Neo Bar – the legendary live music venue deep in the heart of Yangpu’s university district – has been giving solace to the young corruptible souls and raising some of Shanghai’s most beloved music acts for a whopping twelve years (across three different locations)! The bright red lights; the dueling movie screenings; the fridge full of Asahi bottles; and its motley crew of rabble-rousers keeping the place afloat – it’s iconic! 

As expected, the team celebrated the only way they knew how last weekend – with two nights of music – with some of my favorite acts to have graced the stage over the years. 

I wisely avoided night one out of fear for my liver – and subconsciously made up for it on night two. Things got messy. Night two featured two of Xinxiang’s most feverish live acts – punk stalwarts Pumpkins and Colombian Col, who have turned their madcap, visceral and  irreverent noise rock into sermon – developing cult-like status in just under a year. Joining them were Beijing rap rock outfit Cypher T and Shanghai’s own psych blues rockers Poetry in Shorts. 

A symphony of debauchery it was – one that my body is still reeling from. And if anyone can find my broken glasses please do reach out to me! 

The post Gig Recap : NEO 12-Year Anniversary (2024.4.27) first appeared on .

Homegrown rock and roll favorites Dirty Fingers returned to their old stomping grounds for a special showcase last weekend at both Yuyintang and NEO – their first with returning drummer – Brazilian Ale Amazonia – a wild card move that seems to paying off already. Simultaneously messier and sharper, and with a grittier swagger that’s both looser and more on edge, this was a Dirty Fingers on the brink of collapse. Simply put, they were in fine form.

Joining them were perhaps my favorite live band at the moment – Jimaoda – the psych rock wonderers whose the epic, striking, and gorgeous new LP has been on repeat all month. They gave a sweet but impassioned set to kick things off – really need to get these cats back here soon. 

The post Gig Recap: Oh! Dirty Fingers, Jimaoda (2024.3.31) first appeared on .

Popped over to Neo Bar last Saturday to catch up with the Sino Hearts, who hail from my old stomping grounds of Beijing. A giddy smash up of punk, power pop, neo mod, and garage rock, the band, led by globe-trotting guitarist and singer Yuxin Zhong – have a knack for keeping things riotous and righteously old school. 

Capturing the chaotic, rustic charm of 70s rock and roll, they’re a sugar rush of unadulterated rock and roll sincerity that never feels cheap or unearned. They were in town on tour to promote their newest release Mandarin A-Go-Go with support from the one and only Round Eye, and Zilu, who reformed recently with members of Chick Eye and Conch, making them something of a supergroup. 

Frankly, I was pretty belligerent – a combination of taking full advantage of an open bar at an event earlier and the fatigue and sudden shift to winter weather which I was in no way prepared for. My camera did manage to put in asome effort – so enjoy.

The post Gig Recap: The Sino Hearts, Zilu, Round Eye (2021.10.15) first appeared on .

揉揉眼睛！扭扭肩膀！考完了学期要考的试，干完了周中该干的活，现在是任你放纵的甜蜜夏日时光！周末来NEO，看Live China Music输送来的新血乐队（朋克/另类摇滚/新浪潮/后朋）大闹一场。拘束都忘掉，这个夜晚由危险叛离的声音所主宰。

以破竹之势冲锋在前的，是来自南通的AIRSEX。这帮家伙有响亮的名号和一股致眩的欢乐能量。他们疯狂且不计后果地把英式朋克、后朋克和合成器流行搅拌在了一杯啤酒里，散发出醉醺醺的魅力自去年起就稳步地“感染”着上海的音乐场景。

紧随其后的是白墨水。乐队由在读大学的不良青年组成。在他们独有的一套喧闹而不正经的另类摇滚里，融会了许多流派的滋味，有一味加州式放克摇滚，有一味调皮捣蛋的流行朋克，甚至还有一味忧郁沉溺的独立摇滚。信念笃定、呼喊真诚，这就是骚乱的、颠覆的、还带点“刺啦刺啦”响声的摇滚乐。

最终阵容由下沉广场的加入而圆满。从NEO的油锅里脱胎而生的他们，各种风格煎炸在一起，成了兼具旋律性和趣味性的形状，让人抖腿不止。他们既可以突如其来整一段迅猛的碾核，又能轻松驾驭后朋动机。他们是今年加入音乐场景最棒的新声之一，偏离和谐的音乐和内涵丰富的词句自在其自有的波长上振动。

Rest those eyes! Stretch out those arms! Exams are over! The workweek is through! And summer vacation has never tasted sweeter! Time to unwind with LiveChinaMusic as they team up with Neo Bar to get you through the summer heat, bringing with them a whole new crop of bands looking to lay havoc and get your blood boiling. A rollicking package of punk, alt rock, new wave, and post punk that’ll have you cutting loose – an evening of dangerously deviant sounds. 

