Noise Pollution: Dizzy Bats, Dirty Fingers, Kevin Harris Project, Xi Er & Friends, Subtropical Reverb Vol. 1

Will Griffith | Dec 28, 2017 2:30 pm | Add a comment | 1519 reads

Time to beef up on those New Year resolutions and fill up the last few days of the year with as much regret as humanly possible (which as we’ve learned last year is quite a bit). Indulge to the fullest extent and soak in as much music as you can before you’ve officially become too old or your liver has cashed in its last paycheck. And damn – what a scorcher of a weekend to go out on – and mind you our first proper three day weekend in quite some time. So without further ado, one last toast to the sweet noise that 2017 made! We hardly knew ya!

Friday, Dec 29

Da Bang, Guiguisuisui at Yue Space
Da Bang finally drops their newest album and stops at Yue Space on their nationwide tour. Their new album is a leap forward in terms of rhythm and lyrical growth, showcasing an even more electronic and experimental approach to their indietronic sound and their live tour will look to bring their new sound to full fruition. Support from the opera electro-punk duo Guiguisuisui. RMB 100

Dizzy Bats (US), Mugen (US), Redundant Seconds at Caravan
Caravan welcomes two amazing indie acts from the US this Friday night – New York pop-punk act Dizzy Bats, who are influenced by punk groups from the 90’s and 00’s, Liam Frost’s side project Mugen, a high-energy synth-pop project and our own indie rockers and punkers Redundant Seconds. RMB 60

INXU, Lost Gravity, Swarm, Aberrated Star at Temple
Temple gets its freak on with this dense lineup of mischievous sounds including post metal juggernauts Inxu, prog rockers Lost Gravity, post-rock groovers Swarm and offbeat psychedelic rockers Aberrated Star. Some new names there and quite possibly names we’ll be seeing a lot more of in 2018. FREE

Backspace, Holy Shit, Zhang An, Li Eryang at 69 Café
Wudaokou just got a lot more appealing with the addition of the spanking new 69 Café, which as some of you may recall lost its Nanluogu Xiang flagship last month. But back to the good news! New venue! Excuses to go to Wudaokou! But again, new venue! Located behind the Sanxi 8 Shopping Center on Xueqing Road (a bit north of the Liu Daokou stop on Line 15) there’s getting right into things with some nice lineups this weekend – first up: rock and roll tributers and power group Holy Shit, indie rock favorites Backspace, and more. RMB 66

Su & The Paramecia at Jianghu Bar
Su & The Paramecia – the sprawling, psychedelic-tinted folk rock trope – one of Gulou’s most prolific bands – fresh off the release of their rustic, epic debut album bring their hefty mix of ballads, world music and avant-garde art rock to the hutong joint. RMB 100

Zhu Wenbo x Guibog, Ma Jin x Wang Ziheng, Li Yan x Li Song at Fruityspace
An evening of duo improvisations as Zoomin' Night’s Zhu Wenbo tag teams with reel-to-reel musician Guibog, tenor sax madman Wang Ziheng gets frisky with laptop artist Ma Jin, and finally modular synth freak Li Yan joins forces with laptop artist Li Song. Experimental collusions await. RMB 50

Dungeon Beijing, Next Door Band, Journey to the West, Laisee at Yugong Yishan
Peking Salad brings you some of Beijing’s best punk, rock, reggae rap and hip-hop artists including rap crew Dungeon Beijing, pop-punk act Next Door, hardcore ruffians Laisee, and Chinese folk group Journey to the West. RMB 150

Toy Soldier, Miga, Friendly Tips, BanBand, Chun at School
Hardworking local promoters Fan Zui Tuan Huo hold their New Year's party with a pop-punk filled lineup featuring Toy Soldier, MIGA (aka Make It Go Away), Friendly Tips as well as grunge trio Chun and Britpop outfit BanBand. RMB 60

Xie Yuchi at Yichang Café
After the success of his two previous concerts in the intimate café, Xie Yuchi will perform more pieces from his classical and flamenco repertoire, with two sets, the first dedicated to Latin music and the second set more classical. RMB 80

