UK instrumental rockers Maybeshewill yesterday arrived in the capital to kick off their six-city Asia tour, which will begin tonight at Yugong Yishan. When they arrived they hadn't slept, they were still working out what had happened to their missing merchandise and their bassist Jamie Wood was still nursing a fractured thumb.

"Your regular life seems trivial to you," said guitarist John Helps, after arriving yesterday morning.

"That might sound arrogant, but you think that sometimes you're home and you've got to go buy washing powder."

This ephemeral sentiment towards touring is perhaps best expressed by the title of their latest album, I Was Here For A Moment, Then I Was Gone, a rounded sampling of rock, hardcore and electro that maintains a pop sensibility, a sound that has a wide appeal, especially for a city with rock tastes like Beijing.

"For some reason, post-rock is the music of cold places like Northern Europe," said guitarist John Helps after arriving in Beijing yesterday morning. "When you think of China, you think hot," he said.

Perhaps that is because post-rock is a world of musical extremes.

If Beijing's underground has anything, it has rock tastes and it's strapped for cash, which is why Maybeshewill may well be the capital's next role model. The group is backed by their DIY-driven indie label, which is managed by band members who each have distinct roles to play, in order to keep the machine moving. And although having sound engineers and venue bookers among your ranks has obvious perks, it also has its disadvantages.

"Having been in a band, I'm not very good about the business side," said Helps. "Because I know how people are feeling. You understand the band has just been driving for seven hours and all they want to do is eat and sleep."

However, it's unfair to call Maybeshewill post-rock. Much like "indie," it's a label that's decades old and was used to describe bands that were doing cutting-edge things in the past, but usually aren't still cutting the same edges.

Although genre barriers have always been in a state of change, Helps explains that the Internet has driven the creation of new genres for different reasons.

"It's strange because in order to find what you're looking for, you've got to physically type it in to find it. It makes people hyper-aware of labeling," he said.

In a city of young musicians looking to start off and find their way, Maybeshewill proves that there is room in the world to tour, make music and find your audience if you keep at it for long enough.

But as Helps explains, the routine of life on the road; traveling, loading and problem solving, as well as the adrenaline of playing in front of packed houses, is ultimately the payoff.

"If you don't love it, it's not for you," he said

When: Tonight, 8:30 pm

Where: Yugongyishan, 3-2 Zhangzizhong Lu, Dongcheng district

Tickets: 120 yuan / 80 yuan

Contact: 8402-8477