Dirty Deeds back in black

What’s a Saturday night without some dirty deeds done dirt cheap? And THIS Saturday, for one night only, Beijing’s very own AC/DC cover band are back in black – and there will be rock.

We caught up with singer Jaime Welton and drummer Mauro Marescialli to get the low down on Dirty Deeds' one night stand.

Tell us how Dirty Deeds first came together.
Mauro: Alex [the lead guitarist] and myself had the idea and put the band together. We wanted to play something fun and really rock the crowd. Kaiser Kuo joined shortly after, putting aside his loyal ax to play bass. Andy joined next thanks to an introduction from Kaiser.

Last to join was Jaime, our singer. Andy met him one night at Yugong Yishan, and after a few beers asked him if he could sing. He said “hell yeah.” It turned out Jaime used to sing for an AC/DC cover band back in the U.S. So he came to our next practice and blew us all away.

When was the last time you played, and what have the guys been up to since then?
Jaime: The last Dirty Deeds show was about three years ago. I have still been playing guitar for Black Cat Bone for some years, and have started up a classic metal band called Bad Mamasan.
Mauro: Alex went back to the UK, but the rest of the band is still in Beijing – we all work and have family here. Jaime and Kaiser play regularly with their own bands, while Andy and myself often speak about making a new band… but we never get around it...

Favorite AC/DC classics and why?
Jaime: Inject the Venom and For Those About to Rock are my overall favorites, because they have a lot of impact. The sound of the band at that time was slammin’!
Mauro: That’s a hard one, but I’d have to say Let There Be Rock and Back in Black. Let there be Rock was my very first AC/DC album so I have a special connection with that one. Why Back in Black? Well, it’s probably the best ‘come back’ album ever created by a band after losing their front man. Every single song is a classic.

Bon Scott or Brian Johnson?
Jaime: Bon Scott is still my favorite by far, but there are certainly some good Brian tunes.
Mauro: Bon Scott, but kudos to Johnson for having sparkled on Back in Black.

Will Dirty Deeds continue playing after Alex returns to the UK?
Jaime: This is a one-time deal so far. The future always holds surprises but I don’t think this is a regular thing.

Any plans for a Black Sabbath tribute band?
Jaime: My band Bad Mamasan plays a lot of Sabbath – they’re probably the biggest influence on what we play.
Mauro: I am always ready to play that kind of stuff!

Dirty Deeds play from 10pm, Saturday, September 5 at Yugong Yishan. RMB 50.