Ice Nova at DDC
Upbeat, funk-filled and smooth as all hell, the Chinese born music producer and rapper who’s been cutting his teeth in New York City whilst maintaining and building his fanbase back home returns with his latest release Travel Diary tonight at DDC. RMB 150

Wu & The Side Effects at Kirin Place
Temple looks to shake loose this weekend with staple blues outfit Wu & The Side Effects, whose psychedelic-infused blues rock and roll with surely get patrons grinning in Wangjing at Kirin Place. FREE

Kevin Harris Project (US) at Blue Note
A blissful collusion of "Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker intersecting with J.S. Bach, Scott Joplin, and the folkloric rhythms of Cuba," New York-based jazz pianist Kevin Harris plays a distinctive combination of traditional and contemporary music that seeks to explore such a crossroad. RMB 300

Xi Er & Friends at Mogu Space
The motto of the Xi Er & Friends Band is “Never Cry, Always Try.” After impressing the judges on CCTV’s Good Songs show, Xi Er took off with his unruly band of indie blues artists. See them live at Mogu Space this Friday, with some help from visual artist Ding Wei. RMB 60

Need A Name, Wireless Puppet, Mr. S, Zi Huan, The Fastfood at 798 Livehouse
Getting in one last kick before the new year, and more likely, the yearly budget reports, 798 Livehouse gets down and dirty with a rocking evening of pop punk and young rock. RMB 100

Yang Meng, Huaiyu Feng at La Plantation
Multi-award winning cellist Yang Meng, the former principal cellist in the Orchestra of National Centre for the Performing Arts, will join fellow award-winning pianist Huaiyu Feng at La Plantation for a special recital. RMB 200

Saturday, Dec 30

Subtropical Reverb Vol. 1 at DDC
Subtropical, the platform headed by some of the scene’s most prevalent characters introduce Beijing its first ever underground variety show featuring an array of talks and performances including live music from shoegaze groovers Last Goodbye (they’re back!), a lecture from On The Road founder Kang Yang, a improvisation duo performance from Emily & Cindy, as well as standup comedy courtesy of Yang Li. All hosted by the madmen Ale Amazonia who’ll you’ll notice will be sticking around DDC. 3pm start. RMB 60

Dirty Fingers at DDC
Shanghai punk ruffians Dirty Fingers are back in town with sophomore release How’d I Turn So Bad, out on Maybe Mars – an unholy mess of ramshackle charisma, tightly wound melodies, and a carefree yet volatile attitude – attributes that have made the band a must-see act in Beijing (read more about that here). Like the young chaps wreck havoc upon your souls before the band hits the road hard next month to promote their album. RMB 80

Voodoo Kungfu at Yugong Yishan
Voodoo Kung Fu – one of China’s most famous heavy metal groups, fronted by the “Ultimate Roar Master” Li Nan, who won a scholarship to the Berklee Conservatory for his original heavy metal performances, are back with a vengeance! The band recorded their latest album in LA with Marilyn Manson’s producer and are swinging through Beijing on a small-scale cross-China tour. RMB 260

Dunlop Crescent (AUS), DFA1989, Bayan Dalai at Fruityspace
Some dingus who used to play in some pretty rad Shanghai-based bands (Pairs, Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes) is looking to stir up a little trouble under the names Dunlop Crescent alongside Bayan Dalai, the Inner Mongolian singer-songwriter and ex-frontman for Horse Radio and december3am, and doom drone cult DFA1989 (Death Fuxk Abba 1989) who’ll definitely need to bring it down a notch in the basement if they want to see 2018. RMB 40

Skolar, Uncle Hu, Xu Jun, Lao Di at 69 Cafe
Did I mention that 69 Café has found a new home in the northeast of Wudaoku (by my first residence in Beijing) – they’re throwing show after show this weekend including tonight’s lineup of acoustic and electronic blender Skolar, Chengdu raised indie rock outfit Uncle Hu, Xu Jun of the Qin style rock band Che Nian Po, and ‘loop fighter’ Lao Di. RMB 66

