Boys Climbing Ropes

From Rock in China Wiki

Boys Climbing Ropes

Background Information
Name (English)	Boys Climbing Ropes
Origin	Shanghai
Genre	post punk / gothic
Years active	2006
Members
Guitar/Vocals/Keyboard - Jordan Small Bass/Keyboard - Morgan Short (Articles by Morgan Short) Drums - Devin Gallery Vocals/Keyboard - Xiao Pengke

History

Introduction

Born two years ago from a medley of rum and cigarette induced visions in one of the last remaining authentic taverns in Ottawa, Canada. Boys Climbing Ropes is a testament to the delight and folly of international displacement. The conjuring of a wily vigour that understands no ends, stumbling along a thin line separating magic from down-right drunkenness. Their psych-folk punk infusion sounds like a distorted depressed escapee flying along a highway at dusk in a big rusted white pickup truck with a flat rear tire. After sweating through their first half year as a band in China, Boys Climbing Ropes had a run in with the enigmatic Xiao Punk. A vagabond and self-published poet from Jianxi province, Xiao Punk joined the cavalcade on vocals, thus adding herself into the mix with the three Canadian foreign nationals: Devin Gallery (drums), Morgan Short (bass/keyboards) and Jordan Small (guitar/vocals). All four musicians have been involved in various other musical projects, from high school orchestral units to full-scale shit-rock bands in big Asian cities. Notable influences include Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Neil Young with Crazy Horse, Leonard Cohen and of course Bruce Springsteen. Entering their second year in the Shanghai music scene, Boys Climbing Ropes still entertains premonitions of becoming an unfastened release of music. One that continues week after week filled with the fervour of an early-communistic work ethic. In an attempt to promote the medium of local underground music and subterranean affairs Boys Climbing Ropes tirelessly entertains hopes of a future for Shanghai rock, built upon every irreplaceable live show. Because this year is all about moving units.

-- from their MySpace Page

2008

BCR on Halloween 2008 (Photo by punknotjunk)

May 9th 2008, they release their record A Pleasure To Be Here EP. In the same month they are feature on the podcast Pissing On The Bamboo Curtain. June 7th 2008, they performed at the Windows Underground in Shanghai during the Get in the van event (Bands: Joyside, The Rogue Transmission and Boys Climbing Ropes), featuring a three band bill then a free minibus over to another bar for dancing and DJs. This was the second van event, both organised by Dan Shapiro who fronts the band, Rogue Transmission. According to Andy Best This one was door at 9 then start at 10, but they waited until 10.45 presumably until it filled up more. [...] the sound was awful, I couldn't hear the lead vocals or the guitar, and Joyside were wasted and all over the place. Let down. Not to mention that half the people there were from the 'party crowd' who looked ready to hit the bund clubs after the show. Joyside are huge, like I said, and their real fans still loved every minute of the show.^[1]

2009

September 5th, 2009, they performed as opening act for Handsome Furs in the Yuyintang. According to Jake Newby: Boys Climbing Ropes were excellent regardless. They played some new material as well as some classic old tracks from the aforementioned EP. Little Punk looked a touch nervous at the start - not an emotion I'd usually associate with her - but she seemed to settle more as the gig went on and the whole band were on top form to produce a cracking set.^[2] November 21st, 2009, they performed during the Rock for Roots & Shoots event at the Yuyintang, Shanghai. According to Jake Newby: That left Boys Climbing Ropes to close the night out with a typically upbeat performance, which featured a new song. They'd been on top form a couple of weeks back on the big stage at Mao, but seemed perfectly happy to be back in the slightly more humble surroundings of YYT, Morgan knocking clouds of dust from the ceiling by bashing his bass and then a pair of drumsticks against the ceiling fans just above his head.^[3]

2010

January 30th, 2010, BCR held a release party for their new record Except for the Darkness at Yuyintang (with support of Duck Fight Goose). According to Jake Newby: I felt it would be a great show. And it was. Boys Climbing Ropes have, with production from Brad Ferguson, released an accomplished CD and last night's gig showed them at their best. Everything sounded great, the crowd kicked off right from the start and it was just an all round brilliant show. (...) Naturally, they played material that was mostly from the new CD, but they also slipped in a couple of old favourites. It's the kind of music that deserves to have a room full of people jumping around to it and last night it happened - they got the response they deserve. I'm running out of ways to describe just how much I like this band.^[4] On March 12th, 2010, they performed during the Local King 3 in the MAO Live House Shanghai. According to Andy Best: from the first strike of the guitar, Boys Climbing Ropes owned that stage and filled up the venue with their sounds and presence. They got everyone's attention and were a true headlining act. They rocked the place. They were loud, fast and tight, everyone knows the songs and those who didn't were all impressed. Little Punk's vocals were properly mic-ed up and crystal clear, it made so much difference.^[5] On April 28th they were interviewed by Cityweekend Beijing on their upcoming festival appearance at the Strawberry Music Festival 2010. Asked upon a comparison between Shanghai and Beijing, Morgan Short replied:

Of course I can speak for myself and the rest of the band in that we're huge fans of a lot of the music that comes out of Beijing, and several of the bands there have been influential to us in our progression as a band up until this point. We follow what goes on in Beijing in as much as we can, living in Shanghai. We can also say the same in about the bands and music in Shanghai, as we've developed close ties to many of the bands here, and it's where we live. I tend to shy away from qualitative judgments about Beijing versus Shanghai because not only do I see worthwhile music coming out of both places, they're also just so different that it really comes down to a matter of personal taste. Shanghai and Beijing almost feel like two different countries. Some of the things that work really well here, don’t work at all in Beijing and vice versa, and I wouldn’t want to speak out of my ass to rank people and people's tastes. As far as our experiences go in Beijing, yeah we have played some under-attended shows, we have lost money, we were hoping for a better shake of the stick. We're still "new" in Beijing, and its the same everywhere "you've got to pay your dues before you pay the rent." - Morgan Short^[6]

June 11th, they performed at the Mao Livehouse in Shanghai. According to Jake Newby: Boys Climbing Ropes give a towering performance. Anyone sick of me banging on about how good this band are needs to skip the next paragraph. Seriously, they were so, so good. I love it when they play a venue like YYT and you're really up close and everything, but they're basically one of, if not the only, Shanghai band who can really own the stage at MAO and when they do it's incredible.^[7]

December 27th, they won the title of Album of the Year for their record Except for the Darkness awarded at the 2010 Shanghai Grammys by the Cityweekend Shanghai.^[8]