China detains singer for pulling down his pants on stage at festival in ‘City of Rock’

A singer, who took off his pants while performing at a rock festival in northern China, was detained by the authorities. Shijiazhuang city's local culture bureau, in a statement, said that the singer, who has been identified by the surname Ding, was detained by the police officers for “damaging social morality.”

The police further stated that a fine of $28,000 was imposed on the show organiser and it was suspended from hosting concerts.

In the videos shared on Chinese social media, the band Violent Champagne's frontman is seen dropping his shorts while the gig is going on at the Rock Home Town festival in the city on Saturday (July 29).

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In the videos, the audience can be heard chanting “Drop the briefs!” However, in the footage, the singer is seen wearing his underwear.

City of Rock

Hebei province's capital Shijiazhuang has been famous for its indie music scene, something which city officials have been wanting to capitalise on.

Earlier this month, an announcement was made by the city to host the Rock Home Town festival till October for attracting tourists and increasing consumption amid the sluggish post-Covid economic recovery of China.

However, many commentators on social media questioned how dedicated the officials were to the ethos of rocking out in the wake of the detention of the singer.

“Shijiazhuang wants to be the City of Rock, but do you have that gene?” said a person while commenting on China’s Twitter-like Weibo following the detention of the singer. “Before you start to rock, you are rolled away,” another person quipped.

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Shijiazhuang culture bureau said that Violent Champagne was not part of the official lineup of the festival, as per a report published in the state-run Jimu News.

The bureau, in its statement, said that it would “strengthen supervision of performances” at the event. “We hope that performers and staff will consciously abide by laws and regulations, strengthen morality, and provide healthy and positive entertainment for audiences,” it stated.

In 2010, Shijiazhuang was placed on the music map when the song “Kill the One from Shijiazhuang” was released by the local band Omnipotent Youth Society and became a hit.

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