Backspace, Duff Beer, Royal as Purple, Windsor Forest, Derby Day, Hu Ning at School
Set to take the stage tonight are a smorgasbord of new faces and old, including Maybe Mars noise rock rookies of the year Backspace, punk rock trio Duff Beer, electro-rockers Royal as Purple, Britpop wonders Windsor Forest and Derby Day, and Beijing punk legend (and former singer of The Believers), Hu Ning. RMB 80 (Free if you scan the QR code at the door)

Electric Lady, Russian Roulette, Pure Band at Temple
A nice trifecta of dangerously good sounds here – from the young scrappy punk antics of Russian Roulette, to the grunge reggae hybrid of Pure Band, to the '70s classic rock feel of Electric Lady, this is Temple unfiltered and I’m loving it. FREE

Steely Heart at Kirin Place
Steely Heart – rock and roll swagger and debauchery all rolled into one and still a great live act to catch. They’ll be bringing their electro-punk rock to Kirin Place in Wangjing. Digging the Wangjing offerings more and more I must say. FREE

Liu Donghong & The Sand at Jianghu Bar
Blues-ridden singer-songwriter Liu Donghong and his band The Sand have been known as one of the most important rock 'n' roll artists in China since their formation in 1998. Catch them give a special performance this evening at the hutong space. RMB 80

Watermelon Canned, Wireless Puppet, Panda Eyes, Lifer, Relativity Theory at Mao Livehouse
Post-rock chamber pop (that’s a new one for me), punk pop, and then some as Mao Livehouse gets back to basics with a young blooded, fresh-faced mashup of rock and roll’s more upbeat and poppy relatives. RBM 100

Song Xidong at Laifu Livehouse
Singing the Manchu folk songs of ancient times, Song Xidong has retraced the culture’s folklore and song in northeast China and presents the music of the Manchus in Shuangjing. RMB 120

Liu Xiaoguang Jazz Quartet at The Bricks
Saxophonist Liu Xiaoguang appears at the Bricks with his quartet which features drummer Anthony Vanacore, bass player Weng Cheng Huai, and guitarist Xia Li. RMB 80

Tan Li Jun at Yue Space
The singer Tan Li Jun, from a small town in the northwest, has composed for films, TV stations, and ads. Her previous performances have taken her to Peking University’s Centennial Hall and Jianghu where she performs her signature blend of insightful vocals and interesting orchestration. RMB 80

Sofar Sounds New Year Showcase at Somewhere Near Chaoyangmen
Sofar Sounds, ‘the global community where guests and artists come together to experience music in an intimate and respectful setting at a secret concert’ throw their latest secret gig this afternoon in Chaoyangmen. Read our interview with the Beijing organizer here. 4pm start. Reserve your spot here

Chris Hopkins and the One Night Stand Band at Blue Stream Bar
Singer-songwriter Chris Hopkins stays true to his roots with his homeland’s blues, rock 'n' roll and Texas country and will appear with his band, The One Night Stand. FREE

Parakeet at Modernista
Multi-national pop group Parakeet whose style is a mix of smooth jazz, funk and soul music perform tonight at Modernista. FREE

Sunday, Dec 31

Sleeping Dogs, Mole Eyes, Summer Golden City and The Double Ghosts, Boiled Hippo, DVC, DJ Marukao, DJ Yang Yang and Ran Ran at Fruityspace
Fruityspace – a venue not known for their blow out events – goes all in this New Year’s Eve with an underground rockers dream lineup featuring a vast array of experimental, art rock, hip-hop, and psychedelic sounds performed by prominent members of the Beijing scene – bands only known to the nerdiest of musicians, many performing for the first time. The one ‘sure thing’ is psychedelic groovers Boiled Hippo, one of my favorite acts of the year. Besides them, venue owner Zhai Ruixin joins other for Mole Eyes described as two dudes who love classic pop music from the '50s and '60s; Beijing cult music novice and sound shifter DVC; Chui Wan’s Li Xinyu joins Abing and Lizi Chao as Sleeping Dogs. And the weirdly named Summer Golden City & The Double Ghosts. Yeah – this is gonna be a strange and wild musical journey and definitely one of the more memorable ways to break in the new year. 7pm start. RMB 80

