Interview with Little Punk

Little Punk (Pei Huang) has been around the Shanghai music scene for awhile but first came to international attention when she released her album, “Hey Guy, You are Big Time Alright” in 2010. Her dis-attached attitude and breathy spoken  stream of consciousness vocals reminding many of the early days of punk. The lyrics, offset with a huge dose of cursing, balance out the simple musical accompaniment and capture attention.

She is also known for her more energetic performances in the Shanghai based band, Boys Climbing Ropes with her soon-to-husband Morgan. Boys Climbing Ropes was founded in 2006 and plays many shows in and around Shanghai. The traveled to Mongolia with two other Shanghai bands, Horde and Moon Tyrant, and played to enthusiastic audiences there.

Music and singing is her passion. She will soon be relocating to Beijing and we hope she will continue on with her music.

It is a pleasure to meet you. Are you Shanghai born and raised? Do you come from a musical family?

Pleasure to meet u too Tom.i was born in Jiangxi province, Shangrao city where they killed two awesome poets in jail. I love music. My family’s prejudice towards music can’t stop me.

When did you first get interested in singing and what did you listen to back when you were young?

I loved singing Chinese children songs when I was in primary school. Pretty rocking, with lyrics of fairy tales. I fucking listened to all sorts of shit. I was indeed a shithole.

Did you sing in any bands when you were just starting out?

Ya. A band full of shanghai Nese kids. The guitarist is into metal and Brit pop, girl bassist love the British pop, they thought I wasn’t good enough to be a singer. We wrote a song, but never played any show.

Tell us a little about Boys Climbing Ropes. How would you best describe the style and who are your band mates?

My friend, Uncle Red, who was in his forth year of college told me he thought The Beast are the best band in the fuxking universe. They have a cult for us. I love Uncle Red. Quoting him, “I think we give the universe positive energy. My band mates are morganshan, j policy and d prince. They are my dearest friends.”

Your solo project, Hey Guy, You are Big Time Alright, was a collaboration with Andy Best of Qu Records. How did you come up with the concept and what was your creative process at the time?

I wrote lots of poems back then, I used several lyrics for those songs. Andy provided the licking guitar. We just blasted that shit. Easy piece of cake.

“The song[s] on ‘Big Time Alright’ [are about] how a girl’s thoughts change as she grows up from a teenager to a semi-adult … accept life and its eternity of boredom and pain, to get by and pursue happiness,” explains Huang. “I’m expressing myself under the theme of ‘young blood’ in the solo stuff.”

You have been compares to the French singer, SoKo, who sings a half folk/half punk kind of style. Is that how you would describe your sound?

I really can’t give a shit. My sound is my sound. Her sound is her sound. We are blocked by borders. I’m not gonna fucking walk to France.

You appear very calm onstage, almost bored. It is not your true personality. Was that a conscious style choice and how did fans react?

Hey, who is not fucking bored? At least I wasn’t scared of boredom.

Tell us a little about the story behind some of the songs. “Cuties” or “Boy on the Way to Hell” for example.

oh. Cuties is a story about how girls cannot say no to adorable cute guys.

Boy on the way to hell is a song about how you have to fuck your parents and then fuck everything in the world. In every way, fucking is loving. If you can just let yourself go a little bit.

What have been some of your favorite songs you have performed?

Magnetic fields the book of love

Leonard Cohen Chelsea hotel.

What do you think of the music scene in Shanghai and in China in general?

It’s fantastic. You should come hang out.

You are getting married and will eventually move to Beijing. Will you continue with your music there?

ya. The name will be a struggle between remorse and guilt.

Where do you hope to take your career in the future?

Don’t know. Whatever.

Any exciting projects coming up or that you have in mind that you can share?

Shit happens. You don’t plan them.

What do you enjoy doing with your free time?

Knitting. Sleeping. Walking. Looking around. Checking out. Nothing special.

Where can we find out more about you and your work?

On my douban. You know the site.

http://site.douban.com/lpfrnrband/

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