Noise Pollution: Glory of the City Night, Allman Brown, Jurga, Satoshi Gogo, and Bye, Bye Fish

It’s a new semester ladies and gent; time to put away your childish things, burying your face in some books, and mingle with the opposite sex. Scratch that. It’s a new semester. Time to get an education in music, hit the streets for some cheap eats, and flirt with everything living breathing thing that passes your way. Life is too short to adhere to what’s expected of you. Have a blast and immerse yourself front stage at one of these spectacular gigs.
 

Friday, Mar 8

Fazi, The Fallacy, Last Goodbye, Qianchuan Pharmacy, The Hotline, DJ Rtruenahmean at School
'Glory of the City' returns and good lord have they put together a scorcher of a lineup. Headlining are Xi’an post-punk stalwarts Fazi, whose fierce livewire performances have may them crowd favorites over the years. On top of that we’ve got jagged Xinxiang, Henan-hailing post-punk ruffians The Fallacy, and on the Beijing front, dreamwavers Last Goodbye, synth punks Qianchuan Pharmacy, and electro rockers The Hotline. Plus, some turntable delights courtesy of DJ Rtruenahmean to keep the party going as the venues celebrates the birthday of School Bar lion tamer and bar manager Jocelyn. So yeah, expect it to be raining shots all evening. RMB 120

Allman Brown (UK) at DDC
Influenced by Bob Dylan, Tracy Chapman, and Bruce Springsteen whilst growing up in Hong Kong, Brown later discovered and embraced musical visionaries such as Justin Vernon and Sufjan Stevens. All these musicians – alongside a wide range of literary writers and filmmakers – have indirectly shaped last year’s critical success 1000 Years, a record that “an album brimming with aching melodies,” varying styles and heart-on-sleeve lyrical honesty. 7.30pm start. RMB 100

Pure, Miss Mix, New Generation at DDC 
DDC rocks out this International Women’s Day with some of the scene’s most fierce showstoppers including grunge pranksters Pure, who added a front-lady to their already red-hot lineup. Joining them are firecrackers and rock and roll staples Miss Mix plus alternative soundscapers New Generation, whose mix of post-rock and indie pop has made them one of last year’s best finds. RMB 80

17+, Qin Siyuan at Yue Space
Seeking to find new and experimental processes in the depth and expansion of music creation, and to generate new motives and new ideas in the improvisation of infinite possibilities, experimental electronic collective 17+ featuring Zhou Fengling and Li Yanzeng (most notably known for their ambient sound collage duo XY Pattern, as well as Xu Xiaoguo bring their ambient-filled avant-garde sounds over to Yue Space with special opening guest and famous artist, critic, and curator Qin Siyuan. RMB 100

The Best Pessimist (Ukraine) at Omni Space
Longstanding post-rock label 1724 Records hosts Ukraine outfit The Best Pessimist – led musician and composer Sergey Lunev. A lovechild of genres like post-rock, ambient, IDM, and more with piano-driven atmospheric musical landscapes that’ll remind you of The American Dollar, French Teen Idol, and Mono, they’ll be kicking off their China tour tonight. RMB 150

End of the World, The Great Buffalo Blues at Temple
Ska punk outfit, End of the World, have been around for just about a decade, delighting crowds with their knee-slapping, infectious tunes that whip crowds into a frenzy. Tonight they return alongside electric blues band The Great Buffalo Blues for an evening of rocking and rolling that'll leave you dizzy. FREE

Chew The Bone, Saso Allen at Caravan
Celebrate International Women’s Day with another beautiful musical evening courtesy of Caravan who’ll be supplying patrons a satisfying serving of crooners & suave artists – from the popping rock of Chew the Bone to the soulful blues of Saso Allan. RMB 60 (ladies free)

ODD, Veronique, Jue Zhe at Jianghu Bar 
Celebrate Women’s Day with some stand-out folk singers including ODD AKA Old Dry Daddy aka the new project from Li Dong, the Ningxia singer whose work over the years has attracted him fans across the country. They join violinist Veronique and the new offbeat folk project from Peppercorns singer Xue Feng and String. RMB 60

The Soul Rebels at Blue Note 
The Soul Rebels started with an idea – to expand upon the pop music they loved on the radio and the New Orleans brass tradition they grew up on. They took that tradition and blended funk and soul with elements of hip-hop, jazz, and rock all within a brass band context. The band has built a career around an eclectic live show that harnesses the power of horns and drums in a deep pocket funk party-like atmosphere. RMB 120-320 

WHAI at Soi Baochao
Everyone’s favorite prog-rock group WHAI, who have been together since 2012, and who have committed themselves to their heavy, offbeat brand of psychedelic rock and roll find refuge in the cozy hutong spot with the help of DJ Dice Twice. FREE

Uighur Sama at Modernista 
A mixture of traditional Arabic songs and lively Spanish rumba classics, with lyrics both in English and Uyghur, Uighur Sama continue bringing the energetic sounds of Xinjiang to China´s capital. FREE 

Liu Donghong at Mogu Space
Liu Donghong, dusty blues singer of Sand, China’s first ‘cold rock’ band, and a scene player for over twenty years pays tribute to Leonard Cohen. RMB 80

Krystal Organic Trio at The Bricks
The soul-jazz organ trio composed by the new generation of performers including organ and keyboardist Zhou Xia, jazz guitarist Zhang Jing, and Italian jazz drummer Antonio Fusco take over Sanlitun. FREE
 

