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Journey with Mr. Graceless

The early days

In 2007, Qiushuang and Yuanshuai met in Beijing Jiaotong University as their college life started off. They were both studying electronic engineering and became best friends in their freshmen year because of similar interest in the early British rock 'n' roll and Beijing indie rock music. Soon the two began to hit indie rock shows in bars and night clubs in Beijing together. In a club called “D-22” they found that there's a “university night” on every Wednesday, where bands that are still in college are invited to play.

University night at D-22

Although Wednesday night is definitely not the hottest night of the week, and often the bands had to bring audiences themselves so that the crowd wouldn't seem too shabby, the “university night” is actually a great chance for starters to begin their career. In fact, many of today's popular bands in Beijing started off doing shows like that. Qiushuang and Yuanshuai were inspired, and decided to give it a shot.

Days of duet

At that time Qiushuang was already a skillful guitarist, and had written several songs. Yuan Shuai, on the other hand, had only played guitar for a few months, who eventually decided to play bass, which he thought was easier. The two friends spent quite a long time arguing about who the lead vocal was going to be. “We just couldn't reach an agreement because we both loved singing”, as they recalled. Finally, they made one of the most important decisions for the band, that both of them will sing in their songs. The Beatles-like duet later become one of the uniquenesses that truly made them stand out.

Birth of something great

After doing a few shows, Qiushuang and Yuanshuai thought it necessary to have a drum player, someone who could make their music more vibrant and powerful. At the back stage of one of their shows, they met Zhao Jiulong, who's drum skills totally impressed them. Coincidentally, Jiulong was having issues with his band at that time, and immediately hit it off with Qiushuang and Yuanshuai. After the show, Mr. Graceless was officially born.