Gig Recap: Zoogazer, ReJianBeiShaShou, HOO! (2019.12.19)

Had the pleasure of attending the Pelican Music Academy last week. Initiated by Merrie Music in collaboration with Indie Works and NetEase Cloud Music over last week – it was at its core a opportunity to introduce audiecnes to new generation of musicians. I swung by Wednesday to Yue Space to “nihao nihao” some of the young bands causing waves outside of Beijing, including runaway successes Zoogazer 动物园钉子户 out of Zhuhai, reverb-heavy noise-rockers ReJianBeiShaShou 热键被杀手 (“Hotkey Killer”) out of Xiamen, and indie pop-rock outfit Hoo! out of Guangzhou. Really dug the hell out of ReJianBeiShaShou, who have matured quite a bit since I last saw them in Xiamen a year and a half ago – noise rock with a emo heart that’s not afraid to break a few eardrums. While I wasn’t as impressd by HOO! as I was the first time I caught them earlier this summer, there’s a confidence to the group that’s undeniable, and there truly have one of the strongest rock and roll frontwoman out there. Last but not least, I was happy to finally see Zoogazer in the flesh, and while they toe the line between pop and indie, they sure know how to craft a hell of a melody. It’s city-pop that’s brimming with danger, indie pop with some ridiculous chops to back it up. All in all, a fine way to close out my year of live gigging in 2019.