Weekend Update (22.05-24.05)

Blamo!!!!!! Gigs raining down upon us this weekend, seeping into every corner of our fair city, taking a gun to your head and exclaiming ‘Dance!’ Yes, it\’s down to boogie woogie and Beijing is ground zero. Get off that high horse of yours and degrade yourself with these rebellious, joyous tunes illuminating the sky. Your call. And as always, dig into the calendar for more.

Friday May 22^nd

 And like that the Mammals are extinct – a year after the instrumental math rock milk hording quartet blew up on the scene the band has been forced to call it quits. But no without a last hurrah. Temple goes into overdrive tonight to send the boys off as a slew of storm brewers including the dentally-handicapped Bedstars, the meow perfect lullabies of Guiguisuisui, and the punched up grunge of Death Narcissists pay tribute before the Mammals burn the place to the ground with their latest EP release. Expect balloons party hats, and a sneak peek at the LiveBeijingMusic’s latest music video. Hint: it involves milk. After getting a taste of the inner Mongolian trope, Horse Radio, you\’re not gonna want to go back – the five-piece band has slowly been rising through the ranks to become out of the genres essential acts. And while they may lack the rock star appeal of Hanggai or the contemporary edge of Ajinai, there\’s no denying the talent on display here. This is sweeping music, made with the utmost care – the Oirat folk music (that’s western Mongolia) flourishes with touches of reggae and rock and is injected with genuine passion and warmth. Simply put, impossible to resist. Catch them over at DDC before they become a hot commodity. Math post rock kids Little Wizard, out of Shaoxing (closeby to Hangzhou) make the trek up to Beijing as a part of their nationwide tour. The up and comers back who visited Beijing last year with the help of douban stuck around and recorded their self-titled debut, Little Wizard I, which highlights the band’s instrumental chops and gives a proper introduction to the band. Vibrant, sophisticated arrangements that invigorate yet never descends too much into the whole ‘post rock cascading’ the genre is often known for. Intriguing sounds and XP is giving their the spotlight tonight alongside SNSOS and Maybe Mars regulars Mr. Graceless. Neato. Critically acclaimed instrumental band This Will Destroy You are looking to do just that – destroy you with their melodic, psychedelic instrumental music that has been picked up accolades from just about every major media outlet in the West. It’s post rock painted in colors not often used – soundtrack music to the meaning of life. You get the picture. Expect ears to be ringing over at Yugong Yishan for this one. Support from The Southern Side of The Mountain. Grab a Guinness over at School with Irish folksters Blackwater while over at Mao Livehouse, Norwegian singer/songwriter Egil Olsen performs. Progressive/alternative metal bands and Metallic covers from Siren and Harvesters of Sorrow at DDC – what more could you want. Come get schooled at Mao Livehouse’s first China Rock Camp featuring some of the heaviest bands in town including AdrenalinX, Ephemerality, Black Lake, Renegade, and Heavy Duty.

Saturday May 23^rd

A true dream lineup for all you indie music lovers out there – from the dystopian reverb of Alpine Decline, to the feisty noise rock of Birdstriking (their last gig before they head off on their first US tour), to the psych pop of Gate to Otherside, to the alt rock nineties cravings of The Twenties, there’s little to no fat on this lineup. With XP booking less and less shows – gotta takes these kinds of gigs when we can get them. Solid. One of the bands that receive lots of play across the web were The Push, a indie psychedelic outfit that toes the line between underground and mainstream appeal with finesse. Their debut album Dazecovery won them the 2015 Chinese Music Media Award for best upcoming band and now they’re ready to show the world their worth with a ‘unique visual-psychedelic music event’ at Yugong Yishan. Big words – but I have faith. Particularly since they’ve tapped the ever so awesome Funky (aka Sueyoshi Satoru) on drums who is almost worth the price admission alone. Have a good feeling about these guys and fully expect them to become one of the scene’s next big things. Late 2014, Portuguese label LABAREDA released Volume 1 of \”Xina Eletronica\” – a compilation of music from experimental and electronic producers based in China – it was pretty dope. The Beijing release party goes down at DDC with a some of the compilations artists including pipa-stroking thruoutin, the tech wiz Mengqi, synth magnet Fløøød, and Shanghai electro-dub producer Zebre-Rouge. Quite the variety. Digging it. XP is dressing down for the occasion and is all the better for it. Punk heads might want to head down to Dianmen for Dr. Smartass’s latest genre-bending punk crossover showcase featuring sets from Backfire, D-Crash, and Diseased Fruit – power punk, d-beats, hardcore, and then some. Perhaps we can shake some asses finally at XP. The Meridian Space continues hosting some crazy showcases and tonight is no exception – as part of the Meridian Borderline performance series Danish based composer/musician Equis will join Liquid Palace, a Beijing noise/psychedelic band formed by Meng Qi, Xiin, SilverNuz and Yan Rui. Like I said last week, heard great things about those kids. And from the sounds of it, this Equis dude is pretty legit. Video/sound performances in one of Beijing’s hidden gems (though it’s a beast of a venue) — count me in. Tree Music, world music advocates and promoters, continue bringing over top notch performers. Tonight they host Yampapaya Tribe, a band whose members hail from several countries and deliver its music to every corner of the world. With Congolese, Spanish, Italian, and American influences expect intense rhythm and tribal drums to get folks moving. And word is they have Cui Jian’s blessing. So yeah, solid street cred. According to Tree Music, they’re gonna turn the Post Mountain Art Space into a bonafide venue with professional lighting, and ace sound engineers – so might be a fine opportunity to see what they’re cooking. Xi\’an post rock up and comers Weirdo Room hit up 69 Cafe. Finally for you afternoon swingers School will be hosting a slew of indie pop rising stars including Residence A, 213 ZhongHeZheng, Newday, Drug Dock, and Yue Yang.

Sunday May 24^th

The third annual Mushroom Festival continues with a full-day event at Mako Livehouse and they’ve got a slew of independent acts, including prog-punk/math three-piece Nakoma, about to release their first full-length album; Scary Honey, a J-rock girls band with elements of electronica, emo and post-hardcore; newly formed punk/stoner rock band Death Narcissist; indie rockers The Eat, Xi’an post rockers Weirdo Room, Gate to Otherside, Half, and Boss Cuts. Sounds like my Sunday just got booked. Beijing-based High School Students Rock Union will be hosting a charity High School Rock Extravaganza at Yugong Yishan with youngins Watermelon Can, Morbid Goats, Kangkai, and No.95 Factory. Indie pop outfit Mr. Freeman perform at Jianghu Bar and The Black Hipsters bring the blues to School.