Popular band Mayday back in tune with fans

Shanghai's law enforcement authorities have cleared popular Taiwan band Mayday of lip-syncing in a series of concerts in Shanghai in November last year.

Law enforcement officials of the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism said in a recent interview with paper.cn that no violation of law was detected based on on-site supervision and investigation. This was in response to online accusations claiming lead vocal Ashin was partly lip-syncing during the eight Shanghai performances.

The accusations triggered an online buzz immediately at the end of last year. In China, lip-syncing in front of paying audiences is technically banned.

The issue was back in spotlight again as the band is scheduled to host 10 concerts between May 18 and June 1 in Beijing, which revived the wave of controversies on the legitimacy of the concerts.

In response, Beijing's cultural and tourism authorities said the approval was made based on law, and would arrange staff for supervision and management at the concerts.

Tickets of all 10 concerts have been sold out.

Since its debut in 1999, the five-member pop rock band has released nine studio albums and received multiple awards.

The band has developed a solid fan base among Chinese around the world, and it held 59 live global concerts last year. In Shanghai, the eight concerts, which had ticket prices ranging from 355 yuan (US$49) to 1,855 yuan, attracted more than 360,000 fans.