Noise Pollution: Golden Week Edition

Will Griffith | Oct 2, 2020 4:30 pm | Add a comment | 192 reads

Golden Week is here! And you know what that means – gigs galore. Music festivals. Touring bands. Pretty much eight straight days of it. And like the rest of China, Beijing is going to capitalize (and make up for some heavy losses) the only way they know how – by throwing together as many live shows and events as it humanly can. Instead of trying to list off every show happening in town over the holiday (I need to keep my sanity in check) I will highlight the best of the best.

Friday, Oct 2

Sleeping Dogs at Frequent Collaborative

Beijing instrumental outfit Sleeping Dogs, made up of some of the indie underground scene’s most prolific characters (whose other credits include The Molds, Boiled Hippo, Deadly Cradle Death, Chui Wan) have conjured up this year’s grooviest record, Space Puppy – and they’re ready to share it with Beijing! Taking elements of African and Middle Eastern music and coloring its edges with a psychedelic simmer and a jazz-flavored fluidity, it’s instrumental music that’s a delight to get lost in and feels full of rich details and layers that never overwhelm. Joining the fun at the art space north of Sanlitun (it’s been too long!) there will be a host of DJs including Gao Gao, BCK, and Yaho Wang. 8.30pm. RMB 100

Death Pact死亡契约 , Narakam 冥界 , Evil Thorn 恶刺, Guardians of the Night守夜者, Titan 泰坦, Bliss Illusion 虚极, Dengel at Omni Space

Nothing says holiday like a good old fashioned resurrection of the gods via blood-curling shrieks, thundering drums, and face-melting guitar riffs. That’s the gist of this year’s metal festival from promoters and "heavy as all hell" music label Mort Productions, who has gathered up the scene’s heaviest outfits for a two-day metal feast that’s seriously too good to pass up. With over 14 bands in tow, there’s something for everyone – from the mask-wielding horror metal of Scare the Children to the Buddhist scripture-inspired black metal troupe Bliss Illusion, the sludge metal stoner rock head-banging antics of Never Before, and the death metal veterans Narakam who have been going since the early 90s. A murder’s row indeed. 3pm. RMB 180/220

Return to Delicate Past 重返袖珍时光 at Yue Space

For over ten years, Return to Delicate Past has been carrying the post-rock torch in Jiaozuo, Henan (the birthplace of Tai Chi). For their newest tour, the band has quite literally returned to their delicate past and have reworked their first single "Fal" introducing new elements and deeper Chinese instrumentation that wasn’t possible when they were younger. The release will be available on a special single track vinyl. Expect emotionally rich arrangements and swooning post-rock crescendos to get you through the evening. RMB 100/120

Saturday, Oct 3

Never Before, Spirit Trace灵迹, Purple Ring 紫环, Scare The Children, Song of Chu 楚歌, Bloody Woods 血森林, Death Penalty死刑at Omni Space

ANXT, The Landlord's Son at nugget cafe

Hailing from Cape Town, South Africa, electronic producer ANXT (also known for his role in power post-rockers Macondo) fuses an array of musical elements to create atmospheric IDM-laced soundscapes. Set to the backdrops of urban field recordings with hip hop carved beats, and influenced by the likes of Bonobo, Jon Hopkins, Kimyan Law, Nosaj Thing, and more, he's set to drop his newest EP The Sins Of The Father this weekend at nugget cafe with the help of alternative hip-hop artist The Landlord's Son. 9pm. RMB 60/70

Sunday, Oct 4

Time Street 时光街, Quark夸克, HAO付豪, Lady Curl蜷花仕女 at Mao Livehouse

Local promoters WhatzMusic has coordinated a hell of a party today, setting up shows across China with an assortment of acts that span all genres (all in celebration of ponytail and sailor dresses?). The flavor of the day here in Beijing is indie-pop with a sexy lineup over in Wukesong headlined by Xi’an indie-pop veterans Quark, fresh off their new EP, and 8-bit pop-rock pros Time Street. Rounding out the bill is synth-pop singer-songwriter Hao and fresh-on-the-scene Lady Curl. 7:30pm. RMB 100/120/150