Hang on the Box, OOC, Inxu, Su & The Paramecia, Djang San at DDC
DDC throws down hard to ring in the new year with a stellar lineup of veteran musicians and bands that have shaped the music scene for years including the original punk girls Hang on the Box who’ll join hard rockers OOC, post-rock heavyweights Inxu, magnetic folk rockers The Paramecia and East-West fusionists Djang San, back from his adventures in Korea and Japan. RMB 80

Three Kings, The Hotline, Pacalolo, The Flyx, The Sino Hearts, Limi at School Bar
D.O.G. has teamed up with good friends and indie promoters from Zhengzhou ‘So Nice’ to once again throw a rock n' roll bash simultaneously across three cities! At the home base in Beijing, Taiyuan rock n' roll heroes Three Kings, join electro-rockers The Hotline, the always-fun indie electric rock duo Pacalolo, new D.O.G punk signees The Flyx, power pop favorites The Sino Hearts, and indie-pop poets Limi. Expect a shitshow of epic proportions. RMB 100

Purple Soul, Nasty Ray, Buckchild, Def Capone, Coast 2 Coast, Kigga & Killa4Nia, Dirty Twinz, Cream D, Drop Science, Dj Wesley, David’s L!ve at Yue Space
Hip-hop extravaganzas are a dime a dozen these days but New Year’s Eve Hip Hop Extravaganzas are only once a year – and when you have this kind of talent on the poster – from hip-hop legends Purple Soul and Nasty Ray to new street attitude of Cream D and Drop Science, you’re in for a treat methinks. Freestyles, battles, and lots lots more. RMB 200 (tickets likely scarce for this one)

Last Goodbye, The Beauty, MonsterKaR, Qiu Hong at Yugong Yishan
Hear only the best indie music this New Year’s Eve at Yugong Yishan. Ring in the New Year with some of Beijing’s best indie groups including trip-hop outfit Monster KaR, indie rockers The Beauty, shoegaze groovers Last Goodbye, and heavy ethnic-flavored rockers Qiu Hong. RMB 150

Macondo, Boss Cuts, DJ SkinnyGetLucky, secret guest at Temple
Don’t expect Temple to spill the beans on their secret guest band anytime soon but do trust it’ll be a zinger. And even without that added bonus of counting down to midnight (which is pretty much the time Temple gets going) there’s Macondo on hand to give you a personal post-rock countdown and Boss Cuts to keep the mood light. FREE

Liu Donghong & Sand, Dan Zeng Zhou Ga, Yan Baizhou, Guo Zhiming at 69 Café
Blues-ridden singer-songwriter Liu Donghong and his band The Sand return to their home base of 69 Café (albeit in a different location) alongside Tibetan seasoned folk singer-songwriter Dan Zeng Zhou Ga and more. RMB 66

Empty Eyes, Purgatory, Abnormal Infection, Purple Hell, Single Winged Angel at 13 Club
Ring in the new year with the blackest of blacks and the heaviest of metals with this red-hot lineup of metal and hard rock regulars – all looking to wreak havoc in the land of Wudaokou. RMB 100

Pact, Kong, T.O.B, Dr. Paper, C-Jam, Lu1, Vibe at Workers' Stadium
Some of China’s best rap and hip-hop artists take the stage at Worker’s Stadium this New Year’s Eve. See singer and producer Kong Lingqi, professional dancer, Tidal artist and popper Yang Wenhao, the first Chinese dancer to win an American pop competition and many, many more chart-topping hip-hop artists. 7pm start. RMB 250-550

Puzzlecrew, Friendly Tips, SSB, Yu Hongding at Blue Stream
Rock in the New Year with the rock, hip-hop and folk showcase at Blue Stream. See artists like hip-hop artists Puzzlecrew, b-boxer Yu Hongding, noise rockers SSB (Soft Sound Bank) and new-school punk act Tips for the Band, plus several others, at this rocking New Year’s Eve Party. RMB 80

Ushkyn Zhamalbek and friends at Mogu Space
All the way from Kazakhstan, singer Ushkyn Zhamalbek appears at Mogu Space this New Year’s Eve. A graduate of the opera performance class at the University of Jurgenov, this composer and artist has a powerful voice and star quality. He appears with special guests. RMB 99

