Treading the bass line

Photo provided to shanghai star

He was fretting a bit, and when Lu suggested that they revive their band, the suggestion struck all the right chords.

They named their new band after a novel by Austrian writer Franz Kafka, whose books are "difficult to understand but regarded as awesome".

TFC was a work in progress and the two were always rebelling and reforming and continuously experimenting with different styles. They went experimental, vulgar, punk, folk and so on until they reached their final platform – songs that connected with their listeners at a very basic, some even say base level.

There was a period when TFC became famous overnight for its lyrics overloaded with foul language and sexual connotations. An album named Interests of the Lowest Level Citizens featured musical satire that spoke against "so-called high-level art".

"I guess at that time we were a bit antisocial. When we sang a song full of dirty words on stage, the audience went crazy. They either doubled over with laughter or turned away and left in disgust," he recalls.

At their craziest moment as cynical punks, these angry youth took off their pants and the lead singer stripped nude on stage.

Despite the evolution of styles, TFC kept on delivering lyrics that were humorous and often bitingly satirical, reflecting the grassroots level changes in the city. Many of their songs are controversial. One ignited a debate on whether the city was hostile to its migrant workers.

The band sings exclusively in the Shanghai dialect, including Mei who learned it when he was a child after his parents settled in the city.

"We do not mean to either defend Shanghai or poke fun at it. We only reflect the changes in our music," he says.

Mei hopes that one day he and his partners can finally make a living as full-time musicians, but in the meantime, he continues switching roles in life.

His signature on stage is a baseball cap. He also has a tattoo, but his parents don't know about it.

Yang Yuqing contributed to the story.

THE HIT LIST

Here are some of the lyrics from TFC's popular song Childhood in Shanghai, a nostalgic ditty about growing up among the city's post-70s and 80s generations.

July rains and rains,

it's the yellow-plum weather

Remember to bring a raincoat

if you go out cycling

Bring a thermos and fill up the bottle

with ice water at Roof Stove

Just two cents in the pocket,

I keep touching them with my fingers

Boys and girls watch lanterns on Oct 1st

Every one hitting at each other

with a plastic hammer

If you want to eat crabs,

you should wait for the autumn wind

Dip the crab legs into vinegar and ginger

This is our Shanghai childhood

Everyday is full of fun

Perhaps we'd met at People's Square when we were young …