A R T S& L I F E
Axis Neptune
How a Beijing Band Plan to Take on the World
By Mike Fox
O
A R T S & L I F E
“Cotterill is a really good guitar player. He did the first album on his own and there are lots of interesting
sounds on it,” he explains while nibbling his strongly flavored snack. “It's hard to pull off as a band but I feel that we are constantly improving. It has been a year and a half from when we first started, and we are always getting better.”
梦见西瓜是什么意思Incorporating new people gave Cotterill the chance to branch out his tunes into a live tting. After writing, recording and releasing the first album ‘Reasons’ in February last year, the next challenge was getting his new
求职信的格式bandmates to fit his vision and make the project stand out in a saturated market for the kinds of acts.
“I think the most valuable move that we've made is to try to step out of the expat bubble,” explains the singer-songwriter. “You've really got to knuckle down and keep going. We haven't got a bass player, so we are leaning into a more electronic aesthetic. It's just about getting yourlf heard. We play with other Chine bands, and it’s wonderful to meet local musicians.”
Following the relea of ‘Reasons’ and subquent live shows with the new lineup, the group quickly garnered a following around China. COVID-19 restrictions permitting, they traveled and played around the country with one eye on a follow-up. With new talent and creativity to incorporate into the
songwriting process, Cotterill did what most sane and rational people would do. He locked himlf and the band away in a remote part of Beijing while they came up with new material.
Swedish keyboard player David Yang expands more on the band’s professionalism while in exile.
“We had this nice place with an
awesome backyard. It was so nice that it was hard to focus. We tried to be strict with each other, like implementing a no drinking until 8pm rule, but sometimes we wouldn’t stop drinking until 5am. I really enjoyed being away. We were still
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Axis Neptune playing at Beijing Sofar Sounds 2022. Photo via Sofar Sounds
Guitarist Hikmat Yakha playing at What the Folk. Photo via @achiiiie_
Keyboard player David Yang playing at Beijing’s 798 art district. Photo via Axis Neptune
Band founder Josh Cotterill performing a trademark melodic solo. Photo via Sofar Sounds
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A R T S & L I F E
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手机网页翻译able to jam and record.”
“I get very overexcited about ideas,” smiles Cotterill. “We rented that hou for about five days and the idea was to cut ourlves off from the world and record the best album that anyone has ever heard. Is that what happened? No.”
As the guys scoop up the remainder of their rice and reminisce over their “wasted” excursion, it’s easy to e why Axis Neptune is so strong as a unit.
Our dinner even acts as the perfect metaphor for how the band functions. Leader Cotterill is the rice that binds it all together, Yakha’s chickpeas are the healthy texture that makes the dish a bit different, while Yang’s combination of herbs and spices would complement any curry. What hasn’t been mentioned yet is the potato filling (which adds texture) on drums sitting opposite us.
跑步姿势Brit Patrick Waldron only joined in February and is the band’s fifth drummer in their short existence, a record that would give Spinal Tab a run for their money. Unlike everyone’s favorite parody band (where a string of drummers died in bizarre circumstances, such as spontaneous combustion and choking on someone el’s vomit) no one in the group can pinpoint why they have been so unlucky in finding the right person for the kit.
“I don't feel like we're asking too much from them,” remarks Cotterill, jokingly. “Drummers are a different type of musician. If you grow up learning how to hit things with a stick, you’re probably made a bit different. Drummers would join and some would be a bit more bluesy and swing it a bit and it just wouldn’t sound right.”
Waldron’s talent is backed up by his three cohorts at parate times during our chat. Watching him live you quickly realize why Cotterill and company feel they are lucky to have him in their ranks. Receiving another helping of homemade curry, he describes why Axis Neptune is the project for him.
“I think we have some of the most special musicians I’ve ever met. I
already had a bunch of ideas bad on the recordings from the first album. The band means I can play something exciting and interesting. I like watching
pop stars playing with a live band. They always have high-quality musicians that know how to add extra flavor to the music. We incorporate a mainly electronic aesthetic, but then blend it with musicianship that we can pull off live. I think it's really cool.”
Being in Beijing may bring success but not sustainability. As an act
comprid of foreigners there is always going to be a glass ceiling no matter how well your music goes down.
Making it as a musician is one
Cotterill performing a song from the debut album Reasons. Photo via Axis Neptune
Photo via @achiiiie_
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thing but breaking into the Chine mainstream music industry as an
overas act borders on impossible. Axis Neptune is finding out the hard way.
“We've had gigs canceled with hardly any explanation,” says Cotterill looking to everyone el in agreement. “We never know what the truth is. It could be something to do with insurance. We have no idea.”
The problems have become
apparent with the success of the band. A newly formed group in Beijing can put shows on by simply getting in contact with bar owners and reputations can build from there. Most bands are happy to stay at this stage but after Axis Neptune built up their fan ba, the shows became bigger and then ultimately more bureaucratic.
While China has given them vital gigging experience as a band, there’s an ambition to explore different music scenes and cut their teeth in front of more diver audiences and even make a documentary about their experiences. The first planned stop is Yakha’s motherland.
“I just suggested going to Nepal and the guys said ‘Yeah! Let's do it,’” Yakha explains. “Nepale pe
处女教师
ople are open to all sorts of music and people are always open to listening to ‘foreign’ music or something different. This trip will be basically about creating memories.”
Cotterill is also enthusiastic about making the trip as he believes it
gives the band a chance to let people experience a side to touring that is rarely en.
“My background is in broadcast journalism, and I want to make
something real. We all agreed to let the camera keep rolling throughout the tour and it could be really interesting. We're only getting older, so if we are going to do something like this, we need to do it soon.”
Being expats, everyone in the band has the open-mindedness to live and interact with other cultures. The wider focus, for now, is to create experiences with each other and perform to as many different audiences as possible. There aren’t many places in the world where bands can get up and running as
they can in Beijing. It can be the perfect platform for ambition. And wherever Axis Neptune’s drive takes them they, like the curry we enjoyed, will need time to ttle.
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A R T S & L I F E
Axis Neptune posing for a band photo at a rehearsal space in Beijing. Photo via Norman Manríquez
Cotterill getting big screen treatment. Photo via Axis Neptune
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