary colors.

While the poster features current photos of the bandmates, on the original album cover, they were replaced by crudely drawn cartoon figures. That first album, released in 1998, was heavily influenced by American punk rock band, the Ramones, and soon won the band a loyal fanbase thanks to their raw punk vibe.

As Peng recalls, the indie music scene in the capital back then was dominated by heavy metal music.

“It was a totally different way of looking at the world then,” Peng says. “The indie music scene was not appealing to the mainstream audience, but it was vibrant.”

After graduating from university, Peng worked for a Beijing-based advertising company, making about 1,500 yuan ($224) a month. A year later, he spent his first year’s income on a guitar, which he bought in Hong Kong.

In 1997, the band signed to Beijing-based indie record label, Modern Sky, and Peng became a full-time singer-songwriter.

The band developed with the label, which was founded by former rocker, Shen Lihui, in that same year. In the beginning, the label only signed three indie bands: New Pants, Supermarket, and Sober, for which Shen was the leading vocalist.

“No one was interested in indie music then. The scene was dominated by mainstream record companies. We just made music for fun. It was purely idealism,” says Shen.

Decades later, things have changed. Indie music has become incredibly popular among young Chinese music lovers and Modern Sky has grown into the largest indie record label in the country, which is home to over a hundred bands and artists. It’s brainchild, Strawberry Music Festival, has become a popular outdoor music event, attracting a young Chinese audience from across the country. The label has also expanded its reach by establishing satellite offices, signing local bands and artists and hosting outdoor music festivals in the United Kingdom and the United States.

With fans opening up to a greater diversity of music, New Pants has been experimenting various different styles, such as old school punk, disco, and electronic music.

The music, however, is not all that keeps New Pants going.

In his early 40s, Peng, who is now a father, says that the key to the bands longevity is the constant energy and drive to be creative.

Besides music, Peng, who was born into an intellectual family, has embarked on various career opportunities. He published a book of illustrations, directed movies and has held art exhibitions.

One of his books, released in 2009, was inspired by his own life and named after Beihai Park, which was one of his favorite places as a child.

Like Peng, keyboard player Pang has also developed his career in other fields besides music, launching his own fashion brand and working as a designer.