Made my first-ever visit to Hangzhou last week and was mighty impressed – not just with the lush greenery that seems to surround the area but for it’s friendly and active (albeit small especially when compared to Beijing) music scene. Had the pleasure of swinging by both Loopy – whose vibe is definitely more in line with places like Dada and XP – and 9Club – the glorious rock venue that feels like the lovechild of Temple and School Bar (or better yet, the godfather). Run by Da Zhong, known to many as the guitarist in long-standing ska band The Bricks, it’s a rock and roll venue through and through – filled to the brim with cheap beer, lively bar sports of all sorts (pool, darts, ping pong – you name it) and ample space for both music goers and party seekers. While I didn’t expect much music-wise, I was pleasantly surprised by the multi-national Asian fusion pop band Brownie from Los Angeles, whose members hail from China, Korea and Japan. Well they lean a bit too heavily into their catalogue of Taiwanese indie pop hits (think Sunset Rollercoaster) whenever they busted out an original, there was a lot to dig – a funk-driven, jazz-riffing indie pop sensibility that showed off both the band’s innate melodic charm as well as their chops (they clearly hail from a music academy back in the US). But really, the evening belonged to 9 Club whose rambunctious, upbeat and welcoming charm won me over, along with the rest of Hangzhou. Till next time.
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