THE SCENE LIVE TALK

Death Cab for Cutie Comes Alive Tom Mangione

On 9 March, alt-rock sensation Death Cab for Cutie makes its first-ever appearance in China at Shanghai’s Yunfeng Theatre as the opening act at the JUE Festival. Over its decade-plus career, the band has gone from being a garage band in the suburbs of Seattle hoping to grab a gig in the city to achieving international stardom. Death Cab for Cutie bassist Nick Harmer spoke on behalf of the band about its newest album and life on the road to Shanghai.

his is Death Cab for Cutie’s first trip to China, prehensive, and we thought the whole show would be a optimism and some really good open love songs on the and like most bands coming for the first time, disaster, but it ended up being a blast. That show is par- record.” the band is starting with a blank slate. “I don’t ticularly fixed in my mind because I was certain it would really know what to expect; I haven’t spoken be terrible. That’s one of the things I love about touring Turning this kind of positive light on the music has the Twith any bands that have been to China yet. I’m pleas- – when you’re pleasantly surprised by a show.” potential to alienate some of the band’s fans, but Harm- antly in the dark about it,” says Harmer. er asserts that it’s a natural development for the band. The grind of playing night after night can cause many In terms of China’s nascent rock and roll culture, bands to lose focus, but Harmer says that this time around “We’re more striving to be a band about honesty more Harmer admits to being just as unaware, but also equally the band has taken several steps to keep things fresh. than being a band about a particular thing. It would be as enthusiastic. “I’ll read an article every once in a while strange now in our mid-30s to be writing about material about a Chinese punk band, or I’ll hear whisperings. But and events that were concerns of ours 15 years ago. I’d really, I’m eager to get there and see what’s going on.” “We feel like four guys who feel limited and stunted by that.”

Harmer even proves to be in the dark about the fact that are still trying to figure out a Although the band is committed to changing and grow- his band is opening up the JUE Festival, commenting ex- way to make rent.” ing in terms of its sound, there are some things that still citedly “I had no idea! The two Chinese shows that we’re remain the same for Death Cab for Cutie. doing are right at the end of the tour and our booking agent said he had some good success with going over to “The first thing we’re doing is playing in new places. Harmer reflects on the band’s success saying, “We never China. For us, we knew that any opportunity to go there This tour is going to take us through Australia, Asia and had any designs [to make it as a band]. We never said would be a once in a lifetime chance for us. So we were New Zealand – all places we’ve never been. Whenever we’re going to be a career band for 15-20 years. We all ready to go.” you get to play your music in a new place, there are new still laugh about it sometimes. The four of us look at architectures and things all over the place for you to re- each other, and we feel like four guys who are still trying And while Harmer’s ignorance might draw a smile act to; it’s not just you and your presentation. The other to figure out a way to make rent.” from all of us with more intimate knowledge of China’s thing I’m excited about is that this spring we’re going to tumultuous rock scene and the JUE Festival, one can’t tour with an orchestra in the US. We’ll have strings on Death Cab for Cutie. 9 March, 8pm. RMB 360 (RMB 290 blame him too much. Since the release of Codes and almost the whole set!” presale). Yunfeng Theatre. 1700 Beijing Xi Lu, near Jiaozhou Lu. Keys, the band’s seventh studio album last May, Death Cab for Cutie has been on tour. Codes and Keys marks a departure of the band musically, in some ways shirking its long time mantle as a band Talk is giving away four tickets Harmer recalls the most memorable night of the tour so concerned with the darker sides of relationships, trans- WIN! to Death Cab for Cutie’s show on far being “in Las Vegas of all places. We got booked to lating emotional misery into melodic beauty. 9 March. For your chance to win a pair of tickets, play at a casino called The Cosmopolitan last summer. email [email protected] with the name They have a swimming pool that they drain every night “The most notable difference is that this album has of the song for which the band filmed a live video. and turn into a venue. The whole band was really ap- a lot more hope in the music. There are moments of

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