Well there’s goes autumn. Nice knowing ya. Hello long johns. Think keeping indoors is gonna protect you from the cold. Think again. Only way you’re gonna be able to get toasty in this nuclear winter is to huddle together and get those legs moving – and what better place than at one of the many gigs about town. Whether in a sweaty punk mosh pit, a post rock barbeque, or a tropical hip hop showcase – plenty of opportunities to keep warm. So go forth and let’s make some beautiful friction. 

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Friday November 4^th

 

Hiperson, Stolen, The Fallacy, Faxi at Yugong Yishan

And here’s your gig of the week. Without a doubt. When else are you gonna catch four of the country’s most hyped indie rock bands, each in their prime, on the brink of nationwide (and beyond) acclaim, in one venue for one righteous evening. From the Molotov cocktail of explosive energy that is Chengdu’s post punks Hiperson and electro rock Stolen, to the impassioned frenzy anxiety-ridden The Fallacy, out of Xinxiang, and the matured Manchester-infused rock of Xi’an’s Faxi (formerly The Fuzz) – it’s a hell of a indie rock showcase for the talent brewing outside of Beijing. 120 RMB

 

World’s End Girlfriend (Japan) at Tango

Seminal Japanese post rock artist, the one man musical project of Japanese musician Katshhiko Maeda, returns to Beijing. Beloved in post rock and soundtrack music circles alike (they have scored numerous films in Asia), their sound blends elements of electronic, classical, and post-rock the band creates an universe that distinctly their own. Believe the hype. 220 RMB

 

The Shanghai Restoration Project x Lei Lei at Yue Space

Dave Liang, of The Shanghai Restoration Project, a New York based electronic music project that blends jazz, Latin flavor, and 1930s Shanghai, presents his early 2016 work What’s Up With That? at Yue Space alongside multimedia artist Lei Lei. ‘The music features 10 original electronic compositions incorporating samples of cassette tape recordings of Lei Lei as a child juxtaposed against the soundscape of adult life in contemporary society.’ Sounds like a Technicolor blast. 150 RMB 

 

Oldy Baby, Motorbike Girls, The Twenties, Ramblin Roze at Hot Cat Club

A night of eclectic rock and roll, Hot Cat Club hosts the debut of Oldy Bably – the latest project from scene regular Nathan Borokfa, as well as indie rock favorites The Twenties, a band that has slowly shaped into one of the scene’s best acts, as well as hard rockers Ramblin Roze and fuzzy noise rockers Motorbike Girls. FREE

 

The Sound Sculpture, LSD, The Peppercorns, Gentle Grape at DDC

Seeing is believing, and hearing is receiving at DDC tonight as bands with four distinct styles perform including the Chinese-Italian psychedelic ambient outfit The Sound Sculpture join 70s throwback LSD, theremin freak rockers The Peppercorns, and new school punk scrappers Gentle Grape. 70 RMB

 

Djang San at Temple

East-meets-West fusionist and veteran show stopper Djang San, self-proclaimed ‘re-inventor of Chinese classical instrument zhongruan, philosopher, poet, composer, guitar hero, DJ, one man orchestra, music pioneer and explorer of new sounds’ bring their hypnotic buck wild music to the one and only Temple. FREE

 

Goodbye Sunset, Lost in Space, Stabbing, Logic Lab at 13 Club

Wudaoku music safe haven 13 Club pays tribute to the late great Mitch Lucker of deathcore band Suicide Silence with an firce bill of punk, hardcore, and hard rock including Goodbye Sunset, Lost in Space, Stabbing, and Logic Lab. 80 RMB

Tizzy T, Young Jack w/ FrankiD, BoomXu, AFTERJOURNEY, SunXu, DJ Dash at School

Two big names from the world of Chinese hip-hop converge on School Bar this evening as part of their \”Back to Back\” tour – Tizzy T and Young Jack, representing Xi’an and Guangzhou and bringing their fierce rap skills alongside a chuck of Beijing’s hip hop scene. 150 RMB

