Talking Tunes: A Further JUE Confirmation, And a Benefit Rock Off
Just in time for the weekend, the smog lifts, and it looks like it might be safe enough to venture out to catch some live music this weekend. And just in time for this roundup, JUE organizers Split Works got in touch to give us the latest music confirmations for the March festival. On top of that, we've been gifted a couple more nuggets to look forward to this week.
But first to the latest JUE confirmation. Just to recap, we already knew about Grimes, Frank Turner, Jeff Lang, Marshall Allen, Sound Fragment and Swedish pop pixie Amanda Mair, and of course Thee Oh Sees playing a pre-JUE show next month (Feb 21), but R&B sensation How To Dress Well is a new one. He'll be touching down for a few shows in China in March, and lands in Beijing – at 2 Kolegas, no less – on March 9. Check out the official JUE Festival website here for a full list of the runners and riders. They tell us there are more confirmations in the pipeline, with permits being held up cause everyone's already checked out for Spring Fest holidays or something. Stay tuned.
In other confirmation news, as if you hadn't had your fill of post rock in the last few months, Texan quartet This Will Destroy You are set to land to provide a further hit on March 8. They will hit up Yugong Yishan as part of a mini China tour. Their last album, Tunnel Blanket, dropped to great acclaim in the States and there has been a lot of buzz about them.
This weekend sees a worthy benefit show for the stricken jazz performer Liang Heping. The Beijing music community has pulled together to arrange this fundraiser for Liang who was left paralyzed following a road accident last year. The event will be held at Yugong Yishan, and among the performers will be He Yong, Second Hand Rose, Zhanfu, Thin Man, Yeyang Guantou, Askar, Ma Tiao and Zhang Qianqian. Should be well worth checking out.
A couple of other highlights this weekend:
- If you're in the mood for something a little different, why not stop by 4corners on Saturday for some hippity-hop?
- Exit A & Whai share the spoils at Yugong Yishan on Friday night.
That's it for now. I leave you this week with a little sample of what JUE will be offering up in March; their latest confirmed performer, How to Dress Well and his hit single, It Was U.
Don't forget there are plenty of other weekend options available over in our Events section.
Photo: Sempo.ie