Concert review: China’s folk rockers Wutiaoren inspire fans to wave red plastic bags and dance

Wutiaoren’s I Have A Dream Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts

Esplanade Concert Hall
Feb 17, 7.30pm

You would think that forgotten lyrics, mistranslations and the susurration of plastic bags make for an unpleasant concert experience. But not in a show by China’s beloved folk rockers Wutiaoren.

Widely loved for their relaxed and casual approach to performance

, the Guangdong-based band won over the Chinese Internet in 2020 with a televised stunt on reality show The Big Band that saw them go off-script and sing in their local Haifeng language.

In their first South-east Asian concert, Wutiaoren frontmen Renke and Maotao charmed with a laid-back ease that got some hardcore fans waving their red plastic bags, an enduring symbol representing the group’s effortless code-switching between the local and global, between the seriousness and frivolity of music-making.

There was little prattle in the two-hour affair at

Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts

as Wutiaoren breezed through their hit songs and B-sides in both Mandarin and their Haifeng language, from Love Makes Me Lose Control (2021) to Jane Falls In Love With John (2016) to Dreamy Lisa Salon (2016).

The arrangements were constantly surprising with the duo on their guitars, accompanied by a band with drums, a mellow saxophone and even the ancient Chinese instrument sheng, a mouth-blown organ that enhances the local flavour in the band’s varied soundscape.

There were no splashy videos or even translations of the Haifeng lyrics, but the audience, comprising mostly youth from China, did not seem to mind – swaying along to the earthy tones of the Min dialect, which bears resemblance to some of the southern Chinese dialects spoken in Singapore.

When Renke did speak, he endearingly attempted conversation in English, which drew peals of laughter from the crowd.

Only 45 minutes into the set, he announced in English that they would be performing their “last song” to an audible gasp of confusion from the audience. He later clarified that he meant “next song”.

At one point, Renke forgot the lyrics to one of the songs and brushed it off before he casually donned a new pair of sunglasses and restarted the music. Throughout the night, his suave, nonchalant relatability won him laughs and screams of affection.

Perhaps Wutiaoren are not as popular in Singapore, but two almost empty wings of the concert hall did not dampen the night’s mood – with serious fans belting lyrics of romanticised ennui like “Although life may be meaningless, love truly makes life more beautiful”.

In an electrifying climax, Wutiaoren roused the crowd to stand and jump in the Esplanade Concert Hall – admittedly, a stuffy venue for rock standards – in a final song with the spirited call: “To all the young people – tell everyone about it only after the problem arises.”

At that moment, when everyone seemed to caper about without a care in the world, it was easy to see why Wutiaoren have captured the hearts of China’s youth.

Everyone in the hall was sharing a moment of pure folk wisdom and rock ’n’ roll rebellion that fires up the young at heart to – in music as in life – take risks, act bolder and apologise later.