Ma Xiao at Jianghu Bar
Sun Yat-sen University philosophy major Ma Xiao came to prominence with his first release Love Me or Give Me a Gun. Known for his simple but elegant melodies, the artist brings his philosophical background to his lyrics. See him this New Year’s Eve with special guests at Jianghu. RMB 120

Master Series No. III feat. Conrad Herwig (US) at Blue Note
Conrad Herwig that As a composer, arranger and bandleader, modern jazz trombonist Conrad Herwig is hugely prolific. He joins Blue Note’s third Master’s Series, alongside the Blue Note Beijing Jazz Orchestra, conducted by trombonist Terry Hsieh! RMB 380

Jazz Colour, DJ Gulu Bazz at Caravan
Welcome in 2018 Casablanca-style as Caravan throws down for NYE with old Shanghai jazz trope Jazz Colour who’ll be sure to add a lil funk, pop, and even music from the movie to the proceedings before DJ Gulu Bazz brings down the house. RMB 60

Black Magic Blues Band at The Bricks
The Black Magic Blues Band brings the best of Chicago, Texas, Memphis and New Orleans blues traditions to the stage. See them for free this New Year’s Eve at The Bricks and ring in the new year with this gospel-inflected blues group. FREE

Xiao Meng at Snail Hostel
Up-and-coming folk artist Xiao Meng brings her petite sound and treasured storytelling songwriting to Jianghu Bar as performs into the New Year. RMB 100

The Basement at Modernista
The Basement, the multi-national rock and soul outfit, ‘united through serendipity and the love of music’ get down with it over at Modernista. FREE

Monday, Jan 1

No Trace, Solaris, WHAI, Perpetual Motion Machine at DDC
Hangovers be damned cause DDC has the perfect cure for all your 2018 woes – with a killer lineup featuring the scene’s most offbeat, dense and utterly satisfying sounds including industrial alt-rockers No Trace, psychedelic soundscapers Solaris, opera-style rockers Perpetual Motion Machine, and electro-rock outfit WHAI. Heavy sounds for that heavy hangover. RMB 80

Brain Failure, Hang on the Box, Shave N’ Shut, Recycle at Mao Livehouse
Punk legends Brain Failure finish off their nationwide tour with a hell of a showcase at Wukesong’s Mao Livehouse. They’ll be joined by Hang on the Box, oi punks Shave N’ Shut, and longstanding pop-punk outfit Recycle. This is the old guard of punk and you best pay your respects. RMB 120

Artsara at Jianghu Bar
An avant-garde collision of sounds from the Tibetan plateau and the Mongolian grasslands, Artsara is a new folk trio formed by three Chinese minority artists including Duoyan and Sangji from the steppes of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Azi from Mongolia. Sounds like my kind of jam. RMB 60

Rudra’s Sage at 69 Café
Philippines born sitar player Rudra’s Sage, a scene regular since the heydays of River Bar in Sanlitun, returns to the new Wudaokou based 69 Cafe with his sitar for an intimate performance this new day of the new year. RMB 66

Super VC, Residence A, Goodbye Sunset, Ready To Die, Poshangcun, The Pisces, OWAT, Purple Hell, O-TO, Li Ou, L-Gentlemen at 798 Livehouse
Lotta big names, lotta big sounds, lotta energetic youth getting their kicks in on a day in which most of you will be in the fetal position. You’re in or you’re out. RMB 150

All Unknown, Ghetto Blaster, Mr. S, Dreamcatcher, Division Control at School
Still kicking? Have some life left in ya – then head on over to School for this sexy lineup featuring blues rockers Ghetto Blaster, Tianjin post-punk wackos Division Control, indie-poppers All Unknown and much more. RMB 60

Alex Cummings Quartet at Modernista
Alex Cummings is a New York-based singer and saxophonist returning to play with some of his best friends immersed in the Beijing music scene. His quintet will play well known American jazz standards along with original music that puts a twist on jazz, pop and rock music all in one which features some of the music from his upcoming debut album set to be released in February 2018. FREE

Skolar, Pu Han, Yan Baizhou, Dan Zeng Zhou Gou at Mogu Space
The Xizhimen space gets back to basics with this folksy, acoustic lineup of regulars. RMB 66

Photos: Live Beijing Music, courtesy of the organizers