Cross-Continental Rock Duo Low Bow Reunite for EP Release

One of Beijing’s underground talents, LOW BOW, have been lurking around the city’s underbelly for a number of years with their trainwreck blues, garage rock sets, and freeform banter. For a number years now, Irish-born musician and lyricist, Risteard O. Deorian has been an active member of Beijing’s underground music scene, entertaining crowds at now-defunct venues like XP and What Bar to more recent strongholds like School Bar and DDC. The recent addition of drummer, Wang Xinjiu, best known for his work with Birdstriking, has also allowed the group to not only to create an atmosphere for an eclectic listen but also generate a more lively dancefloor experience for the audience.

Originally hailing from Dublin, Deorian moved to China early on in his career. Wang on the other hand originally comes from China's northwestern Liaoning province but has also seen his artistic development flourish in Beijing. This resonates throughout their sets, where international garage rock meets a certified Chinese take on the genre, creating an energy that once ingested, is hard to shake. In the same vein, their latest release, HEAVY DAYS EP (released on local label Jingweir), serves up sounds that range from in-your-face pogo inducers to blues punk train wreck ballads.

Ahead of their EP release party at DDC on Nov 3, we caught up with the duo to see how they cook up their own special brand of garage rock as well as what we can expect from them in the future.

The year is quickly coming to an end; what have the two of you been up to?
Risteard O. Deorian: Since from around February of this year, we have been working with Beijing-based American musician and producer, Brad M. Seippel, recording what is our first, proper full release titled HEAVY DAYS. We are really happy with it and hope this is our chance to start organizing tours and getting the LOW BOW word out there. As I am based in Ireland, planning, mixing, and promoting an album and LOW BOW is a bit of a challenge but thanks to WeChat and some understanding bandmates and a whiz producer, this potentially difficult obstacle was much easier to overcome. 

Wang Xinjiu: I have mostly been busy with my job but I always try to have the time to rehearse with Birdstriking and do my thing with LOW BOW.

It appears that you have not only been writing and recording a new EP, but have also been playing a few shows over the last nine months. Have there been any significant memories throughout this timeframe?
RD: This also goes back to my situation of relocating to Ireland after living in China for some 16 years. I have actually found it to be a more productive time as I spend about six months of the year in each country which means when I’m home in Dublin, I’m able to find the time to record new demos and share them with Wang Xinjiu so that when we meet up and get into a Beijing rehearsal studio, we are able to keep things moving forward in a very productive way. It also makes each rehearsal and show all the more special. I have always liked playing live, but for me working on music and having the time to shape the tunes without messing up in a rehearsal studio or worse, on a stage, means that by the time we do a show, it generally will go well. Working on HEAVY DAYS EP has been a lot of fun, from sharing new demos, getting into the studio with recording engineer Namu and producer Brad, going through the mixes and making mixes, listening back and moving forward. It has been a lot of fun and I am sure if I were still living in Beijing we could have been done with this project in about half the time but I am also confident that the results would not be nearly as ideal.

WXJ: The overall experience is a significant memory. The shows we did were kind of like the Jesus and Mary Chain's famous 1985 set which was strictly limited to 20 minutes and also a bit semi-improvised. We rehearsed a few times and we played the songs coming out of the sessions, and then we forget the majority of the songs afterward. 

With you both living in different countries, one in Ireland and the other here in China, how do you find work with the distance when writing songs and other band-related tasks? 
RD: Again, thanks to WeChat for that one! We are able to be in almost daily contact sharing ideas, listening back to mixes, working on promotion for the shows and merch. By the time we meet up in Beijing, we have a clear idea and plan of what we need to do. After 2-3 rehearsals, we are able to put on a decent show. I would like to turn the focus now on promoting HEAVY DAYS and setting up a tour. Nothing too amazing, maybe 10 shows in a few cities? Who knows? Maybe Wang Xinjiu does, I will ask him! 

WXJ: Richard writes the majority of the songs. I just play the drums and try to make the songs sound rough. I do not think living in two different countries is a big issue. If we all lived in Beijing, we would still be communicating through WeChat for the most part anyway.

From various online singles to self-releases like Modern Cities (2010) and on to label releases like City People (Jingweir 2011) and LOW BOW / Dinged Up split 7-inch (Genjing 2014) you haven’t been short of released material. What made you want to return to Jingweir for the release of HEAVY DAYS and what can listeners expect? 
RD: Working with Brad has been a lot of fun and easy. So for me, that relationship has been one of the major factors for wanting to work with him and Jingweir. Also, I really like his approach to recording and the practical feedback that he provided throughout the recording process not only gave us lots of options, but also helped in the promotion side with Chinese digital platforms and digital media. That and the fact that Jingweir has already put out some decent recordings makes me feel like LOW BOW is in some good company. 

