Get a Taste of China's Best Up-and-Coming Bands at This Saturday's Hazy Summer Night

While Beijing remains the center of China’s music industry, there’s been a surge of young voices across the country’s emerging second- and third-tier cities waiting to be heard. And with the further development and solidification of the music scene’s online and offline communities, these voices are finally getting their due. This Saturday, Aug 4, Beijingers will have a chance to taste the next wave of bands from across China, including acts from Xiamen, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Xuzhou courtesy of Hazy Summer Night.

Ai Jing aka AJ, one of the bright, enthusiastic minds behind Haze Sounds, a promotional branch of ticketing platform Showstart that focuses primarily on bringing international acts to China, says he believes this ‘new generation’ of bands deserves to be given the chance to be heard and known. He is the first to admit that he didn’t have a clue who most of the bands were before people started forwarding him links to each of the acts in a WeChat group.

“The internet definitely plays a big part bringing bands closer to the music lovers, and when it comes to new and young bands, the internet becomes even more important because it makes it possible for these bands to be heard in the first place,” AJ describes, confessing that most of the bands that will play Saturday's show speak to his personal taste given that he curated the line-up.

The idea for Hazy Summer Night came after AJ worked with Shengjian Records last year for Beijing Express, which saw bands like Xiamen's shoegazers The White Tulips come through town. The intention is that Hazy Summer Nights will become an annual show that would "bring indie music fans together and also give bands a chance to be discovered by media, promoters, and record labels."

And what a roster they’ve cooked up. Dream pop gets its due via Xuzhou’s Zoogazer (pictured at top) – a band I’ve been punch drunk in love with since they dropped their infectious sun-drenched debut chock-full of pop songs that reverberate with a heady amount of noise and a crackling sense of youthful energy. For a little more seaside flavor, check out Kirin Trio from Xiamen, whose jangly surf rock-infused pop is one of the defining sounds of the coastal city that’s been ripe with bands looking to their Cantopop pasts for inspiration.

Heading further south, Nouvelle will represent Guangzhou with their emo-inflicted indie noise pop – this will be their second stop in Beijing this year and I can firmly say, they do not disappoint. Sichuan is represented by up and comers Sonicave – the female-led post-punk scrappers at the forefront of Chengdu’s new generation of rockers. And finally, Beijing will be represented by Wonder Sea, the young gazers who veer between post-rock catharsis and emo rock angst with ease – they've been chopping away at the circuit for over two years and all signs point to them breaking out in 2019.

Asked whether or not Beijing should be worried about getting usurped as the capital of music, AJ says there’s no need: “The fact is we, as China, have too few good bands rather than too many and the Chinese indie music scene is still in the developing stage rather than competing between different cities. I believe the more good bands there are, the more people they will influence, and the better the whole scene will be.” Amen.

Catch Hazy Summer Night and five of China's top up-and-coming bands at Yugong Yishan this Saturday at Aug 4. Tickets are RMB 120 on the door or RMB 80 advance. Find out more here.

Images courtesy of Hazy Sound