 

Huhekug Vol. 4 at Jianghu Bar

Catch an improv set from recognized Mongolian musicians Ahiqia and Hugejiltu, whose work in bands like Hanggai and Ego Fall has not gone unnoticed. They’ll also be joined by sitar player Ma Zheng and other friends. 80 RMB

 

H.O.G, Mirro, N-Bomb, Saber, Odd Couple, DJ Quaver at Mao Livehouse

 

Hip hop continues to filter through the Gulou area as Mao Livehouse and hip hop collective Dungeon Beijing host rap team H.O.G (the Honor of the Ghetto) and their friends for some quality Chinese underground hip hop. 50 RMB

 

The Felling Tree, Nick Parsons, Nathan Borokfa at 69 Café

Blues and country outfit bring their bluegrass sound to the cozy 69 Café alongside regular folk scenesters Nick and Nathan. 60 RMB

 

He JingXin, Football Hooligans at Snail Club

Cantonese singer-songwriter He Jingxin brings her easy-going, warm hearted tunes to Snail Club as part of her nation wide tour.

 

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Saturday November 5^th

 

The Fallacy, The Paramecia, MC Dawei, Moland at Modernsky Lab

Cold Neo teams up with Modernsky for an evening of dangerous sounds – including sets from rising MC Dawei, Xinxiang post punk renegades The Fallacy, folk rock trope The Paramecia, and pop rock outfit Moland – a intriguing mishmash of genres and styles that’ll have no problem livening up your night. 80 RMB

 

Pei, Guzz, Demone, Josh Feola at Modernsky Lab

Meanwhile, next door, NTS, the music platform based in London that broadcasts interesting new and old music across a broad range of genres coming out of various corners of the globe, bring the party to Beijing with a special China showcase featuring the scene’s best DJs and artists to present their catologe what’s fresh in the nation – featuring sets from Pei (Bye Bye Disco), Demone (Tangsuan Radio), Guzz (Do Hits), and Josh Feola (pangbianr). Good chance to hear the latest earworms out of China (and perhaps some cuts from Guzz’s new album which has been my jam all week). FREE

 

The Seven Mile Journey (Denmark), Munity on the Bounty (Luxemburg) at Yugong Yishan

Post rock promotion juggernaut New Noise invites Danish instrumentalists The Seven Mile Journey to Yugong Yishan to present to their epic and refined soundscapes as well as their latest album Templates for Mimesis. Expect the post rock junkies out for blood. Opening are Luxemburg math rock outfit Munity on the Bounty. 150 RMB

 

The Hangover, Teddy at School

‘Over the past 5 years Tianjin pop-punks The Hangover have tirelessly spread their brand of happy-go-lucky punk love across China. From releasing their self-titled debut EP in 2013 and their first album earlier this year, the band is building up their catalog of tunes and shows no signs of stopping.’ Catch them at School as apart of their 10-city tour. 50 RMB

 

Suld at DDC

Traditional Mongolian folk tunes integrated with Western elements of heavy metal isn’t new to China – in fact, the trend is receiving more and more acclaim here and aboard. So it takes some gusto to emerge from the horde of bands tapping into the trend. That’s where Suld comes in. Also known as Battle Flag here in Beijing, the band which formed in Inner Mongolian and consists of members from there and Xin Jiang province, the five piece outfit relishes in mixing the old and the new, the traditional and the modern, with a heck ton of heavy metal creeping in. 70 RMB

 

Park Daham (Korea), Wootacc, Murukao at fRUITYSPACE

DJ yesyes aka Park Daham – artist, musician, label runner and music promoter in Seoul – brings his eceletic collection of Korean jams (that’s not K-Pop) to fRUITYSPACE alongside hip hop duo Wootacc and Murukao for a vinyl party. FREE

 

