On The Scene: Dos Kolegas 21-06-2013

– While I was away, was lucky enough to have our photography Katie cut loose at Fete de la Musique last week – looks like she had a ball 

On some sterling occasions, an epic night out will occur without warning or provocation. On others, however, the best laid plans of revelry can be puffed out
like the dry fart of a corpse.

I went out on Friday night expecting a wild night of merrymaking, replete with booze and rock and roll enough to wash away the weary of my work week. After arriving late from making the long, expensive, and arduous journey out to Dos Kolegas to see The Amazing Insurance Salesman and Whai, I was confronted with what appeared to be a sick joke. The vibe of the dwindling crowds ran the spectrum from bored-out-of-your-skull to vomiting-on-your-shoes wasted before giving way to a stage full of technical difficulties. Far from the live music haven that is Gulou, I decided to assuage my dismay with copious shots of Jagermeister before calling it a night.

Like most jokes, my night at Dos Kolegas did however come with a punchline. As the drunken stupor was beginning to take hold and I was preparing to stumble my way home The Amazing Insurance Salesman took the stage. Their opening song was akin to setting of firecrackers in the Department of Motor Vehicles, awakening the drunken masses and drawing them like brain-starved zombies to the stage. A few songs in, the crowd was no longer melancholy and anxious for more the bands blues-injected, beachy rock.

The Amazing Insurance Salesman were able to rouse me out of an alcohol induced coma and had me anxious to see what was to come. The next band, Whai, did not disappoint. Quickly becoming on of my favorite Beijing bands, Whai blew the audiences\’ hair back with their trippy blend of rock, trance, and experimental sounds. The combination of the dark lighting and Whai\’s melodic beats transported me back to an incendiary and chaotic Skinny Puppy show that I\’d enjoyed some ten years before. I left Dos Kolegas feeling vindicated that I had marveled in the sweaty, booze-drenched, ear ringing glory that is Beijing\’s rock scene. Article and photos by Katlyn Murray