Interview with Fu Fu of B.B.Bomb

Big in the Taiwan music scene is B. B. Bomb. Formed in 2003 they started as a trio with lead singer Fu Fu and bass player Kim making up the core of the group. When the all-girl Japanese pop punk band Akiakane came  to Taiwan B.B. Bomb gave them a  demo CD. Akiakane’s label, Einstein Records, released their first EP and also included them on the Pan Asian compilation Samurai Spirits. Soon after the girls split up after changing styles from their poppy street punk to more artsy dance rock. Kim went on to join The Hand Knife Club while Fu Fu has reformed B.B. Bomb picking up where they left off.

Fu Fu, typically with a large green bottle of Taiwanese Beer in hand, gets the audience pumped up. Her lyrics are powerful and gripping. Although B.B. Bomb may members may change they always seem to overcome all problems largely because of FuFu.

Born Fu Fu Hsu in Taichung, Taiwan. she was fascinated by music in Junior High School where she would stay up late watching MTV. She would scribble the names of bands down in her well-used notebook and save her money to buy cassette tapes. During High School she joined the school’s guitar group to learn to play the guitar. When she saw some girls playing the electric guitar she changed her mind and joined the rock’n roll group.

In college her senior high school roommate invited her to attend her first rock’n roll show. She stood there shocked. She never knew Taiwan had this kind of indie music and from that point on she attended every concert she could get to.

She gathered together some friends and created the band now called ”B.B.BOMB”. Although she had never written lyrics before she experimented and began to write original songs for the band to perform. With Fu Fu leading the band and their increasing fan base, B.B. Bomd is a up and coming band to watch.

Fu Fu, it is a pleasure to meet you. When you were in High School and watching MTV what was the music you were listening to then?

BABY FACE/NO DOUBT/TAKE THAT/TLC

You found your passion for music at that first concert your friend took you to. Who did you see perform?

Semi-con,Lady bug, King lee-chi, softball, RPDX, Anarchy, and Peppermint were all performing!

When Akiakane toured in Taiwan did they see B.B. Bomb perform? How did you get the demo to them?

They actually didn’t see our show. They had their show “Say Yes to Taiwan”in Taipei and we went to see the show. We gave them our demo and when they went back to Japan they e-mailed us and said they loved our songs and invited us to Japan.

Where did B.B. Bomb tour? What were some of your favorite experiences?

We went to Tokyo, Hong Kpng, Singapore, and China (Beijing,wuhan,Changsha, Shanghai, Nanjing).

After the show in Nanjing we went to eat something and drink with the Nanjing Band “Angry Jerks”. It was a small place and we drink many beers. Botton (sic) was all over the ground and there was almost no space to walk. The chairs in the restaurant were very weak and one of our friends sat on the chair, the chair broke. It became like a paper on the floor and everybody could not stop laughing because we were all drunk. Then one of our friends threw a “bean curd” at someone else. It smelled really bad and all of a sudden, nobody knows why, every one started to throw plates, cups and everything else that was on the table. We ran from the restaurant and one friend tried to ride their motorcycle but they fell because they were too drunk. Another friend screamed, tore off his clothes and ran naked back to hotel but the hotel’s door man was afraid of him because he looked crazy. The doorman locked the door and hid. Anyway, it was a crazy night and we got almost no sleep until we arrived at the next city.

Why did you and Kim split? Was there a disagreement over the direction the band was taking?

The music we like is different , the music we want to make is different

Who are the members of B.B. Bomb now?

Fufu (me) and Meow (still looking for bass player).

Are you still writing the lyrics or is it more of a collaboration now?

Yes, I am still writing lyrics and songs.

What inspires you when you write and compose your songs?

Things that happen in my life, what I see and what I think. Newer songs are mostly about my home town (Taichung) and my friends in Taichung. Now I moved to Taipei and in the beggining I felt lonely and I missed my home town.

Do you get nervous playing live? How does it feel for you being on stage?

I don’t feel nervous. I  calm down and like to be alone to clear my mind before a show. When I on the stage my emotion  depends on which song I sing.

You just released an EP. Can you tell us a little about it?

This EP called”Go Taipei”. I grew up in Taichung and lived in Taichung for about 26 years. I want have some change so I moved to Taipei but when I arrived I felt alone and I missed everything about my hometown. When I go back home now it seems everything has changed. Friends are not so close to me and the streets look different. I am thinking … do old friends change or am I the one who is different?

This EP is talking about the things that happened before I moved to Taipei, when I am in Taipei and when I finally think the apartment that I rent in Taipei is my”home”.

What was the recording process like?

We played music at a live house in Taipei. It’s just like a live recording.

What are your favorite tracks?

I like “Go Taipei”

What is the independent music scene like in Taiwan now?

Taiwan’s independent music is becoming more pop now and they are always promoting pop music. Many more people play music now so I think it’s not so indie now, but the music’s quality is much better than before.

What do you hope B.B. Bomb grows into in the future?

I hope we can find a bass player and we can tour around the world.

How about you, Fu Fu. What do you like to do when you are not performing?

I like to go to outskirts of town or I will drink beer with my friends at the park. Sometimes I just like to stay at home cooking and play with my cat without thinking anything.

Where can we go to stay updated on you and the band?

http://www.facebook.com/BBBOMBBAND

http://www.indievox.com/bbbomb

http://music.weibo.com/bbbomb

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