Noise Pollution: Rye Music Festival, Meng Qi, 3Bangz, Ritual, Twinkle Star

Ahoy Beijing! Festivals reachable by subway! A celebration of cassettes! Blind dating in one of our favorite dives! Beijing is coming back swinging this season, shaking things up left and right with a dizzying and riotous offering of live music – covering everything from gut-wrenching black metal to sugar-coated indie pop. Head forth music lovers, cause it’s all for the taking!

Saturday, Oct 17 – Sunday, Oct 18

Higher Brothers, The Face面孔, Zhang Yuqi张钰琪, Nap Phonograph午睡留声机, Orange Ocean 橘子海, Super 果味VC, Fruit Planet 水果星球, Galaxy Orchestra 银河系乐团 (10/17) Chen Li 陈粒、C-BLOCK、Hedgehog刺猬、Carsick Cars、HAYA乐团, Hyper Slash超级斩、White Papers 白皮书、WaChi蛙池 at Wenyuhe Park

The Rye Music Festival returns and in some pretty special digs this year – Wenyuhe Park, the largest "green lung" in Beijing, located at the junction of Chaoyang, Shunyi, and Changping districts. It's probably the closest thing we’ve had to a festival since the good old days of Tongzhou Canal Park and Haidian Park. While day one contains some serious heavyweights, my money is on day two which showcases some of the best acts from the past two seasons of the hit television show The Big Band, including electro-core masher-uppers Hyper Slash, Inner Mongolian troupe Haya, indie rock stalwarts Carsick Cars, and Huizhou based indie-pop hitters WaChi. 12pm. RMB 480

Friday, Oct 16 

Cherry Puff, sourtower 酸塔 at nugget café 

Beijing celebrates the holiest of days – Cassette Store Day – an international holiday dedicated to all things cassette (and therefore awesome) this weekend with a three-day epic affair stuffed with shows, markets, DJs, bands, zines, and of course, tapes galore. It kicks off Friday night with a gig featuring two of nugget records finest, indie-pop outfit Cherry Puff and sourtower, whose new release is a stoic, dead-eyed blend of cold wave thrills, psychedelic unease, and lo-fi indie electronic minimalism. 9pm. RMB 60/70 

Meng Qi, 4 Channels Club, Solent & Chen Zeyang陈泽洋, 泥石流星锤 at Aotu Space

An exploratory evening of ambiance, electronic wizardry, and mysterious soundscapes as Aotu Space hosts an array of acts inspired by the speeches of Indian writer Jiddu Krishnamurti, including maverick electronic producer and synthesizer designer MengQi, 8-bit music composer 4 Channels Club, impromptu sound weavers Solent, and Chen Zeyang (formerly of SNSOS) and what I can only translate as "Debris Meteor Hammer" (which can’t be right but damn does it sound awesome). 8.30pm. RMB 80/100

Mind Walker in Rye行走的麦子, Heartland内心深处, XuanNan 宣南, Healing Hands妙手回, Labor Glory 劳动光荣 at School

There’s something incredibly ingenious about setting up a blind date event at none other than School Bar. I mean you’re already starting off on a good note by agreeing to meet at a place where debauchery and riotous tunes are the name of the game. So find Mr. or Mrs. Right tonight whilst listening to music from ultra punks Labor Glory, upbeat funk and blues-infused indie rockers Healing Hands, pop-punk band Mind Walker in Rye, and more. 8pm. RMB 100/120

Unforbidden Horse 禁城之马, Langzhi浪之 at Cloud Nine 

Headed by renowned blues player Han Yu of Mizang, the southern-flavored hard rockers Unforbidden Horse have been having a blues-ripping good time on the road this past month, bringing the rustic rock of the South and the rugged blues of the Delta to audiences across the country. Catch them tonight at the Wangjing venue Cloud Nine. 9pm. RMB 80/100

The Diagon Alley 对角巷, Brickleberry 脆莓, Panda Eyes熊猫眼, Zhang Cheng 张承& The 2econd 二番目 at Omni Space 830

