Weekend Update (16/09-18/09)

Pollution got you feeling frisky? Looking to fight off that winter chill? Then my friends – let’s get their feet moving and dip our toes into the well that is live music in Beijing. And even with Hanggai cancelled and Omnipotent Youth Society sold out, this weekend’s still quite the firecracker with more than enough to shake off that muju. And as always, hit up the calendar for more.

Friday January 16^th

School’s Keep Calm And Fly Low series returns with a genre bending night of tight tight tunes – besides the shape-shifting livetonica sounds of white+, a act that never ceases to amaze me, you’ve got psychedelic cock rock minstrel act The Harridans, one of the liveliest set of musicians out there. Rounding out the lineup is art rock trio Girl Kill Girls, fronted by Gia Wang of Hang on the Box fame, and post punk wunderkinds Me Too, who are looking to leave their mark in the next year. Not an ounce of fat on this baby. Fresh blood over at XP in the form of Solaris and SNSOS (She Never Sings Our Songs). While the latter is your classic slice of post rock, for better or worse (it’s hard to hate on post rock), it’s the former that has gotten me super excited. Formed from the ashes of Hecate, Solaris psychedelic jamming at its best. With large traces of shoegaze and post rock, this is the kind of band that could potentially shake up the music scene in 2015. And really, I’m only basing this off of three songs. Hyperboling already and it’s not even February. Folk singer Hua Zhou, famous for her dirty talk and natural anecdotal, with close to 150,000 fans on douban comes to Yugong Yishan for the first time since her Beijing debut. Electro rock quirks Pacalolo keep it fly over at Temple. Mongolian rock outfit Battle Flag perform down at Mako Livehouse, while pop group Dream Orchestra release their new album at Mao Livehouse. Finally catch international Irish folk group Blackwater unleash their heritage upon DDC.

Saturday, January 17^th

Over at XP, the Zaofang series takes another stab at showcasing some of China’s more offbeat bands that aren’t situated in Beijing. While their first round brought out Run Run Run from Guizhou, this time they’ve got White Elephant +++, a freakishly strange noise jazz punk bass drum duo, who hail from Nanjing. Digging the eccentric vibes on their douban page. They’re joined by Soviet Pop side project Rat Spy 51, pretty much the exact opposite of what Soviet Pop does -a beautiful chaotic mess of noise with a grindcore edge. Also on the bill improv wiz kid Aming (who Josh has a choice few words to say about) and Carsick Cars frontman Zhang Shouwang, who’ll probably be stirring shit up via his guitar. Noise enthusiasts, this is one not to miss. My favorite (literal) hole-in-the-wall, the Old What? Bar throws their first outing for the new year, with a showcase of some of the scene’s up and coming rockers, as well as veteran Fast Son, aka Richard Doran aka the one man trash bluesmen who’s essentially acts as his own heckler. He’s in town again and looking to make sure he has still got it. He’ll be joined by noise math rock duo Fake Weed, a band that’s been picking up quite the buzz, and Death Narcissists, a new trio made of from members of The Harridans, Nakoma, and Luv Plastik. Grungey is what I’ve been told. New sounds, cheap brews, all next to the Forbidden City. Dope. The Lanzhou folk rock outfit, Low Wormwood, are on of the genre’s biggest draws at the moment – between the band’s touching respective lyrically view on life in China and their indisputable musical chops on stage – they have earned quite the following. They perform under the Octo Live series at Mako Livehouse that have been shining a spotlight on various ethnic musicians and groups across China. Expect emotions to be high at this one. Ambient and experimental music in Beijing’s best record store as well as being a mighty fine place to chillax, fRUITYSHOP. Whiskey, wood floors, and good company – add in some free tunes from some of the experimental scene’s most prolific artists including Feng Hao and Half FOR, which is one half of The Feeling of Regret duo, and you’ve got a surefire way to take in the weekend. Love me some soundtrack tunes and the intoxicating soundscapes these kids conjure up. New Guomao dig Hive Club is bringing in fresh talent – this evening they have Arty Bitches, DiD, Dawenxi, and Auburn. A long roster of hard rock and metalling fiends over at Mao Livehouse including Die From Sorrow, Ethernal Wings, Multi-Ego, N & Y, Equal Temperment, Scar Constitution, Mukden, and Ephemerality. Dusty blues with Liu Donghong & Sand at DDC, while Late Troubles and Dan Taylor hit up 69 Café. Finally, The Beijing Beatles invade Temple while Yunnan folk outfit The Herdsmen perform at Jianghu Bar.

Sunday January 18^th  

Here’s one that slipped under my radar. A Sunday afternoon into evening rock fest at Beijing’s premier art settlement, 798. And a pretty wicked lineup – I’ve gabbed on about my love for psychedelic outfit Chui Wan and noise indie kids Birdstriking in my year-end roundup, but again those two bands are worth the bill alone. They’ve also got alternative rockers The Eat, a band I’m fairly certain we’ll be hearing a lot about in the next year as well as live electro trio CNdY who when they’re not freaking audiences out with their animals masks make some truly vivid, dance ready grooves. Solid. Been looking for another excuse to go out to 798. Rock it in style at Mao Livehouse with Candy Ray, Muppet, Xi You, and Cat Nip & Bear or at School with Noise Jelly, Hotline, P-318, and Summer Warz. Last, get your hard bop on with Knight at DDC.