Hong Kong post-punk rockers Nan Yang Pai Dui on their latest album, and playing live with 2 drummers
- Founded in 2018 as a two-piece band by regulars at Hong Kong indie music bar Bound, Nan Yang Pai Dui (NYPD) now has five (sometimes six) members
- They talk about their album Easy Lighter, released in April, experimenting with AI, double drummers and the ‘Buddha Machine’ loop player
Combining post-punk, psychedelic electronica and memorably foul-mouthed Cantonese lyrics, Nan Yang Pai Dui (NYPD) kicked down the doors to Hong Kong’s indie scene six years ago with songs such as “Block 18”, “Mee & Gee” and “Gai Gai”.
These unapologetically local bangers nodded to, respectively, a hole-in-the-wall Cantonese street-food chain, cult second-hand clothing stores and a humble dessert spot in Jordan, Kowloon, serving traditional southern Chinese tong sui (sweet soup) since 1979.
In 2018, vocalist Jon and bassist Chau founded NYPD as a duo, but they were quickly joined by drummer Leo, guitarist-pianist Jack and guitarist Allex, who also performs as a solo musician.
All the members are regulars at indie music bar Bound in Sham Shui Po, Kowloon. Chau co-runs the bar, which also sells Hong Kong indie music merchandise. “We were all talking about it and said, ‘Why not a full band’?” he says. “That’s how we went from a two-piece to a five-piece. It pretty much all happened at Bound.”
That same year, after playing several smaller gigs, NYPD had their first big performance at Clockenflap, Hong Kong’s landmark music festival.