Belgian Flu

The Belgian Flu was a Tsengian rock band formed in Hillsborough, Tseng City-Capital, in 1980. The classic lineup consists of vocalist Alexander Yu, guitarist Cheng Mai-hu, bassist Jeremy Jia, and drummer Robert Mays.

Despite only being active for 3 non-consecutive years, they are considered one of the most influential and successful artists in Tsengian music. The band represented rebellion against the strict conservative government in Tseng and were famously denounced as "criminals" by then-vice-president Louis Xi in 1984. Their second album, Discombobulated, became the highest-selling album in Tsengian history, with 5.3 million copies sold. The Belgian Flu is considered to be one of the first East Asian rock bands.

The band disbanded in 1985 after the death of lead vocalist Alexander Yu.

Formation and early years (1980-1981)
The Belgian Flu was founded in 1980 by Hillsborough High School friends Alexander Yu and Cheng Mai-hu. They were both interested in music and decided to form a band. In fact, Cheng had already been in a rock band before, however the band was unsuccessful. Drummer Chris Xiang, a friend of Cheng, later joined, and the three started participating in competitions and landing gigs.

The band went through many names, including French Torpedoes, Skydivers, and later REVOLUTION 1980 before settling on Belgian Flu. Yu chose that name after seeing his sister sick with the flu while in vacation in Belgium.

The Belgian Flu released their first track, "Aphrodite" in January 1981 independently. In July Chris Xiang got into a fight in which he commited first-degree murder. He was arrested and later executed in 1986. Robert Mays, a Canadian roommate of Cheng, replaced Xiang, despite his criminal history. Jeremy Jia joined the Belgian Flu in August, playing bass guitar. Often playing in nightclubs and other music venues, they quickly took the Tsengian underground rock scene by storm.

On August 23, 1981, the Belgian Flu self-released their first album New Country (新國度). Considered by many to be the first Tsengian "hard rock" album, it was only expected to sell at most 10,000 copies. However, the album unexpectedly became popular, and launched Belgian Flu to infamy. Most of the criticism was because the songs encouraged crime, including drug use, truancy, and bullying.

Hiatus (1981-1983)
Due to Tseng's conscription policy, all members except Mays, who was an international student, had to serve in the Tsengian Armed Forces as they were all 18 and had no interest in higher education. Yu and Cheng enlisted in the army, while Jia enlisted in the air force.

Peak years and banned (1983-1985)
In January 1983, after finishing their military service, the Belgian Flu embarked on a national tour to sell-out crowds, and signed a deal with ECN Records. On June 19, 1984, they released the second album Discombobulated. It was a much more pop-oriented album as Yu wanted the band to have a further reach. Discombobulated made Belgian Flu legendary. The conservative government of Tseng banned the album. Then-vice-president Louis Xi called Belgian Flu "criminals", and with consent of president Thomas Lan-xiao, ordered the police to arrest any members of the Belgian Flu. Despite the ban, Discombobulated became the best selling album in Tsengian history, with 5.3 million copies sold. Piracy was one of the main drivers for their success due to the ban.

To evade arrest, Belgian Flu fled to and settled in, , and continued to record songs there. During their time in Japan, the Tokyo metropolitan police kept files on all the members as they had committed some minor crimes there. Despite this, Belgian Flu remained one of the most popular bands in Tseng, and had a growing fanbase in Hong Kong, Japan, and Taiguaye.

Newly-elected president Huang-li Jia-kang removed the travel ban and allowed Belgian Flu's music to be played in July 1984. The band returned to Tseng in November.

Final months (1985)
Jeremy Jia left the band in January 1985 as he became overwhelmed by the publicity. On March 1, 1985, frontman Alexander Yu died in a car crash. Yu was replaced by Michael Tam, a Hong Kong musician, but the band was unable to recover and Cheng, Mays, and Tam agreed to end the band.

Aftermath
Cheng went on to become a very successful solo artist, having hits in the later half of the 1980s and 1990s, becoming a member of the Tsengge Eight, while Mays became a chef at a restaurant. Tam joined another band called 369 but they achieved few success. Tam later became a producer for ECN Records and later Zenghe Inc as the former ceased operations in 1994.

Discography
"Main article: Belgian Flu discography"

Studio albums

 * 1981: New Country (新國度)
 * 1984: Discombobulated (混亂)

Live albums

 * 1983: Belgian Flu Tour '83 (曾中市LIVE)
 * 1985: The Ritz London (倫敦麗思酒店)

Compilation albums

 * 1985: Greatest Hits of the Belgian Flu
 * 2015: Greatest Hits of the Belgian Flu - 30th Anniversary

Final lineup

 * Michael Tam (lead vocals, guitar; 1985)
 * Cheng Mai-hu (guitar, backing vocals; 1980-1985)
 * Robert Mays (drums; 1981-1985)

Past members

 * Alexander Yu (lead vocals, guitar; 1980-1985)
 * Chris Xiang (drums; 1980-1981)
 * Jeremy Jia (bass, backing vocals; 1981-1985)