Monday, Oct 5

Chinese Football, Summer Vapour at Yue Space

Jing-A and Wooozy team up to present one of the indie scene’s most beloved acts – Wuhan’s Chinese Football. The math-rock infused emo-rock outfit has been tearing a path to stardom since their humble beginnings in 2011 and now they can also add a brand new beer collaboration with Jing-A to their list of accomplishments. With hot-blooded angst, buoyant math rock-infused rhythms, and airtight hooks, expect a packed and sweaty crowd belting out one song after another. 7.30pm. RMB 120/150

Tuesday, Oct 6

Loft Beach, Last Goodbye at Omni Space

Shanghai’s Loft Beach has been making waves all year since the release of their self-titled debut, a giddy piece of youthful indie-pop that rides charismatically between surf-pop nostalgia, sun-soaked city pop grooves, and good ol’ fashioned Oasis-aping Britpop. A bit too precious for some, there’s no denying their chops and keen pop sensibilities. The bands on the road touring with a stop in Omni Space with help from none other than Last Goodbye, who knows a thing or two about conjuring up some menacing appealing grooves. 8.30pm. RMB 100/120

Time is Running Out 时间不够以后 at Tango

The young and impassioned Chengdu rockers may have seemingly popped out of nowhere back in 2017, but already have two robust albums under their belt. Injecting their sound with plenty of rock and roll heft that leans into their magnetic arrangements and guitar riffs that aren’t afraid to get heavy, there’s a rustic demeanor to the way the band navigates through a song, finding both the tender melodic lyricism in each track before taking listeners for a spin. And while their latest summer EP suggests a more electronic-bent, Time is Running Out fit nicely alongside the new breed of alternative rockers found across China and Taiwan. 8.30pm. RBM 80/100

Wednesday, Oct 7

The Diders, Pumpkins 小南瓜, Shochu Legion 烧酒军团, Plastic 塑料, Cardrop 跳车, Underdog败犬, Xiao Wang小王, Wasted Laika丢莱卡, Landfills堆填区, Pinboard 排插 at Yue Space

The latest edition of the nationwide God Bless Punk series makes its way to Beijing for the first time rounding out a red-hot lineup of the punk scene’s most fierce characters from just about every nook and cranny around China. On the docket are Kunming punk ruffians Plastic, Xinxiang stage veterans Pumpkins, and Guangzhou grunge-infused garage rockers Landfills and upbeat 90s alt-punk kids Pinboard. Representing Beijing is the highly sought after Underdog (fresh off their splendid LP), Wasted Laika (who seem to be performing in some other city every week), Xiao Wang, Car Drop, Shochu Legion. Plus, the return of former punk kings The Diders and more surprises. God Bless Punk indeed. 4.30pm. RMB 150/180

Oct 5-7

Strawberry Music Festival at Beijing Expo Park

So yeah, Strawberry Festival is back! And while it’s not exactly within city limits, it’s located at the Beijing Expo Park (along the Guishui River in Yanqing District), which isn’t so bad. Prices like everything else in the music industry are not quite what they used to be, but you can’t beat the lineup which features a whole slew of bands who have been participating in the second season of The Big Band such as Guangdong bad boys WuTiaoRen, new wave punks The Big Wave, electro post-punk stalwarts Re-TROS, and rugged Britpop sensations Joyside. Plenty more solid acts as well – from noise rock faves Birdstriking, Chengdu indie rock swooners Soundtoy, new wave staples New Pants, and folk-rock troupe Omnipresent Youth Society. Other new names to watch – FloruitShow (who also impressed the hell out of people on The Big Band), Zoogazer, Peace Hotel, Happy Wheel, and a hell of a lot more. The lineup is stacked – so have a look and jump in. RMB 420/520/680

READ: Beijing Beats: Dance the Holiday Away to These DJs’ Sick Tunes

Images: Your EDM, courtesy of the organizers