“Not a puppet! Not a puppet! Not a puppet! Not a puppet!”
The lyrics screamed by Chinese all-girl group Dummy Toys resonate their philosophy to a tee. Like Metallica’s “Master of Puppets,” the notion of being controlled by those in power pulling the strings has been a constant in heavy music.
“We don’t want to be puppets of anyone or anything, and we don’t want to be restrained,” says guitarist Xiaoniao on the meaning to these anthemic lyrics, which belong to the title track from their debut LP.
Comprised of members Qingqing青青 on drums, Xiaohan小韩 on vocals, Xiaoniao小鸟 on guitar, and Huanzi欢子 on bass, Dummy Toys quickly made their presence felt in the coastal city of Qingdao, becoming a must-see act at the city’s local punk bar, DMC. Not a Puppet hit the streets in 2020, but the band started in 2015 and they released a self-titled EP in 2016.
“The universal view we have received from childhood educated us a lot about some so-called norms. We don’t want to be what others want, but we still want to be ourselves. We feel that every life should be shining and have its own color,” says Xiaoniao.
And color is what the members of Dummy Toys have in spades. Aside from their album art for Not a Puppet – a pink, blue, and yellow illustration of a doll broken and bloodied on the ground with her strings surrounding her, the members are a veritable rainbow of spiked hair, Mohawks, studded leather and fishnets. It would be unwise to describe any member’s permanent style or hair color, as the band is always changing and progressing, through self-style and music as well.
While punk has been a constant musical force in China, with bands like Demerit, the Flyx, Gum Bleed and Hell City showing that the style has a place in the country, it’s not often that you will see the aesthetic expressed by the regular citizens of China, and even rarer that you’ll find all-female bands taking the sound and stylistic approach of punk as far as it can go.
On if they get any ridicule due to their look, bassist Huanzi says, “Some people think it’s a bit strange, but it’s not a big problem. We don’t want to force them to accept us, and we will not change ourselves because of them.”
Musically, Dummy Toys’ members say they were influenced by American bands A Global Threat, Monster Squad, and Cheap Sex. “We also listen to Japanese punk like the early Sister Benten Records girl bands. Although Japan has predecessors that we admire and are worth listening to, they still have little to do with the formation of our music.”
Regarding Chinese bands, the first Chinese all-girl punk band Hang on the Box is a spiritual influence. “They are all very thoughtful women and they have been making inspiring music throughout the years,” says Huanzi. “Demerit and Strikeback are the ones that affect us more in China.”
Often, their daughters are at Dummy Toys shows, dancing and meeting the fans of the band. They also have a nurturing relationship with the band Demerit. “Demerit are good friends who understand us very well and support us,” says Xiaoniao. “Their existence makes us less lonely, more motivated, and have a sense of security (laughs)! We are very fortunate that our family can support us in making a band. This is very important, and we are very grateful to our families.”
When seeing the members’ children at the shows, it could only be assumed that they may be future punk rockers in the making. Huanzi isn’t so quick to agree, “Children are into their own things. We think children should be rebellious by nature, and it doesn’t matter if they get into the punk world or not. It’s natural for most of them to not like the same things as their parents. So, the only difference with us is, our children will be exposed to punk music earlier than others.”
If not their own children, the next generation of aspiring punk or metal musicians is currently looking up to the girls in Dummy Toys. Surely, the girls have noticed.
”I haven’t noticed (laughs), in fact, I don’t think we will affect anyone,” says Huanzi. “We just chose our favorite music and lifestyle and try to live the best lives we can, but if we resonate with anyone because of our music and ideas, then we are very happy!”
Xiaoniao confirms this rather humble outlook, “We actually don’t have much expectation of ourselves. We just write songs, release albums, perform, and then we are happy.”
Despite Dummy Toys’ success, like many other bands in China, the members don’t see playing music as a full-time job, and have occupations to fall back on such as working at a salon or being a tattoo artist, “It’s OK to treat a band as a full-time job, but we’re not full-time. We can’t support ourselves by being a band now. It’s nothing. We can do other jobs to feed the band. It’s normal for most bands here,” says Xiaoniao.
A follow-up to their Not a Puppet LP is currently in the works, with Huanzi saying of the progress, “We already have some new songs written for the next album, and we are still writing more. It is so wonderful for us to arrange new songs together!”
Check them out here.
Images courtesy of Dummy Toys 
