Tang Dynasty

A huge part of China's music scene is made up of rock and metal bands. And without Beijing's iconic metallers Tang Dynasty, this booming Chinese industry might have developed eifferently. As heavy rock became popular in the West in the 60s and 70s, it began to gain traction in China. And in 1988, Tang Dynasty became the first major heavy metal band to make their mark on the Mainland. They were inspired by the Western bands who, at the time, were filling out stadiums with swathes of headbangers and Tang Dynasty quickly became the godfathers of Mainland metal.

Blending traditional Chinese singing techniques with Western metal instrumentations, Tang Dynasty quickly built up a mammoth following after making their festival debut in 1990. Their debut album, A Dream Return to Tang Dynasty, came out two years later under Taiwanese label Magic Stone and the quartet have since released five more that range from art rock to traditional Chinese folk.

After a long shuffling of the band's members, plus the tragric death of original bassist Zhang Ju in 1995, the lineup has settled on vocalist Ding Wu, drummer Zhao Nian, Gu Zhong on bass and Chen Lei on guitar. Having sold millions of records over almost 30 years, they head to KITEC to stir up some Hong Kong moshpits. This show on November 12 should provide a fascinating insight into the ever-evolving world of Chinese metal.

Supporting on the night is Eugene & The Pows, headed by Hong Kong's Eugene Pao. So, catch Tang Dynasty, one of the biggest Chinese metal bands, who, we hope, will be ruling the heavy rock dynasty on the Mainland for many more years to come.