Geez, talk about a packed weekend – throw a friggin stone and your bound to hit something. Guess the heat gets everyone all giddy to throw shows. Anniversaries, releases, tours – it\’s all gravy. And as always check the calendar for more.

Friday May 23^rd

Dos Kolegas\’s kicks off their nine year anniversary with this killer trifecta of post punk trio Re-TROS, heavy electro rock outfit WHAI, and veteran Ningxian folk rockers Buyi– all stellar acts at the city\’s summer hotspot. If drive-ins frighten you or if you\’re too lazy to leave Shuangjing, I\’d recommend checking out this killer lineup at Mako Livehouse which includes indie faves Residence A, the ever badass WHAI, electronic group CNdY and ChuChu. The rowdiness spills over into Gulou as German noise rock outfit Don Vito bring, well, the noise – albeit filtered through the post garage punk era of ‘let’s fuck shit up’ – over to XP (read up on Josh\’s take) – they\’re backed by a trio of bands more than willing to leave nothing on the table including futuristic post punk minimalists Snapline, drum buzz dystopian duo Alpine Decline, and Zoomin Nights\’ head masters Xiao Hong Xiao Xiao Hong. Gonna be hard to turn this one down. After taking a tour through West China, even getting stuck in a sandstorm along the way, French/Italian duo L\’Enfance Rouge swing through Beijing to express their journey through their brand of no holds barrel, dance heavy post punk stylings – how that\’ll translate to Zajia Lab\’s cozy, adorable even, settings just intrigues my interest further. A couple of solid freebies worth your time – electronic schizoids, renegades, and beat makers thruoutin, Arm Trick, and Dee set up shop at the always reliable Old What? Bar while synth punk outfit The Big Wave bring their flavorful sounds to Temple. Keep it youthful at Mao Livehouse as MC Nasty Ray, Dragonwell, Longjing, Black Mint, Watermelon Canned, and P318 throw one hell of a party. R&B outfit G-Eleven bring their sugar-coated tunes to Blue Stream, while veteran artists Dimo, Liu Donghong, and Zhangjiadi take it down a notch at School. Finally, if you have the cash to fork over, swing through the Workers Stadium where popular acts Hao Yun, A-Si, Life Journey, Escape Plan, Hao Meimei and Li Zhi all perform.

Saturday May 24^th

Dos Kolegas continues racking in the goods for their bday bash with the rich songs of dusty Ningxia folk outfit Li Dong, the ear-pleasing melodies of indie faves Residence A, the tailor-made dance ready DH & the Chinese Hellcats, and the exciting last minute addition of the original Rustic. I\’ve said it before – there\’s mad genius at play within experimental artists\’ Li Daiguo\’s work – here\’s proof. Yeah insane – truly amazing stuff. Well the man is back presenting his latest at the cozy Zajia Lab where he\’ll showcase his batshit crazy skills on the cello, the pipa, and Zimbabwe instrument the Mbira dzavazimu. Dude gets around. An intriguing electronic evening commences at XP as indietronic artist me:mo performs alongside Noise Arcade, Charm, and Chai Delin (one half of Alpine Decline). While I wasn\’t exactly the biggest fan of ex-Joyside Bian Yuan\’s solo efforts, I been eager to check out his more Leonard Cohen-esque endeavor Lone which gives the artist\’s ballads more room to breathe. And I\’m a sucker for accordions. The rare act performs at Mao Livehouse is joined by another rare act, proto-punks The Molds, whose reputation for skipping shows shouldn\’t overshadow the fact that they sound quite quite good And better yet, we don\’t have to squeeze into School for this one. Metal group Scar Constitution release their debut at Yugong Yishan with the help of some of their loud friends including Ego Fall, Eternal Wings, Feng Tian, Reverse Driving, and Brahma. Old school heads to Tongzhou as a slew of rock n rollers including Electric Lady, Tractor, Los Crasher, and Era Rebels hit up DMC. German noise terrorists Don Vito continue to tear it up at Mako Livehouse alongside garage rock duo Luv Plastik, and Kazakh musician Mamer (of IZ) whose folk sound is filtered through the grim and metal of city life that’s being totted as post-industrial shamanism. Back in Gulou, French/Italian duo L’Enfance Rogue look to cause a ruckus over at Temple. Quirky electro rock duo We Are Not Invited bring their antics to School before setting off on a China tour – expect a host of guests including MC Dawei and Jordan Mitchell Thomas. Finally, keep back with Candy Monster and Drink at Blue Stream Bar.