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When James Zhu (Chu) posted on Facebook last week that his concert at Ximen Red House was going to be a ‘mini concert for my special friends’,  I had no idea exactly how mini the venue would be. V, while still in the States, had managed to book tickets online in advance. Meanwhile, our local friend CC had strongly advised us that as the seats were unallocated, we should queue up at least one hour before the start of the concert at 8.30. It was just as well on both counts, because when some very competent front of house people finally let us in about 8.15, they escorted us into a small pub-style venue with seating arranged around small tables, each with a tiny tea light candle. Overall, the room probably held only about 100 people.

V and I chose a table at the very front, just to the right of centre stage, but we sat in the two back seats so as not to be too conspicuous. Ere long the front two seats were taken up by two fierce looking groupies, dressed to kill in black outfits and with enough mascara on to shellack a chest of drawers, or whatever else you can do with mascara. I said hello in English, but these girls chose to ignore us totally. A few tables over to our left was a younger, sweeter looking group. One girl held up a giant cardboard cutout of a love heart, picked out in different coloured sparkles. Cute.

The backup act opened right on the dot of 8.30. They did two upbeat rock numbers, very hard hitting and very loud. The lead singer’s artful attire included a bohemian scarf and fatigued jeans with a white belt. He had bee stung lips, a lot of dynamism and a good voice. (Only later did V and I piece togther that this was Neo Li Yang, of KOne). When Neo and the boys packed up expeditiously after only two items, I thought that James had chosen the proverbial hard act to follow.

There was no backstage as such and as his backing band set up, we caught sight of James waiting to come on in the penumbra at the side of the stage. Then he leaped up the stairs and emerged into the light wearing a wonderful sparkling striped jacket and sporting an attractive new hairstlyle with a streaked fringe. Without demur, he launched into a version of a song made famous by Yang Pei An: My Future is Not a Dream. I had expressed doubts before on Neveridol about James’s light voice, but he was convincing in this, charging the melody with energy and adopting a rough edge to the vocal line. Then he spoke briefly to the audience before taking up Wang Lee Hom’s A Kiss Goodbye. The country flavour of this song suited his easy going style and he communicated the lyrics very sensitively. James made a lot of eye contact with members of the audience and I hoped he would look over our way–I wanted to feel he was singing to us personally. When he finally did look in our direction, I smiled and tried to return a positive vibe. After that point, James was communicating the meaning of the lyrics of the songs so well that he could have sung anything and I would have gone along with it.

James Zhu (Chu) live on January 13

I had imagined that James would have brought on younger brother Jacky–a tremendously good singer– only in the second half, as an ace up his sleeve, so to speak. Early on, I`d caught sight of Jacky, looking sepulchral in black, creeping up the stairs on our right to a balcony, and then leaning over the rail to watch his brother perform. I thought he would stay up there awhile. But no, before very long, the keyboardist struck up the opening chords of Jacky`s signature power ballad. James then seemed to have to give his brother some time to come down from upstairs. He asked the audience what the name of the song was. ‘Gao Jie,’ they obediently chorused.

James took up the opening phrases of the song again. By then Jacky must have come back down, because suddenly he was onstage. In real life, he looked fiercer and more villanous then ever, with his hook nose, famous underbite and intense, glittering eyes. Soon the brothers were taking turns with the phrases and supplying new harmonies. Somehow they brought new life to an old song that I’d heard over and over again, perhaps too many times. Next they sang another laid back love song, Tian Tian, that Jacky used to sing at 183 Club concerts and that he had sung more recently as part of a medley on Jin Qu Chao Ji Xing, Season 1. They livened that one up, too. They sang at least one more duet, including the old fashioned ballad that Jacky once sang on Kang Xi Lai Le. James, with his secure and penetrating upper register, took the high phrases and the entire song came out very pleasingly.

James Zhu (left) and brother Jacky

The brothers’ non-stop banter was genuinely amusing. As James leafed through music on a music stand, as if deciding what to sing next, Jacky pantomimed that we should all call for him to sing the next song as a solo. ‘Jacky! Jacky!’ many fans obligingly shouted. I held back a bit because I didn’t want to hurt James‘s feelings. It was his night after all. ‘I saw what you did,’ said James as he turned around, in mocking accusation.

But Jacky got his solo. I don’t know the name of the song, but it was beautiful. Jacky fell into into that trance of intense concentration that he adopts when singing, often with his eyes closed. He whispered through the verses, while occasionally allowing a slightly louder note through that hinted at the warm quality of his of his full voice.  Performing live, he has a strong voice: he was appreciably louder than James.  He rammed home the high notes of the chorus very clear and true (but not too loud), then drifted off into a quiet ending. It was a kind of Mandopop bel canto. I suffering from travel fatigue, but I would have happily listened to him sing all night.

Jacky Zhu was a guest performer at his brother's concert.

I think Jacky sang a second solo later in the concert, but I became so wrapped up in the drama of it all that I let good reportage fly out the window. I stopped taking notes and I lost all sense of chronology. Was it when he was about to sing one of the solos, or soon after he first came on that he scanned the front rows and seemed to recognise some of his loyal fans? When he spotted V and me, he started with surprise and said, ‘Hi!’  in English in a kind of singsong voice. I confess to being too embarrassed to reply.

The concert had other highlights: two excellent songs by Eliza Lin Yi Lin, playing acoustic guitar and performing her own material. ‘She looks so sweet,’ said V, ‘but at heart I think she is a real rocker.’ Then James came back on and explained that he was going to sing a song he had only finished a day and a half before–while on the loo. This confession provoked some very earthy comments from the audience, but it proved to be a wonderful song and he sang it in a very satisfying way. James also raided the Rod Stewart and Lionel Richie songbooks to good effect. I sang along with those numbers, just to get up the noses of the groupies who had been singing along with the Chinese songs. James sings very convincingly in English.

It was past 11 pm when James finally left the stage. Tired as I was I joined the rest in calling for an encore. Soon he was back on, introducing a songwriter who had written some of the megahits for KOne, 5566 and 183 Club. Of course it was Victor Lau, the other member of their former duo, VJ. Victor came on, a calm and amusing presence. They sang their famous hit that had so enlivened the OST of The Prince Who Turned into a Frog: Bu Gou Yong Gan–Not Brave Enough. Victor had some fun with it, theatrically holding onto a high note for an extremely long time, causing James to burst out laughing before he took up the next phrase.

James Zhu (left) and songwriter, Victor Lau

Despite fond hopes on my part, Jacky did not come back during the final numbers and encores. He sat quietly among friends or perhaps management people in the back of the audience. When James thanked him from the stage for his participation, he applauded himself enthusiastically, drawing chuckles from fans. The best outcome of the entire night, however, was the announcement that the brothers plan to bring out an album together. I think this is a splendid idea. James and Jacky tend to bring out the best in each other in musical performances, and maybe in their personalities, too. Singing together on Jin Qu Chao Ji Xing, they found great traction with audiences. It’s high time for them to be brave enough to record something. This small gem of a concert sung convincingly to their true believers had the feeling of a genesis about it. Let’s wait and see.

****

Production credits: William Morris Entertainment and Music Production Company and Rock Anthem

Translation and photo credits: V

And check out some wonderful black and white dramatic photos by Heaven Only.