Reader Review: Fourth Anniversary for 2Kolegas

Editor's Note: Reader Jonathan Alpart submitted this review of 2Kolegas's fourth anniversary festivities, which happened on May 30th.

I don't think I've ever seen 2Kolegas so packed. I arrived just before 9pm in time to witness the mass immigration of Beijing's rock fans. Five bands were set to play: Nucleus, DH and the Chinese Hellcats, Ziyo, The Subs and Black Cat Bone. The place looked like Beijing Zhan before Spring Festival. It was nice to see such a turnout for the most underrated and perhaps under-appreciated venue in town. The stage is small and personal, giving the audience a feeling of intimacy with the performers.

A show at 2Kolegas is like seeing your favorite band in your best friend's basement. But the sound and lighting systems rival MAO Livehouse. Tucked away next to the stage is a unpretentious bar with drink specials written on a chalkboard. The sprawling lawn outside is decked out with sofas, awnings, tables and a pool table. Hot kao rou and chuanr all night. The two owners (also friends, kolegas, whatever) are also hard at work every night pumping you full of drinks. Liu Miao and Gao Feng deserve a medal for their efforts.

As the clock neared eleven, the crowd hushed as the anticipation climaxed. Liu Miao's band, Nucleus, first took to the stage.

Nucleus
They aren't the greatest band as far as creativity, but they put on a very satisfying, exciting and punchy show. What most impressed me was their tightness as a band and especially the rhythm section. Liu Miao (drums) has certainly improved a lot over the years. What began (I first saw them in '07) as simple but heavy drum parts (think Bonham on a lazy day) to accentuate the drop-D riffs has become infused with much more complex and syncopated tom rolls and bass drum triplets, which gives the entire band's sound a much-needed edge. The bass player, Shi Zhengkai, also does a lot more impressive things than one would expect from this nineties-esque grunge trio. Instead of just following the power chords and popping the E-string along with the drums, he does some really cool high-end stuff that boosts their overall musicality. A nice dose of heavy rock to start the evening.

DH and the Chinese Hellcats
Brandishing Forties-style Navy sailor caps, DH and Co. certainly rocked the house. They have been a welcomed regular act at 2Kolegas lately. They are a concept band playing classic rockabilly covers. Although, I find them too be *too* conceptual at times. For example, why did they play so many slow songs?? Every time they got the house hoppin', they'd take it down a notch with some boring yet classic slow-dance ditty. What is this, prom night? In my opinion, if they truly are a "party band" like the oh-so-sexy singer proclaimed halfway through the set, they should stick to the grease lightening. Also, the guitarist should stick to his bread and butter - solos and not singing! Still, their occasional stodginess is saved by their slick sense of style and high ambition. They are surely a band worth catching for a fun trip back in time to the sock hop.

Ziyo
Probably the coolest band at the moment. If there could ever be a house party in Beijing, that would be the ideal environment for this band. I couldn't help but imagine if they were in my hometown, Austin, TX - these guys would kill. I can see the hipsters there now wearing Ziyo shirts and scrambling to "know" this band before anyone else. The two guitarists work as a great pair layering thick new-wave atmospheres of sound over the pulsating and chugging bass lines provided by Zhang Jie. The frontwoman, Helen Feng, emits an incredibly sexy confidence that only a few rockers in Beijing (or anywhere) can work. The next Karen O? Especially exciting was the refrain during "Take It Off." A brutalizing snare drum beat, the entire band chanting "Take It Off!" in between Helen's seductive vocals, and then as she screams "SHOW IT TO ME!!!" we see a sneak peak of what she's hiding under her shirt. Then came the detonation of disco-house bomb and the bar melted.

The Subs
Can The Subs ever get boring? Seeing The Subs live is like getting your ass kicked. No, it's like pissing on an electric fence. Or maybe having one piss on you. I've seen them a ton of times as I'm sure you have, but...that singer...those chunky and cathartic guitar sounds...another explosive, lightening-speed show. They are one of the most respected bands in Beijing for a reason and they still got it. By the way, attempting to crowd surf four times in a row on an unprepared crowd is NOT cool. You know who you are.

Black Cat Bone
Like a cigarette after sex, a hot and sweaty rush of blues came in just before 2am to close the evening. Like usual, BCB provided a fun show, although I felt it was a bit lacking compared to some of their others. Granted, they had some problems: the bass crapped out halfway, but they saved the show by jumping right into a cover of "Everybody Must Get Stoned." Fortunately, a back-up bass was plugged in and halfway through the song everything again was alllllllright. However, I felt that Jaime Welton's guitar solos lacked feeling and instead were more about showboating. I think BCB could stand to play some blues songs with more drawn-out emotion and stay away from the cheesy shuffles. They are all exceptionally talented musicians. Give Jaime, Des (vocals) and Royce (blues harp) some space and time to explore instead of plowing through everything. Make love, don't f***.

Indeed, Jaime hit it on the head when he said, "2Kolegas is the coolest bar in Beijing, possibly the coolest bar in China, if not the world." I almost hate to say this, because I don't want to ruin the place with an onslaught of scenesters (it's inevitable), but if you aren't at 2Kolegas this summer, you might as well not even leave the house. Liang ge hao pengyou wan sui!

Review by Jonathan Alpart