Leading the charge are Nantong firecrackers AIRSEX. If the name didn’t give it away, these cats are a ball of giddy fun – a band that furiously blends everything from British punk, post-punk and synth-pop with reckless abandon and beer-soaked charisma. They’ve been slowly infecting Shanghai’s music scene over the past year. 

Joining them will are White Ink, the college-bound ruffians whose busy, cheeky alt-rock packs a lot in – some California funk rock, a bit of puckish pop punk, and even some brooding indie rock. Earnest in their conviction and righteousness, it’s riotous and topsy-turvy rock and roll that crackles. 

Rounding out the night are Sunken Square, born out of the frying pan of Neo Bar itself – a melodic, mischievous smash-up of genres that keeps you on your toes. Not afraid to drop in a quick grindcore sidebar or straddle a post punk riff, they’re one of the year’s finest new additions to the music scene – one whose off-kilter musicality and rich lyricism are on its own wavelength.

LiveChinaMusic presents Summer Treats 夏日小滋

Date 时间

07月02日 20:30pm

Line Up 阵容

AIRSFX

下沉广场

White Ink 白墨水

ADD地址

上海市杨浦区国定路335号杨浦科技创业中心1号楼NEO Bar

TICKETS 扫码购票

Presale 预售 60 / Door 现场 80

ARTISTS BIO

AIRSFX

AIRSFX（空中特技队），非知名醉酒朋克，音乐气质明显受到上个世纪70、80年代英国朋克和新浪潮时代音乐的影响， 2019年下半年阵容稳定后，开始疯狂演出，在国内各种朋克场景中，都能看到他们喝得东倒西歪演出的德性。以前他们好像有个很招摇的名字，但据乐队成员说，他们把那一横从原来的名字里砍下来拿去买了酒。 

希望哪天遇到好心人把那一横给画上去。 

成员：CC、焦皮、化石、大良、大肉

White Ink 白墨水

官府通缉令：白墨水，上海一另类朋克三大件乐队。高中毕业后，三名老同学勾结在一起， 走上了搭台卖艺、行骗江湖的不归路。据线人透露，该团伙台风「癫狂乖戾，泥泞湍急，灵 动多变，浑然一体」，并妄称其靡靡之音有「明目，通筋骨，肃清余毒」的功效。请诸位良 民佩戴耳塞，不传谣不信谣，倘若目击，速至官府报案。 

WANTED: White Ink is a gang of three well-fed, ill-bred city boys, making noise since the playground days. Away from their overseas college campuses, this alternative punk rock trio has been channeling their pent-up vigor into an ongoing series of “salacious, pointed, and infectious shows” (Live China Music, 2020) in Shanghai and beyond. Catch them live for a night of reckless fun, hectic spunk, and penetrating stares right into the depths of your rotten souls … if ever there were one.

下沉广场

恶犬领主、电驴骑士和足球小将。

下沉广场是一支穿梭于五角场周边的各个下沉广场的三人乐队，从下沉而来，奔下沉而去，人间是吵闹广场，吵闹广场在吵闹中下沉，下沉广场在下沉中起舞。

The post Upcoming: Summer Treats (NEO BAR 2021.07.02) first appeared on .

Swung by NEO Bar last Saturday for my weekly injection of down and dirty rock and roll as a chance to check out some of the new voices looking to stir up trouble in the next year. And from the sound of it, 2020 has created some truly mischievous characters and I couldn’t be happier.  

Kicking off the night was the always enjoyable Kṣitigarbha, one of my favorite acts from last year. There’s such infectious alchemy to how the band plays off one another – something you can literally see across each of the members’ faces. 

My first outing with Sunken Square, born out of the jumble and life-force of Neo Bar itself, and yeah, love the melodic tightness and their playful juggling of genres. While they never quite go off the deep end, they’re not afraid to drop in a quick grindcore sidebar or straddle a post punk riff. With an emphasis on their lyrics, they’re a band that may be rough around the edges but one whose conviction is there.

Speaking of conviction, I have no idea where Jiechi emerged from but damn are they a treat. A slightly deranged grunge-infused noise rock band that feels like an art school troupe gone AWOL, it’s both detached and utterly unhinged – a muddle of nerves turned into song. All I know is I need to catch these cats again. 

The post Gig Recap: Jiechi, Kṣitigarbha, Sunken Square (2021.01.09) first appeared on .