A Full-Course Meal of Music, Art, and Fashion at Ketchup Festival, Sept. 23-24

Will Griffith | Sep 19, 2017 2:30 pm | Add a comment | 954 reads

For someone who goes out to shows just as often as I do, it can be easy to burn out on the music scene from time to time. The same bands playing the same set you heard two weeks prior, the same trip to the corner store for cheap booze, and the same fans rallying for their buddies on stage. After a while, it becomes like clockwork and the spark begins to dim. Luckily there are folks out there looking to expand our horizons and push us out of our comfort zones. Enter Ketchup Festival – the two-day, multi-venue gig marathon spearheaded by scene wranglers Cab (of Motorbike Girls) and Alex (of Dirty Fingers) that’ll take place over the weekend of Saturday, Sept. 23 and Sunday, Sept. 24 at Temple, DDC, and Fruityspace.

Described as a ‘multi-course buffet’ by its organizers, Ketchup stands an expertly curated melding of different flavors in the field of sound, fashion, and art. The event kicks off with a daytime pop-up market at DDC on Saturday before transitioning into an early-evening showcase featuring some of the scene’s most offbeat and ear-catching acts. Those include Shanghaiers Gao Jiafeng and Dirty Fingers, as well as the latest "Face Me On Stage" at Temple, which literally pits two bands against one another on the dance floor.

The following day gets an early start with local experimental guitar demi-god Li Jianhong and Not In Catalog bringing the mayhem at Fruityspace before dovetailing into a symphony of high-octane rock & roll, beats, and electronica at DDC with SUBS, MC Dawei, and more. And if that wasn’t enough, many of the events will be seasoned with talks from the acts themselves.

A full course indeed. As Alex of Dirty Fingers told me over WeChat – it’s best to dive headfirst into the affair – "grab a drink and enjoy every act as an interesting conversation." Just remember to bring your own tomatoes.

You can find out more about Ketchup Festival here and buy tickets (RMB 80; RMB 60 advance) here.

Images: Live Beijing Music, courtesy of the organizers