In Pictures: Destroyer (Canada), Uncle Hu (Yugong Yishan 16.04.2016)

Split Works continued their crusade of discovering what indie rock flavors are in demand in China last month as they invited Canadian indie rock favorites Destroyer, fronted by singer-songwriter Dan Bejar. I’ve been a huge fan of Bejar since his days of playing with The New Pornographers, a band that had a big influence on me during my formative early college years (and in my opinion wrote that band’s best material). So, while I’ve all but outgrown The New Pornographers, I found myself drawn to Dan Bejar’s Destroyer, which put Bejar’s songwriting abilities front and center, and in many ways feels like a more mature evolution of what he brought to The New Pornographers. So yeah, I had a friggin ball when I heard Destroyer was coming to Beijing and they did not disappoint. Tight, refined, enveloping pop songs embodied with wit and personality. Supporting duties were handed to Uncle Hu, a Beijing based (via Chengdu) folk act whose singer’s voice bares a striking resemblance to Elliot Smith, minus the debilitating angst and insecurity. And while it couldn’t quite match what Destroyer brought to the table, I’m expecting good things from the band, who just recently signed to D-Force Records. Check out more pictures below.