What are some areas that you guys pulled for inspiration from while writing these songs? The track ‘Evaporate’ gives me an almost Dirty Beaches meets Beat Happenings vibe with fuzzed-out guitar. 
RD: I have always been a big fan of The Pixies, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, and The Beach Boys. I do not know how the latter works its way into the tunes, but I think it is more about the arrangements more than anything else. When I am listening back to demos I am always looking at the clock to see when exactly the tune becomes boring or even, ‘bland’ and then either go back and reorganize or drop it entirely. I think any decent band needs to have a sense of danger or chaos in the music to grab my attention. Recently, I have been listening to a band from the UK called IDLES who are just like that; two guitarists who seem to be doing their own thing and with some of the tunes, it sounds like it going to be a mess of dissonance but when it’s all put together it works. I think that the mark of a good performance has to be halfway through when you think to yourself as a member of the audience, ‘I want to do that’ or ‘I think I can do something better.’ I think I also have a list of bands that sound good in theory but maybe the execution falls a bit short. Aesthetically too, I like the presentation and overall look of a band and in many ways this is the first thing that gets you interested. Hopefully, then, the music keeps you there. 

LOW BOW has been a name that has been popping up throughout the DIY scene in Beijing since around 2011. How did it all start and eventually evolve into its current incarnation?
RD: The short answer is that LOW BOW was a project I started as a way of staying sane while working with CCTV for five years as a ‘presenter’ for a show called, Hope English, which used to be a housewives evening television favorite on one of China’s remaining English language television stations. During the many down times, I would write some music with my crappy pink guitar with built-in speaker no less! In my hotel room and try to work out how to actually be a ‘one-man-band.’ Eventually, I realized I would be better off with other members in a proper band, but I only got as far as getting together with drummers. Working with Wang Xinjiu has been a lot of fun and very easy going both in the studio and on stage. It takes a lot of the pressure off and we are not too precious with ideas and tunes. Without being flippant, I think a lot of musicians take themselves way too seriously and it is not matched by the quality of the music. I am not talking about just getting out there and having a laugh, but I do think that when you take a step back and put the whole thing into perspective, it is important to enjoy what you are doing and do it as best you can. I always hold the DIY adage of ‘use what you got’ to see me through. I know I am far from being a competent musician but by using the skills and tools at my disposal I hope to create a joyful noise! 

As I understand it, the two of you have other projects for example; Wang Xinjiiu’s involvement in an indie-rock outfit Birdstriking and Richard’s solo ambient project dMH. Is this it and could you tell me a little more about them?
RD: That is right. Both Xinjiu and I like to keep busy with recording and performing when we are not in the same country, and of course, Birdstriking being the indie powerhouse that they are, requires a lot of time and energy, making any time that we have for LOW BOW all that more special. dMH is anything I do solo without electric guitars and on small synths, Korg Volcas, etc. It is nice to have another outlet for recording and experimentation. I like to work out melodic electronic beats that would clear a dancefloor or might work as background muzak in a 24-hour convenience store.

WXJ: I played drums for Birstriking from 2009-2015 and since then I have been playing guitar for them. Of course, I enjoy playing in Birdstriking, but I also have some ideas that might not fit with Birdstriking, so I just try to experiment with them in LOW BOW. 

Who are some of the more intriguing bands making music in Dublin/Beijing currently and are there any shows worth highlighting?
RD: I am so out of the loop when it comes to Beijing bands, but I do try to check out what is happening through sites like RADII, Live Beijing Music, Beijing Underground etc. I’ve seen, The Molds, The Yours, Gong Gong Gong, Dirty Fingers, The Fuzz, Hi Person, to name a few. I am always interested in the range and creativity that is been coming out of China over the last two years and it has always been influential on my own sound. Otherwise, Irish band Girl Band are amazing; Sonic Youth-inspired noise pop, and recently I have been listening to the aforementioned IDLES from the UK and The Brian Jonestown Massacre for lessons in being creative, super productive, and in charge. Get’s yer boots on mate!

WXJ: People should pay close attention to a band called Baihu. The frontman is Birdstriking’s drummer and he is a genius songwriter. 

Is there anything else you’d like to share with us? The upcoming gig at DDC on Nov 3 looks like a fun time. Could you let us know a little bit more about that? 
RD: Yes, Nov 3 will be the official release for HEAVY DAYS which is a big deal for us. I am super pleased with the final result! The other band performing that night include Russian indie rock outfit called Not a Single Break, who are surprisingly positive and upbeat for Russians which is great! I have been working on new tunes too and hopefully will get a chance to add them to the set. I have also learned two or three minor chords, which is nice. Who knew they aren’t that hard?

Get tickets for LOW BOW’s HEAVY DAYS release party via Showstart here. Tickets cost RMB 60 advance or RMB 80 on the door. The show features support from Not a Single Break (Russia).

Never miss a gig: click here for a huge list of live shows in the city, updated daily.

Photos: David Smith, 69 (DDC), @schmuzername