The time is near – spring is almost here! Not quite, but I can confidently say we’re just about out of the trenches (that freak snowfall was the one last gasp of winter). So no excuse for the funk you’re in – it’s time to survey the streets of Beijing, find that new sound, and bask in it till their ain’t nothing left. From Japanese new wave, to Shanghai hardcore, to even the ‘Chinese tap dance prince’ there’s something for everyone – all you gotta do is reach out and take it in. Here’s your weekend update.
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 23rd
White Paper, Royal as Purple, Little Wang at Temple
Temple gets a headstart on the weekend with a intriguing lineup of some of this year\’s most buzzed about new comers – namely the synth-happy post punk groovers White Paper who\’ll join electro rockers Royal as Purple, and Little Wang. FREE
iimmune, VU, punx, Huang Jin, Fencha, Yamashiva at Dada
Right downstairs is where the real fun begins as prajnasonic – the new electronic label kickstarted by four of the scene\’s more intriguing electronic artists, including iimmune, Punx, and VU – will have a release party for their first four equally dope EPs – the label heads will be joined by fellow offbeat artists including Hangzhou\’s Yamashiva. Dense soundscapes to escape your Friday woes.
Liquid Palace, Hui Ye, mulian, No Performance, Paul Gründorfer at fRUITYSPACE
fRUITYSPACE goes all out this Thursday with a packed experimental lineup of explorartory off beat sounds that\’ll dig their way into your membrane – live coding, clarinets, audiovisual mingling, voice sampling, loops, and feedback galore – you know the drill. Bring an open mind and some loose ears and get some. 50 RMB
Macondo, Sardine is Back & The Wheel is Broken, anxt, Eric (Peppercorns) at DDC
Poetry and tunes hold hands this special event hosted by Beijing\’s platform fro poetry and fiction writers, Spittoon. The eveeneing entitled Spit-Tunes sets up a band or musical artist with a poet for collaboration on a special musical piece inspired by the poet’s poetry. Bands Macondo, Sardine Is Back & The Wheel Is Broken, The Peppercorns and Anxt taking will play a special collaboration song in their sets, complete with a small reading from each collaborating poet including Matias Luis Tagle, Anna Sowley, Steve Chen and Simon Shieh. Dig the cross pollination. 40 RMB
Streams of Life, Russian Roulette, Lattice, 1102, 念乐队 at Hot Cat Club
Lots of fresh names and fresh sounds to check out – I can vouch for the scrappy fun Russian Roulette, and word on the street is that Life of Streams are a must see act – but the other two – not sure what they\’ll be bringing to the table but that what\’s intrigues me the most. FREE
Out To Sea, Malnutrition, X-Summer at School
Thursday is becoming the \’go to\’ day for up and coming acts – some jangly emo rock from youngsters Out to Sea, pop rock fist pumping from X-Summer, and punk galore from the not so healthy Malnutrition. 40 RMB
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 24th
Fecundation (KR), Scare the Children, Death Pact, Impure Injection, Death Penalty at 13 Club
Something wicked comes this way – as some of the seediest, most horrifying, and extreme metal bands converge on 13 Club for the Spooky Apocalypse Fest. Setting the mood will be Seoul technical death metal band Fecundation, underground Shandong grindcore outfit Impure Injection, Beijing’s premier horror metal band Scare the Children and more. For those looking for a taste of the absurd and the brutal look no further. 80 RMB
Fritz Helder (CA), Junks, Metro Tokyo at Yugong Yishan
Chicago house pioneer Frtiz Helder of acclaimed Toronto based outfit Azari & III, frequent dominator of the European festival circuit, swings through Beijing alongside local producer Metro Tokyo and Hangzhou sythwave outfit Junks, a band I’m most curious about. Sounds like some good high-octane electro fun. 120 RMB
Spill Your Guts, Shave N’ Shut, Own Up, Tumour Boy at School
Shanghai hardcore torch bearers return to School Bar with their wild-eyed determination and hardcore muster and they’ve tagged some of Beijing’s finest punks including oi punks Shave N\’ Shut, hardcore punk troupe Own Up, and fellow hardcorers Tumour Boy. 60 RMB
Peppercorns, By Dream, mystery band at Temple
