The Honeys (Chinese: Tianmi de Haizi) are one of Shanghai’s oldest and most popular alternative music groups. They formed in 1997 after lead singer Yu Tian – formerly of Lunar Eclipse, one of the first rock groups in Shanghai and whose other members went on to form Crystal Butterfly – had moved to Hangzhou to attend the prestigious China Art Academy. There, he met drummer He Lao and bassist Zheng Yu, and the band was born. Fellow Lunar Eclipse alumnus Wu Qingyong joined the band in 1998. In between studying and playing, the band also opened “Soho”, Hangzhou’s first rock bar, in 1998. Yu Tian and He Lao are both now art professors by day.
The Honeys returned to Shanghai after graduation, and cut their debut album “On the Street” in 2002 with Fanyin Records. It was the second-ever album released by a Shanghainese rock band, and the first on a Shanghai-based label. The eleven original tracks range from heavy riffs to crooning ballads, and their catchy pop-rock buzz and Yu Tian’s irresistible charisma have made them integral to the Shanghai soundtrack. In 2003 they were nominated for “Best Band” by listeners of East Radio. They have been profiled by the BBC and have also appeared in the South China Morning Post. The band’s line-up has changed, though, with Wang Zhe now on guitar and Dai Zhe on bass. Famous guzheng player Zhang Jie now also plays with The Honeys for a lot of their live shows.
Last year, The Honeys entered the studio to record several new tracks with UK producer Safta Jaffery and sound engineer George Shilling, where they also combined traditional Chinese instruments with modern rock rhythms.
Beside gigs in China (among others at the Beijing Pop Festival and at the Shanghai Rock it! Festival), The Honeys also played abroad twice in 2007.
First they performed at a showcase during Musexpo in Los Angeles in May. For this event every year more than 10,000 bands apply, but only 30 get an invitation – and The Honeys were one of them, the first Asian band ever to be part of Musexpo. Their showcase at “Keyclub” on Sunset Strip not only marked The Honeys’ first international concert, but also the first-ever concert by a Shanghai-based alternative act in the United States. While in the U.S. the band also got a chance to perform at the legendary “Whisky a Go Go”.
In September 2007, the band went to Germany for a small tour, where they played together with the German band 4LYN (www.4lyn.com) whom they had met in Los Angeles. After the tour the two bands went to the studio together and recorded a Chinese-English duet.
In January 2008 The Honeys followed an invitation to headline the MIDEM opening party in Cannes (France), which was organized in co-operation with the Chinese Ministry of Culture.
Besides the live shows songs of The Honeys recently have been licensed for the Mel-Gibson-production “Another Day in Paradise” and for the soundtrack compilation of the German movie "Kein Bund für’s Leben". Also the TV station ARTE has used their music in a documentary about Yang Fudong’s latest work.
In October 2007, The Honeys signed their first endorsement deal with the company Sennheiser, which provides equipment and service for The Honeys’ in-ear monitoring systems and microphones. This was the first time that the company has offered such a contract to a rock band in China. Sennheiser also invited the band to play a daily show for them for three days during the ProLight & Sound exhibition in Shanghai.
Further endorsement deals with Sonor (drums) and Fender (guitars, bass and amplifier) are going to be closed soon.
In December 2007 the first song of the new album, “Yi Jiang Nan” was released and promoted all over China – reaching 2 on China Music Radio‘s and 1 on East Radio’s charts. The long-anticipated album followed in January 2008, with gigs in several big cities in China. The international release of the album, including a tour in Europe, is planned for summer 2008. At the same time the band is looking forward to touring China together with 4LYN in May this year.
hi there got a new song posted it's about some guitarists only play like a machine hope you like it let's fight for music keep in touch Greetings from Herman of Macau
yo yo yo! hell yeah guys. rock on. love the new album. will try to mention you guys on tv (i'll be interviewed on ics tomorrow). lemme know of any gigs you're at and i'll try to squeeze a free plug for you. peace. rob e v
You Say Party! We Say Die!——喜欢这支来自加拿大的Dance-Punk乐队的朋友都应该知道，“现场”一向是乐队工作的重心，从2004年4月他们的首场演出开始，乐队就没有停止过他们对现场的迷恋，而他们活力四射的现场表演也一直是乐迷们津津乐道的话题。如今，他们的巡演路程即将横跨到我们的家门口，年轻的节拍，欢快的旋律即将在你的耳边响起——没有理由去错过吧？
da jia hao? nimen de luyin zenmeyang? name, 2 yue 22 hao (Friday, February 22nd) wode yuedui (The Rogue Transmission / Fubai Guangbo) gei yanchu zai Live Bar. Wo xiwang nimen you jihui lai. Yihuir jian . . .
