White China

Event information

They rocketed from Scotland with a wall of fireball guitars, crashing drums, chiming keyboards, and soaring vocals.

In 1985, the Scottish youths of White China were about to plunge into the neon-colored whirlpool of the New Wave. With a freshly minted contract from Island Records, the group released the single “Smiles & Jokes,” a riffy pop gem that was equal amounts U2-esque wide-screen rock and Ultravox-flavored synth-pop. They could have been famous. But, after a few singles and touring with Top-40 stars Big Country, the plug was pulled.

The band’s label rep had been fired, and the group’s debut LP, The Innocence, was quickly tossed into the abyss infamously known as the vaults. White China splintered thereafter. The group probably would have been completely forgotten if “Smiles & Jokes” hadn’t grabbed the ears of New Wave radio programmers in the Philippines in the late ‘80s. “Smiles & Jokes,” with its booming, ethereal dance hooks, found itself sharing playlists with the kings of post-punk – the Cure, Echo & the Bunnymen, Joy Division, the Smiths, and Depeche Mode. In another country, and completely oblivious to the band members at the time, White China had fulfilled their promise.

As the decades progressed, “Smiles & Jokes” never really vanished from Manila radio. It became a staple of ‘80s flashback programs, especially those devoted to New Wave. Owning the original vinyl, always hovering around the $100 range to this day on Ebay, became a badge of honor among Filipino collectors. When the group started migrating online, they discovered this large pocket of passionate fans in the Philippines.