For the first time ever, Chinese rock band Miserable Faith (痛仰) is performing across North America for their The World Will Be Better tour, with a recent stop at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. On November 17th, with rainy gray clouds gathering in the skies outside, hundreds of fans crowded into the concert hall. Starting later than anticipated to allow time for attendees who were delayed by the rainy conditions to arrive, the crowd was getting antsy and exploded in applause when the band finally came on stage. The group consisted of the main members — lead singer Gao Hu, guitarist Song Jie, bassist Zhang Jing, and drummer Chi Gongwei — as well as two backup vocalists and a trombonist. Bathed in a cool blue light, the band started off with a purely instrumental piece, setting the stage (literally) for their show that evening with a strong aura that pulled the audience in immediately.
One notable aspect of Miserable Faith is their vast variety of genres in their discography, which is not a big surprise considering the evolution of their sound since their origin in 1999. Some tracks are distinctly post-rock, some have the upbeat quality of indie-rock, and others border on metal. One of their most popular songs and the title of their 2008 album is “不要停止我的音乐” (“The Music Won’t Be Stopped”). The song features Hu’s brooding vocals over an acoustic guitar and drums, accompanied by an electric guitar and a whistling vocal background during the chorus. In spite of a period of time when many of their shows were canceled, the song is written to demonstrate their relentless pursuit of performing music, and it’s a testament to the longevity of Miserable Faith through the years. During one of their songs, the accompanying visuals on the screen behind them displayed, one by one, all the venues they’ve performed at, each one in the form of a license plate decorated to reflect the uniqueness of each place. From Asia to Europe to now the United States, the sequence flipped through each graphic, ending with the venue they were performing in at that very moment, the San Francisco Regency Ballroom.
As with many rock bands, some of Miserable Faith’s lyrics remark on the state of the world and its people. One of the most prominent examples of counter-culturalism in their songs is “不,” which translates to “no” in Mandarin. The lyrics are about not believing or conforming to everything society forces upon them, and Hu punctuates the ending of each line with the word “不.” In the live concert, the intensity of this particular performance thundered throughout the hall. The band’s energy carried into the audience and the fervor only accelerated throughout the course of the night. One tireless fan waved a banner emblazoned with the Miserable Faith mascot nonstop. During “願愛無憂” (“May Love Be Without Worries”), one of the final songs, a conga line formed and snaked its way between the crowds, shaking the floors.
Although the band performed and spoke only in Mandarin, without any translators, this posed no issues for the majority Chinese audience. Besides, as the saying goes, music transcends the language barrier. As someone with elementary comprehension of Mandarin at best, I still enjoyed the musical performance that Miserable Faith had to offer despite only catching glimpses of understanding in the lyrics. With the impressive turnout and reception of their performances that Miserable Faith has received on this tour, it’s highly likely that their first tour in the U.S. won’t be their last.
Click on the photo below to view our photos from the concert:
