Weekend Update (14/09-16/09)

Can\’t wait till the end of the week to bask in government approved central heating? APEC fatigue? Well, us over at LBM have the cure – and it\’s bursting out at every venue, concert hall, and record shop in town. Dance it off, boot it up, shake it loose – no matter your preference, music\’s here to save the day. Dig in – and as always, take a peep at the calendar for more.

Friday November 14^th

The \’In Beijing Gang\’ continues kicking it up a notch with an indie lovers feast of top notch talent at Mao Livehouse. Electro punks The Big Wave return to the stage after a jam packed summer, WHAI keeps rolling right along conquering yet another venue, Casino Demon brings the shamelessly catchy indie pop tunes, while Steely Heart cuts loose with their brand of sleazy new wave rock and roll, and Sparrow gets instrumental with their sentimental post rock. Whew! A stacked lineup indeed and not a bad apple in the lot. In my first year, long before this site, I took a shot at writing music and film reviews for a site called, shit, can’t even find it anymore. Anywho, my first review was for Wild Beasts’ Two Dancers, an album I still come back to often, if only for Hayden Thorpe’s insanely eyebrow-raising falsetto voice. I fondly remember the site left in my spelling error of the band’s name – so the review read Wild Beets – not much has changed I supposed since then. Really lush music, that’s whimsical, a bit off-putting, but most definitely on it’s own wavelength. Split Works brings them to Tango and my guest is these cats have only improved since 2009. Ladies near it all (musically) tonight at School as doo wop indie poppers Candy Monster join up and comers Sutang and NUT along with version 2.0 of The Diders. Over at DDC, The Hot Club of Beijing provides for all your gypsy jazz needs. It\’s an all out metal circle jerk as Silent Elegy, Mukden, Norcelement, Chuge, and Edge storm Mao Livehouse. Over at XP acquaint yourself with American singer-songwriter Meiko as she kicks off her Asian tour. Finally, for those looking for a lil French sleaze with their music check out the French house night at Yugong Yishan which has gathered Dj’s PFAC, Vincent Suede, Half n Half, Juhstynn as well as live axts Jon Ellis, Luv Plastik, GIna and more.

Saturday November 15^th

Psychedelic sleaze bag garage rock duo Luv Plastik have jumped leaps and bounds since I first heard their demo release early this year. What started as some scrappy rehearsal powwow has emerged as one Beijing\’s reliable good times, a red hot fury of dirty fizzed up rock and roll headed by two fellas with an extensive background in music here and aboard. Check out LBM\’s exclusive interview here. They release their debut cassette at XP tonight courtesy of Nasty Wizard Recordings with a little help from ambient hustler Noise Arcade, post punk outfit Me Too, and Chinese Modern Guys who are poppin up on more bills across town. Bask in the lunacy. Speaking of bands who refuse to settle down, indie electro rockers Da Bang have been in the midst of reclaiming their youthful selves this year, injecting their music with a playful edge that\’s given lead singer Pupi her fire back, something that\’s been sorely missed since handing their souls over to Modern Sky. Need proof? Tonight they close out their nationwide tour at Yugong Yishan with some help for Leonard Cohen manwhore Bian Yuan, who\’s been seeing a resurgence of sorts as of late, and white+, fresh off a European tour and still one of the scene finest live wire acts. Now this is my kind of metal lineup – the last day of \’In Beijing Gang\’s favorite genre acts at Mao Livehouse finds pagan metal delights Nine Treasures teaming up with Changchun folk metal group The Samans, long standing melodic death metal heads Frosty Eve and industrial scream freaks Nuclear Fusion G. A great introduction to metal’s varying styles. It\’s been a while since I gave School any lovin as it\’s still genuinely the place to be for a rocking good time minus the pretensions that often crop up at any other venue. This lineup just screams fun – rockabilly kings Rolling Bowling; chic rockers Free Sex Shop; punk veterans Hell City; and dance punk up and comers Heat Mark. This is anyone\’s ball game and for once, that is getting me excited. Dongsi record store fRUITYSHOP continues hosting some of the city’s most interesting on the fringe electronic artists – tonight they’ve snagged Charm and Mii for some freakish unsettling tunes. Folk artist Severon drops his latest album tonight at DDC. Meanwhile, down at Mako Livehouse SNSOS, Tinnie Wonnie, and HoTLine join a host of DJs for some rambunctious. Finally, get your ska on Mr. Honey over at Temple.

Sunday November 16th

The Meridian Space wraps up its music film series with a master performance from pipa player Wang Yayu, a bonafide maestro who\’s performed around the world. Tonight she\’ll lend her skills to producing a live soundtrack to the 1934 silent film The Goddess (Shennü), a classic from the \”golden age\” of Chinese cinema stars actress Ruan Lingyu in the poignant role of a young woman struggling to escape from prostitution and give her son an education amid criminal injustice and social prejudices in 1930s China. Dope. Belgium indie rock outfit Marble Sounds bring their delicate, multi-instrumental sound to Mao Livehouse. Females lead the charge over at DDC as Shi Xiaonun and Fresh8 take the stage. Catch indie pop group Yuyang give an unplugged performance at School. Last, check out Hong Kong’s latest indie pop craze Supper Moment at Yugong Yishan alongside Killersoap and Montage.