Weekend Update

Landlord is threatening to kick my mates and I out if we continue to cause ruckus…guess that means I got no choice to get my ass out there this weekend and get some music in me. No worries though, as July is shaping up to be quite the jam-packed month – starting with this weekend whose options are just too many. Choose wisely my friends.

FRIDAY

I suppose the big bill this weekend is mega alt rock group Omnipotent Youth Society at Yugong Yishan, whose widespread popularity has sold out tickets already (BeijingDaze warned you all about this, so no bitchin’) – they will be joined by Sugar Plum Ferry outta Taiwan. Dos Kolegas is going all out tonight as DH & The Chinese Hellcats throw a celebration as three of the members prepare to tie the knot and their drummer heads for the Big Apple – recently signed rockabilly kids Rolling Bowling support. It seems that Rolling Bowling will also be getting their kicks over at Mao Livehouse for the Tiger Translate Battle of the Bands – along with Ready to Die, Jet Lag, and more – the special guest will be Candy Monster – get over there and throw in your vote. I refuse to disavowed 13 Club, whose location and low-key nature makes it an easy place to forget – get ethnic with your hard rock and metal, as The Nine Treasures, Tengger Cavalry, and Khorgan plan to take over the Wudaoku joint. Residence A continues to impress, catch them over at the Hot Cat Club, with new kids on the block Dirty Little Secret. Kazakh industrial folk rocker Mamer + IZ take their unique over to the cozy Zajia Lab. For some off the beaten path, head to XP where UK artist Simon Whetham will show off his recordings and improvisations along with some of the scene’s regulars, VavaBond, and Li Jianhong. Lastly, you can always find a place to rock out at the Old What? Bar with Cactus and C60, or relax with the blues and indie rock of the Chicago Bros. and Time Capsule at the Blue Stream Bar.

SATURDAY

Spilt Works and Temple for throwing a charity ball, and they’ve got with some incredible acts outta town, including Shanghai garage rockers Banana Monkey, indie rockers Scary Magic, DJ BO and Mongolia hooligans Mohanik who simply must be seen. ACID Live, Beijing’s premier schizo jazz group, are back by demand, and will be hitting up their usual spot at Yugong Yishan. Check out some alternative music at the Hot Cat Club, where indie group Dwaas are joined by The Incisors and Trouble Trouble, you can check out my interview of Dwaas here. Beibang are taking reign over Mao Livehouse as they bring in metal and hard rock royalty with Suffocated, Twisted Machine, Nuclear Fusion G, and more for a night of moshing and crowd surfing. Get over to 13 Club for the Tiger Translate Battle of the Bands and vote for Skip Skip Ben Ben, who will be facing off against five other bands including Trouble Trouble (ok, three places in one night – impossible), and Nerve Resistance – Brain Failure is the guest band. For some world music, head to Mako Livehouse as Sichuan based folk singer Bai Shui and his band perform their latest, “City of Lost”. Electronic night at the Old What? looks to bring in some intriguing acts including Nostalgia For The Stars, Cam Norton, and Kid Starr. Quirky electro rockers Pacalolo get their own night over at Zajia Lab along with Trouble Trouble. Lastly, get your ska on over at Dos Kolegas with Skarving, your Beatle mania over at Modernista with the Beijing Beatles, and your folk fix at Blue Stream Bar with Zhao Zhao.

SUNDAY

An afternoon at XP is simply a must for all, and today is better than ever, shoegazers from across the country converge – including The Sound & The Fury, Deer, and Iselet. IZ is still kicking around this weekend, catch him tonight at Yugong Yishan. Bands of a variety, including the Bedstars, Rolling Bowling, Los Crashers, and aptly named The Lizard Man pay tribute to the legend himself, Jim Morrison at Mao Livehouse. Folk goes to the Hot Cat Club tonight in the form of Summer Breeze along with poet-singer David Colp. Lastly, for some old school rock n’ rill head to Temple to see Norwegian group The Black Snakes.