Partikel (UK) at Yue Space

Combining contemporary jazz with African and Latin American music, this saxophone-led trio is a musical expression of individuality and modernity and one of the European jazz scene’s leading outfits. 80 RMB

 

Mademoiselle et son Orchestre at Hot Cat Club

Sultry gypsy jazz outfit, Mademoiselle et son Orchestre, a favorite of mine, bring their boozy, lively set to the Hot Cat Club. And if that wasn’t French enough, the venue will be selling top notch wine and cheese platters to go along with the fun. FREE

 

Zhang Qianqian at 69 Café

Veteran sing-songwriter Zhang Qianqian, a staple of the folk scene, since her debut in 1996 gives a special showcase courtesy at 69 Café. 80 RMB

 

Stevie Mac & the Mac Daddies at Temple

‘The Mac Daddies are returning to Temple for a night of big band music that will melt your face and rock your body! We want to see all our Mac Fans there ready to dance, drink, and sing along with your favorite jazzy hits!’ FREE

Baigang x王西北 x韦小六x李义森at Mogu Space

Poetry of the plains and grasslands – that’s the theme at Xizhimen folk venue as four sing-songwriters from Heilongjiang in the northeastern part of the country perform and tell stories of their home. 60 RMB

 

The Beijing Beatles at Jianghu Bar

Get in your Fab Four kicks, as the city’s premier Beatles cover band recreate the sounds (and attire) of the 60s. Jolly good fun if you ask me. 50 RMB

 

Orchid Eyed Women at Blue Stream Bar

All female country rock outfit, who ‘combine monotonous old country music and fresh modern music elements together’ perform at the central Gulou venue. 60 RMB

 

 

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Sunday November 6^th

 

WHAI, VV, MC Dawei at Yue Space

Dangerous vibes for cold times at the Beixinqiao space as electro rock powerhouses WHAI join the newest band from rocker Wang Wei, as well as aspiring MC Dawei. 60 RMB

Mutiny on the Bounty (Luxemburg) at Temple

Playing math rock with synthetic and electronic sounding elements, the Luxermburg outfit gets down and dirty at the always reliable Temple. FREE

 

V89, 0190, BingYuanTai, Best in Team, X-Summer, Mind Walker in Rye at School

Local promotion team Crazy Night Productions gets in on the Sunday afternoon train with a midday showcase of the next generation of rock and roll bands to invade the scene. 1pm start. 40 RMB

 

Ma the Band, LiXinLi, WuRenEr at School

No rest for School as they continue into the evening with a pop rock lineup featuring the female fronted indie rock foursome borne out of Beijing\’s Midi Music School, Ma the Band, pop-punk band LiXinLi, and finally WuRenEr. For the kids! 40 RMB

Older Than Dirt Revue at DDC

Traditional acoustic blues and folk straight from the USA – fingerstyle guitarists Peter Murchison and Ira Packman join some other folk scene regulars including vocalist Randy Abel, cellist Heiki Kagler, and violinist XinXin for some good old fashioned Americana. 50 RMB

 

Purple Hell, HuaPi, DuanJi, The Skin I Live In at Modernsky Lab

Thrash, Nu-Thrash, Metal, Screamo – whatever you wanna call it, things are gonna get loud at Modernsky Lab as a host of bands look to conjure up the dark lord himself to celebrate Purple Hell’s new album release. 100 RMB

 

Andrés Godoy (Chile), Agustin Amigo (Canary Islands), Huang ChiaWei (Taiwan) at Yugong Yishan

 

For fingerstyle guitar fanboys (and girls) – acoustic guitar heroes and fingerpicking maestros, Andrés Godoy, Agustin Amigo, and Huang ChiaWei perform at Yugong Yishan. 220 RMB

 

Nathan’s Experi-Jam at Hot Cat Club

Hot Cat’s Sunday\’s Jam sess gets weird as they give keys to Nathan Borofka and his array of experi-mental stuff. Bring your rock and roll mindset. FREE