Some of the indie-pop scene’s most sought-after acts take the stage down at Omni Space, including the Harry Potter-loving Britpop charmers The Daigon Alley, the dance-rock leaning Brickleberry, fresh off their debut LP and an upcoming nationwide tour. Plus, pop-rock staples Panda Eyes and The 2econd, headed by rising pop star Zhang Cheng. 8.30pm. RMB 120

3Bangz, B3Rich 未来星, YoungCaptain 队长 at Mao Livehouse 

Guangzhou rap sensation 3Bangz rolls through town with his crew and number one homie B3Rich as well as rapper YoungCaptain for a sizzling evening of trap beats, eccentric bars, and hip-hop glamour. Expect a crowd ready to wild out. 7.30pm. RMB 200

Saturday, Oct 17 

Zuriaake 葬尸湖, Black Kirin 黑麒, Holyarrow御矢, Obsession着魔, FROZEN MOON 冻结的月亮, Ritual Day 施教日 at Yue Space

A black metal fan’s wet dream come to life – simply put, you’re not going to find a better lineup for those who like their metal in a darker shade of black. Some serious ringers here including Jinan black metal pioneers Zuriaake, whose haunting wraithlike screams blanket the melancholic calm and beauty of its atmospheric long-winded compositions, and the blood-curdling battle cry that is Holy Arrow, from Amoy, who brings listeners back to Ming Dynasty’s "battlefields of blood and honor." That’s just the tip of the iceberg, as other prominent bands like Changchun’s Black Kirin, Beijing’s Ritual Day, and many more join the hefty Saturday night lineup. 6pm. RMB 220

Twinkle Star 闪星 at Tango 

Led by New Pants’ bassist Zhao Meng, Beijing emo-punks Twinkle Star, whose catchy, life-affirming and energetic tunes with power-pop aplomb have stirred up emotions among fans for over a decade, swing through Tango on their nation-wide tour in support of their new LP Part of Me. Their music is literally bursting with hope, happiness, sentimentality, and passion – and as far as emo power-pop goes, there’s no one better. 8.30pm. RMB 150 

Nocturnes 曳取, Guiguisuisui 鬼鬼祟祟at nugget cafe

nugget café’s epic celebration of cassette tapes continues into the next day with an all-day tape market (featuring some spanking new releases from both nugget records and Daftpop) followed by performances from two acts who would sell off their own child for a lifetime supply of tapes – operatic doom duo Guiguisuisui (fresh from touring around China and having their makeup temporarily blind them) and indietronica duo Nocturnes (who haven’t played in quite some time). 9pm. RMB 60/70

Liu Lu 刘璐, Zhao Cong 赵丛, Zhu Wenbo朱文博, Ake 阿科 at Shilibao Studio 

Subjam’s MIJI Concert Series returns, bringing together Beijing artists and international performers for experimental jam sessions. Artists are welcome to engage in cold improvisation, radical performance, and absolute noise. Today’s edition features Liu Lu, Zhao Cong, Zhu Wenbo, and Ake. 4pm. (email subjam@gmail.com for reservation and address)

Sunday, Oct 18

Hertz 赫兹, Mind Walker in Rye 行走的麦子, Sunken Boat 沉舟, Allen Key 内六方 at School 

Long-standing promoters Rock Brothers are back and they’ve got a couple of tricks up their sleeves this Sunday evening – including the return of hardcore pop-rockers Hertz and the Beijing debut of Sunken Boat, hailing from Luoyang – a youthful and often saccharine mix of Britpop, dance-rock, and straight-up punk – it’s no-frills rock and roll that may not win any awards for originality, but succeeds principally on earnestness and an ability to swing for the fences each and every song. 8.30pm. RMB 80/100

Ah-Q Arkestra at Cloud Nine

Named after the main character in a Lu Xun novel, the Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra has stubbornly found its own niche in the Beijing jazz scene for more than a decade, bringing together an eclectic mix of musicians, styles, and original jazz compositions. Playful, creative, adventurous, the Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra uses the rich language of jazz to explore the rhythms, melodies, harmonies, and emotions of our world. 9pm.

READ: Nugget Records to Host Cassette Store Day Weekend Celebration, Oct 16-18

Images: courtesy of Nocturnes, courtesy of the organizers