GUIGUISUISUI 鬼鬼祟祟, Ksitigarbha 地藏, Mad Mountain麦得山 (C’s 2020.10.09)
There’s nothing like cramming a bunch of musicians – drummers, guitars, singers – into the corner of a bomb shelter like a Tetris game and then making some noise. And there really aren’t many places left in Shanghai that offer the intimacy and ruggedness that a place like C’s can (and has slowly started doing with more regualr live shows going down there). The underground venue has been a staple of the club and music scene for years – in fact, 20 years this week. A hell of a feat. A toast to them and their graffiti-coated walls and I hope they keep giving the stage to more and more bands in the future – cause I think the scene here desperately needs it.
Last weekend they hosted touring Beijing opera doom duo Guiguisuisui – who continue to toe the line between off-Broadway musical, gonzo art show, and musical act. Which within C’s blacklit neon-soaked walls was pretty damn rad, as costume changes, instrumental oddities, and apocalyptic love songs of reincarnation spilled into one another turning the main room into an occult fever dream.
Opening up for the evening was psych world music jammers Mad Mountain who have definitely got a better handle on their ambitious yet delicately woven sound – one that seems to find solace in exploring the nooks and crannies of the genre.
Kṣitigarbha continues to bring their ‘mythic and transcendent swirl of influences and tones as mind-bending psychedelia, world music and neo-folk filtered through ravenous and robust rock and roll chops’ and to good effect. It’s sprawling at times for sure, but there’s a lot of giddy fun within their world that’s hard to deny.
Once again, happy birthday to C’s and thank you for carrying me out of your catacombs. To another twenty years!
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