On The Scene: Mao Livehouse 01-03-2013

Arriving late to Indie Music Store’s shindig at Mao Livehouse, I kicked myself for missing so many proper names – as I was trying to impress two ladies accompanying me. Luckily, my fears were quickly dispersed as the happy-go-lucky version of Buyi took stage. Better yet, I had my first jaw-dropping Xiao He moment, the moment that every Beijinger has at some point. And that’s this one –

The stories are true boys and girls, Xiao He is a beast of an artist, perverse, original, twisted, and brilliant. Check out below for the rest of the start to a great night.

I don’t know what Buyi is up to these days – maybe it’s the years catching up, maybe it’s the piss poor weather, or maybe they have something up their sleeve. Wang Xia’s been M.I.A as of late but tonight Buyi looked happier than – just feel the love up there.

Trading a guitar for a keyboard, Buyi gave their familiar tunes a softer edge, allowing the songs to breathe and find different beats. Taking it down a notch – hell no! Look at that keyboardist make sweet sweet love on stage – that man is in the zone.

I love this ‘new’ Buyi – it feels fresh and nostalgic all rolled into one – a new turn for the band. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Holy shitballs, the rumors were true – I’d heard stories of Xiao He time to time – drunken rants, never-ending songs, schizoid guitar-plucking. But seeing is believing, and as soon as the gent picked up his guitar I was in.

It’s rare you see someone throw themselves so deep into a performance like this. He’s in his own world and he’s dragging all of us down with him. To where? Beats me. Texture upon texture, voices overlapping into another, ‘pin drop’ silences that forced myself to erupt to nervous laughter – yeah, I was delightfully shocked at what I was witnessing. Even when he slowed it down, he still managed to grip a hold of the audiences’ attention.

Xiao He is the real deal. A musical clown for the ages. Batshit crazy or not, this was gooddd.