Noise Pollution: Folk Fest, Warbly Jets, Stanisław Słowiński Quintet, Zhang Qianqian, Itsogoo

I'm currently spending my days in the beautiful wasteland known as America, where you can spend your morning at the DMV (strict no gun policy much to the annoyance of some) before eating the country’s first hamburger (meh), buying gifts at Whole Foods (just kill me already), and catching some low-tide breeze off of the Atlantic (very nice). It’s a bit much in all honesty, but it’s home and gotta pay my respects whenever I can. Likewise, it’s time to pay my respect to the music gods back in Beijing who’ll be marching along keeping the livehouses and dingy spaces alive and cooking this weekend. So without further ado ...
 

Friday, July 14

Chaos Kills The Pain, Chinatown, Awake Mountains, Hua Pi, Wu You at School
Unleash your summer rage with this metal and hardcore filled evening of blood curling rock and roll featuring hardcore ruffians Chaos Kills The Pain, nu-metal ensemble Chinatown, metalheads Wu You, and much more. 80 RMB

Hind Brain, CMCB, Ice Moon, Brozzers, Ephemerality, S.A.W, The Uncrowned, Sick Pupa, Fire Monkey, Devil Mask at Yugong Yishan
Take it up a notch with this epic lineup of hard rock and metal featuring a shopping list of bands that’ll get you screaming and moshing all night long including The Uncrowned, S.A.W. CMCB, Ice Moon, Drunkard, Scar Constitution, Army of Sade Kirin, and much much more. Nu metal, industrial rock, and good ol’ fashion screamo – no genre goes untouched. Twenty bands ready to give it their all over two days. 7pm start (150 RMB one-day pass, 180 RMB two-day pass) 

Wu & The Side Effects, Hard Candy Revolution, Disaster Chat at Temple
Not sure if acid and Temple go together but acid funk and Temple – that’s a match made in heaven – and Wu & The Side Effects are the best in the business. The rollicking blues rockers join Hard Candy Revolution and Disaster Chat for some Friday night fun. Free

Miguel Zenon Quartet at Blue Note
Saxophonist Miguel Zenon takes the Blue Note stage with his quartet this Friday night. The Grammy-nominated musician and MacArthur Fellow looks back into jazz history to create a new musical language. He’s worked with a long list of jazz greats and up-and-coming voices and has delivered lectures on jazz around the world. 280 RMB

Oldy Baby, Rudra’s Sage, Nick Parsons, Wu Gui at 69 Café
69 Cafe brings all your favorite folk artists to the stage for a three-day folk off including sitar player Rudra’s Sage, sixties rocker Li Eryang aka Nick Parsons, indie guitarist and singer Shannon from the Plum Trees, Sand frontman and blues rocker Liu Donghong, and many more. 66 RMB

Tsering at Soi Baochao
Tibetan folk artist Tsering Norbu hits up Baochao with his music that’s rooted in the traditional Tibetan folk traditions from Lhasa, as well as world music from around the globe. Free

Dan Taylor and Heike Kagler at Jianghu Bar 
German cellist Heike Kagler and The Harridans frontman Brit-born Dan Taylor bring their remarkable talents together for a special evening of Celtic Baroque folk. Sounds quite lovely. 60 RMB

Warbly Jets (US), Next Door Band at Hot Cat Club
Pop punk outfit Next Door Band, signed to Sony Music, appears at Hot Cat Club with Britrock group Warbly Jets, a Los Angeles-based group that’s been together since 2015 and embodies the glam punk spirit of British rock and roll. 180 RMB

Stanisław Słowiński Quintet (PL) at DDC
Inspired by the classics of Polish jazz and under a strong influence of the sonic richness and complexity of modern classical music, the Stanisław Słowiński Quintet’s priority is creating its own individual sound built upon the outcome of emotions within the music. 80 RMB

Edge Walking, Kepler, The Mescaline, Mixing Theory, BOB at 13 Club
Metal and hardcore together again! Wudaokou’s number spot to let your hair loose and throw back questionable shots down your throat – 13 Club – looks to rally up the troops with this roaring lineup. Summer’s out! 80 RMB

0190, Soul Mate, Heping Beilu at Laifu Livehouse
Funk, soul, punk, and good ol' fashion rock n roll – the Shuangjing stronghold Blessing Livehouse continues rocking forth with this young blooded lineup. 50 RMB

Zhang Qianqian at Rockland
Veteran sing-songwriter Zhang Qianqian, a staple of the folk scene, since her debut in 1996 gives a special showcase courtesy of Gulou record shop Rockland. 200 RMB
 

Saturday, July 15

Underdog, Hard Candy Revolution, Duff Beer, Royal As Purple, Subass at School
Best work on that tan cause The Hutong Bikini Beach Party returns to School Bar this weekend – a smorgasbord of water-soaked debauchery kicking off at 4pm as a host of bands including up and coming ska supergroup Underdog and Luoyang punk rockers Subass perform while a pool party reigns supreme on the rooftop and an array of contests including a ‘Model Contests’ for all you sexy beauts out there. Shenanigans will indeed ensue. 100 RMB (50 RMB if you’re sporting swimwear) (Free for ladies in bikinis)

Itsogoo at Modernsky Lab
Hip-hop group Itsogoo who bring different elements into their music, including jazz and soul fusion, bring down the house at Modernsky Lab. They’re appearing in support of their newly released album Cosmic Islanders, which uses the framework of hip-hop to explore Confucian, Buddhist and Taoist philosophy. Dope. 120 RMB