Temple presents an acidic evening of rock and roll with bands who don’t strictly play by the rules including melodic post rock ramblers By Dream as well as psychedelic theremin-wielding Peppercorns. And a special special guest. Clearly this ain’t your mamma’s rock and roll. FREE
Hard Candy Revolution at Yue Space
Full of spunk and attitude, the female led Hard Candy Revolution has been ‘revolutionizing the hard rock sound with electronic, funk, and other musical elements’ since their inauguration in 2014. The band will preview and test-drive their debut album tonight at Yue Space. 80 RMB
Di Gasn Trio at DDC
Influenced by Klezmer, the traditional music of the Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe, as well as Balkan music, the Di Gasn Trio look to share their vibrant culture and musical upbringing with their dance-worthy tunes. With a clarinet, accordion, and double bass on hand you can be assured folks will be moving. 60 RMB
DMh, Percy Piss Wizard, How High at fRUITYSPACE
Former lovers and duo of Low Bow and Cloud Choir go their separate ways for this offbeat experimental electronic showcase featuring Ircelandic madman DMh, How High, and a showman cat by the name of Percy Piss Wizard who’ll probably throw up a hair ball or two during his set. 40 RMB
The Hunters, The Game Gurus, Horse Feather at Hot Cat Club
‘A party of game gurus between two buns of hunters, with a side of horse feather’ – not sure where the folks at Hot Cat Club come up with this stuff but please keep it coming! And damn it – now I want a burger. FREE
Cozy Boys (US), D Savage (US), Young Clan, Boom, D0Mle, Andreyun at Modernsky Lab
Comprised of A$AP LOU BANGA and J. Scott, Cozy Boys, besides acting as the touring DJs for A$AP Mob (which features among others A$AP Ferg and the late A$AP Yams) have been playing in clubs across the world. They’ll be joined tonight by up and coming rapper D Savage, a Gardena, California resident poised to breakthrough this year on Cuttroat Records. Expect some dirty, grills wearing hip hop to bounce to. 250 RMB
Kuso Eyes, Daydream, Pace of Time at Mars Club
Mars Club gets nice and rowdy this weekend as a trio of red-hot bands looking to hit their stride in 2017 including Joyside-inspired drunk punks Daydream and Kuso Eyes perform. 60 RMB
Zhang Qianqian at Snail Club
Veteran sing-songwriter Zhang Qianqian, a staple of the folk scene, since her debut in 1996 gives a special showcase courtesy at 69 Snail Club. 80 RMB
Li Bo at Mogu Space
Indie rocker Li Bo, the former lead singer of Jacky Danny, will appear at the Xizhimen space with his latest venture Rosewood Bullet. 66 RMB
Ellen & Friends at Jianghu Bar
Former participant on Zhejaing TV’s ‘Dream Voice’ and Yunnan TV’s ‘China Love Song’, singer-songwriter Ellen brings her cohorts for an evening of melodic singing. 60 RMB
Shannon, XuJun, Nick & Ming at 69 Café
Brit rock, American rhythm, folk influecnes, and blues country – is a ragtag team of singer songwrtiers who’ll grace the stage tonight at 69 Café. 66 RMB
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 25th
The Jongha (JP), Glow Curve, SNSOS, Lonely Leary at School
Kyoto new wave quartet The Jongha invade School Bar for some dark-tinted atmospheric rock and roll – better yet, they’ve tapped some of this year’s hottest tickets including post punks Lonely Leary, instrumental rockers SNSOS, and the always reliable soundscapers Glow Curve. Even without the added bonus of having a Japanese band on hand to show us how it’s done, that’s a hell of a lineup. 80 RMB
Stream of Life, The Flyx, NZT at Temple
Turn it up a notch at Temple Bar as a trio of diverse sounds take stage at Temple including the much buzzed about post hardcore outfit Streams of Life, psychedelic post punksters NZT, and the vastly underrated The Flyx, one of the scene’s most genuine punk tropes out there. Sounds like a good ol mess to get lost in. FREE
Oldy Baby, Macondo, Djang San, Nick Parson, Pacalolo at Yue Space
Leading Beijing based facebook group The Beijing Underground throws its second edition of ‘The Beijing Underground Evenings’ featuring some of the scene’s hottest new tickets as well as a couple old favorites – sets from the ever busy Macondo, schizoid punk rock duo Oldy Baby, and the East West fusion rock outfit Djang San. 80 RMB
Nian Yue, Poshangcun, The Diagon Alley, Derby Day, Zhei at Jianghu Bar
