Rustic was formed in provincial Hebei in February 2006 by three teenagers. That year they played frequently around Hebei province, mostly in dirty little clubs in remote towns, and yet they thrived. With Johnny Thunders and the Sex Pistols as their role models in life, and David Bowie as their role model in style, they quickly established a disruptive presence in the grimy towns and cities of their home province with their explosive music and outrageous behavior.
In October 2007, after their first appearance in Beijing’s famed club Get Lucky Bar, they decided to settle down in the Chinese capital, then undergoing a rock and roll revolution. They soon attracted attention from legendary club D-22 for their wild behavior and within months were performing there regularly. In April 2009 bassist and former high school classmate Wang Heyong (aka Ricky Sixx) replaced one of the three original members, which then included Li Yan (aka Lucifer) on vocals and Li Fan on drums.

2009 was a productive year for Rustic: the band completed two tours in China and released several singles produced by the Swedish producer Fredrik Lyxzen. They then topped the year by winning the China edition of the Global Battle of the Bands. The following January they went to London for the finals, and to the surprise of almost none of their fans in China, they were crowned in London as the best band in the world — the first time any band won over all three judges unanimously. Later in 2010 Maybe Mars released their first album.

In 2011 Rustic toured China several times, played gigs in Asia, and completed a seven-date tour of the United Kingdom. Soon after the band returned from the UK, Wang Heyong left the band and, after trying out several bassists, was replaced by Guo Wenwang.