Liquid Oxygen Canned, Drunkard, DR. V’Agent, Scar Constitution, The Skin I Live In, AJK, Dark Haze, Purgatory, Nuclear Bomb, Hind Brain, OWAT at Yugong Yishan
Take it up a notch with this epic lineup of hard rock and metal featuring a shopping list of bands that’ll get you screaming and moshing all night long including The Uncrowned, S.A.W. CMCB, Ice Moon, Drunkard, Scar Constitution, Army of Sade Kirin, and much much more. Nu-metal, industrial rock, and some screamo for good measure – no genre goes untouched. Twenty bands ready to give it their all over two days. 7pm start/150 RMB (180 RMB two-day pass) 

Scare The Children, Ogenix, Los Crasher, The Paper Tigers, The Peppercorns at Yue Space
A host of hardhitting rock and roll acts hit the big stage for the Vigor Classic Rock Festival courtesy of Vigor – including Los Crasher, Scare the Children, The Paper Tigers and other great local and foreign acts with everything from industrial electro-rock, horror metal, and more being offered. 100 RMB

Macondo, Silent Speech at DDC
Genre-bending showcase featuring showstoppers Macondo, continuing their reign of righteous power post-rock, who’ll be joined by alt-rockers Silent Speech for a righteous evening over at DDC. 60 RMB

Mr. Honey at Liufu Livehouse
Long standing big band ensemble Mr. Honey, known for their bubbly brass-heavy mix of swing, ska, and indie pop hit up Shuangjing for a special showcase following their 2017 sophomore release The Way To Dance. 80 RMB

DJ Quaver, Fakakilla Saber, C-Jam, N-Bomb, YoungJack, FCYCO at Tango
The hip-hop promotion team Electronic Monkey hosts a party at Tango with a hefty rap and hip hop lineup – including DJ Quaver and Fakakilla Saber, both fresh off their debut EPs as well as a slew of fellow Dungeon Beijing fam. 150 RMB

Shannon, Pu Han, Xu Chen, Gao Jiao Shou at 69 Café
69 Cafe brings all your favorite folk artists to the stage for a three-day folk off including sitar player Rudra’s Sage, sixties rocker Li Eryang aka Nick Parsons, indie guitarist and singer Shannon from the Plum Trees, Sand frontman and blues rocker Liu Donghong, and many more. 66 RMB

Fofox, Xiao Gou, Wu Yue, Ming Ze, SIMQ at Mogu Space
An array of unplugged performances from some of the scene’s hardest working folk acts including Fofox, Xiao Gou, and more. 66 RMB

Tavey Lean and The Solid Gold Dream Machine at 4corners
Audience favorites, Tavey Lean and The Solid Gold Dream Machine bring their impressive repertoire of classic soul, RnB, three-piece horn section, rock and roll fun to 4corners. FREE

Wang Yi at Soi Baochao
Wang Yi, singer-songwriter, ‘blessed with a stunningly beautiful singing voice, exquisite guitar skills, and worshiped for his Bob Dylan covers’ hits up Baochao. Free
 

Sunday, July 16

Pork, SNSOS, Silent Speech at Modernsky Lab
Long standing alternative grunge outfit Pork releases their third album, Trouble at Modernsky Lab. The band, together since 2008, play a literary blend of Bbritrock, post-rock and black metal. They’re joined for the show by special guests SNSOS and Silent Speech. 80 RMB

Sound Sculpture x Li Chao x Eder Espinoza at DDC
Speak Across Borders, a collaborative piece between Sound Sculpture, Chinese painter/sculptor and Bachmann Artist-in-Residence Li Chao, and Chilean dancer Eder Espinoza. All proceeds go to support the Ingeborg Bachmann Residency, a joint initiative between 她 Sie She – Bachmann for China and Red Gate International Artist Residency Program. Intriguing. 3pm start. 60 RMB

MC Dawei at DDC
Described as a poetic tsunami, rapper Dawei continues to evolve with his hard hitting, intellectually stimulating and affecting verses, and embarks on his next journey as he presents his latest collection book, a collection of poems. Expect live performances and guest appearances from an array of artists, including Dai Weina, Zhong Lifeng, and more. 100 RMB

The Guzzlers, Acid Accident, by Dream, Disaster Chat at School
School newest series’ ‘School Chill Out’ breaks it down this Sunday with The Guzzlers, post-rock band By Dream, pop rockers Disaster Chat, and Acid Accident. 40 RMB

Liu Donghong, Kamau, Susie & Santhi, Yan Bo Zhou, Xing Le Ji at 69 Café
69 Cafe brings all your favorite folk artists to the stage for a three-day folk off including sitar player Rudra’s Sage, sixties rocker Li Eryang aka Nick Parsons, indie guitarist and singer Shannon from the Plum Trees, Sand frontman and blues rocker Liu Donghong, and many more. 66 RMB

Jurat T at Rockland
Xinjiang raised singer-songwriter Jurat whose mix of Urumqi and psychedelic rock has haunted venues in Beijing for years gives a special showcase at Gulou record shop Rockland. 120 RMB

Hot Club of Beijing at Blue Note
Multi-national gypsy jazz ensemble brings their 1930s swinging jazz, hot Latin rhythms, and gypsy waltzes to Blue Note so best bring your dancing shoes. 250 RMB

Perpetual Motion Machine, Alipu, Caffeine, Poshangcun, Awake Mountains at Yue Space
Five groups of musicians with five diverse styles perform for a worthy cause – domestic film protection including veteran J-pop outfit Caffeine, Xinjiang styled urban folk band Alipu, the always riotous Perpetual Motion Machine, and more. 77 RMB

Phew! Still hungry for more? For events, videos, and photos from Beijing's thriving music scene, head over to Live Beijing Music or check out all of our live music listings here.

Images: SNSOS, courtesy of the organizers