Up and coming band Nian Yue, fronted by songstress Zhang Ziwei brings their dreamy melodies to Jianghu alongside esteemed guests (and wildly popular) folk pop outfit Poshangcun, britpop swooners The Diagon Alley and punk rockers Zhei – a nice mix at the cozy hutong joint. 70 RMB
Spill Your Guts, Unregenerate Blood, Dress Code at Hot Cat Club
Not sure whose birthday it is but there’s a birthday brawl going down nevertheless and hardcore music for all – besides Shanghai’s Spill Your Guts getting in their licks, veteran hardcore outfit Unregenerate Blood will be joining the new kids on the block Dress Code for some birthday brawling. FREE
Electric Lady, Wang Xinzheng, Time So Fast at Mars Club
Rock and roll in all its glory at the Batong Line located venue – stoner rock throwbacks Electric Lady look to kill it alongside some fresh faced emo rockers Wang Xinzheng and easycore kids Time So Fast. Good fun on the outskirts of the fifth ring road. 60 RMB
Sound Sculpture at One Way Space
The psychedelic ambient trope the Sound Sculpture bring their genre-shifting and multiple layered sound to Wangjing’s OW Space (by the Academy of Social Sciences on Central Zhongnan Road) as they’ll live soundtrack the 1934 Irish fictional documentary Man of Aran. 100 RMB (7:30 start)
Anzi & Jiumei at Yugong Yishan
Pretty faced internet band? Pop-Rock band? Duo of stand-up comedians? Variety show folk singers? None of those quite capture the overnight success that is Anzi & Jiumei, a trio of classmates who became online sensations with their intricate songwriting and harmonious rapport – catch them perform to their fans tonight at Yugong Yishan. 90 RMB
The Mac Daddies, The Hunters at DDC
DDC celebrates Mardi Gras with two of Beijing’s hottest crowd-pleasing outfit Stevie Mac & The Mac Daddies and The Hunters who intend to get the party upbeat and rollicking as masquerade masks and beads get passed around like hot cake encouraging your wild side more and more. 70 RMB
Liu Donghong at Mogu Space
Bluesy folk rock singer-songwriter Liu Donghong a staple of the folk scene brings out his band mates for an intimate unplugged showcase at the Xizhimen hotspot. 80 RMB
Rhythm Traveler, The Lake, Lin Nan and Hadron at Blue Stream
Blue Stream’s 2016 unplugged performance series Sound Garden is back by popular demand with performances by Rhythm Traveler, The Lake, Lin Nan and Hadron. Nice assortment of bands and styles – could the Gulou venue be getting back in the swing of things? 50 RMB
Y², Murukao, DJ Fake at fRUITYSPACE
Digging the eclectic diversity of fRUITYSPACE more and more as it gives the hip hop scene a home away from home – catch producers and DJs Murukao, Fake and more take turns spinning. FREE
Wang Wu at 69 Cafe
Northeastern Chinese singer-songwriters, Wang Wu, whose loose hair and vibrant voice made him one of the finalists on one of the country’s top rated American Idol clones performs. 50 RMB
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 26th
All Unknown, Shut Up N\’ Listen, Outsiders, ZhouSi, Jiang ErShi Yu Zhei at School
Make it a bubbly Sunday afternoon with this riotous rock and roll showcase featuring the scene’s newest members including All Unknown, Outsiders, Shut Up N’ Listen, and more bands looking to cut their teeth at School Bar. 40 RMB (3pm start)
Ember Swift, Joy Stuhr at School
Indie singer-songwriter Ember Swift brings her swag and stylish indie rock to School Bar as the longstanding Beijing-based artist presents material from her upcoming album Sticks and Stones, which promises to echo ‘childhood joys while living in an adult world’. 50 RMB
Jiang Shaofeng, Erbol, Xia Yuyan, Tallinnuya, Jia Honglong at Jianghu Bar
Catch the Chinese tap dance prince Jiang Shaofeng alongside percussionist Erbol, lute player Xia Yuyan, Mongolian throat singer Tallinnuya, and beatboxer Jia Honglong for an ethnically infused mashup of sounds and cultures that’ll blow your socks off. 100 RMB
Heiki Kagler, Peter Murchison at Temple
An evening of gospel, blues, and country with two of the scene’s most active members cellist Heiki Kagler and guitarist Peter Murchison. FREE
Gotsu Totsu Kotsu at DDC
Thrash metal outfit Gotsu Totsu Kotsu, from Japan, and firm believers in the warrior motif, present their latest album at DDC tonight with a special performance. 80 RMB
LiYu at 69 Café
Classically trained folk singer-songwriter Li Yu brings his diverse range of sounds and emotions to the Nanluoguxiang venue. 66 RMB
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