Saturday, Mar 9 

LST, Sourtower, UNIT, Bye, Bye Fish at DDC 
Live Beijing Music breaks in the Year of the Pig with a potbellied feast for the ears – a succulent offering of this year’s newest and most alluring genre-spanning sounds. Cold wave, psychedelic folk, noise punk, electronic, and then some – it’s gonna be a hell of a night. Li Nan, known to most as the co-founder and drummer for indie rock band Da Bang, breaks free with his sizzling solo electronic project LST. Bye, Bye Fish, the avant-garde freak-folk project formed by the leading duo behind the beloved punk outfit SUBS are back (read our recent, out-of-this-world interview with them here). All girl cold wave post-punk outfit Sourtower makes their 2019 debut. And new noise-punk trio UNIT looks to kick down some doors. RMB 80

Next Door Band, Auburn, New School Waste, Young & Dumb at Yue Space 
Punk act New School Waste, made up of veterans of the punk scene veterans, join long-standing indie pop outfits Next Door Band and Auburn, as well as Xi’an city pop rockers Young & Dumb, who perfectly captured the fleeting and highly charged emotions of growing up on their 2018 debut. RMB 150

Lacrimosa (Switzerland) at Mao Livehouse
Lacrimosa is a duo led by German-born Tilo Wolff, the main composer, and Finnish Anne Nurmi, currently based in Switzerland and founded in 1990. Originally geared toward the style of neue Deutsche todeskunst (New German Death Art), their musical style has shifted much more towards hard rock and neo-progressive rock with gothic influences. RMB 550

Nekroma, Scare The Children at Temple
Halloween comes early this year (or Mardi Gras come late) as two haunting and blood curling supergroups with an affinity for costumes take the stage tonight: Nekroma, an atmospheric carnival of sounds that blends art rock, skateboard guitar, metal doom, and synths, and Scare the Children, the horror metal act that’ll have you running home to mommy and daddy. Characters welcomed. FREE

New Generation, Xiao Wang, Pizza Face, Pure at School Bar 
A new generation of women rockers take the stage tonight with a volatile lineup featuring the ever-combustible Xiao Wang who’ll be joining savage new punk scrappers Pizza Face as well as grunge pranksters Pure, who added a front-lady of their own recently, and alternative soundscapers New Generation, whose mix of post-rock and indie pop has made them one of last year’s best find. RMB 60

Samaga x Lunatic Moires at Jianghu Bar
Considered by many as one of Beijing’s most underrated musical acts, world music act Samaga has been infiltrating venues across Beijing with their happy marriage of musical traditions from India, the Middle East, and more, utilizing the sitar, the oud, and other Middle Eastern percussion instruments in new and captivating ways. They join Lunatic Moires, a troupe composed of dancers from around the world who combine dance, mythology, poetry, and ritual. RMB 100

Life Journey at Tango
Indie pop runaway successes Life Journey, whom I’ve always had a soft spot for (think early Beatles pop sensibilities), celebrate their hit 2018 release Sense+ with blowout show at Tango. Presales are sold out but if you’re looking to swoon with the rest of the ladies (or 21-year-old me) head over. RMB 150

The Blue Note Beijing Jazz Orchestra at Blue Note
With a program that surveys a wide range of the most exciting jazz compositions across several generations of composers, this first BNBJO concert of 2019 will bring a breath of fresh air just in time for the approaching end of winter and the beginning of spring. We hope that you will join us to sample the mesmerizingly diverse offerings of modern big band jazz. RMB 100-348 

Satoshi Gogo (JP) at Omni Space
Satoshi Gogo was a Japanese finger player who started playing guitar since he was 12 years old. He learned his guitar techniques from Masaaki Kishibe and well, that dude’s a finger-picking legend. So yeah, you’re in or you’re out. RMB 180

Krystal Organic Trio at Caravan 
The soul-jazz organ trio composed by the new generation of performers including organ and keyboardist Zhou Xia, jazz guitarist Zhang Jing, and Italian jazz drummer Antonio Fusco take over the Moroccan joint. FREE

Three Mosquitoes, DJ Funkylicious at Soi Baochao 
Playing a set list filled with both covers and original songs, Three Mosquitoes are on a looping never-ending parallel universal cosmic tour on planet earth. The fun doesn't stop there – DJ Funkylicous will be spinning all the classic funk rock and disco tunes long into the night. FREE

The Mantras at Modernista 
The Mantras, previously known as Parakeet, are back at their favorite place with an eclectic mix of genres – joining friends and foes at Modernista to make us dance away to their fusion of pop and jazz. FREE

Dan Zengga, Wu Younan at Pink Moon
Dan Zengga, Gao Jinli at Pink Moon Tibetan folk-rocker Dan Zengga joins performs alongside fellow singer-songwriter Wu Younan tonight in Pink Moon. RMB 66 

Sue Wang Quartet at The Bricks 
Sue Wang has worn many faces – bilingual host, musical performer, Gala singer, and now jazz star – catch the multi-talented artist along with her band at The Bricks. FREE
 

Sunday, Mar 10 

Jurga (Lithuania) at DDC 
Lithuanian electro dream-pop artist Jurga, fresh off her breakthrough solo album Aukso Pieva after years of performing as a backing vocalist in various bands and even fronting a female punk-rock band, is crossing the globe to give audiences a taste of her homegrown award-winning tunes. Read our recent interview with Jurga here. RMB 80

Wang Juan, Wu Ning Yue, Wang Xiao, Dong Zi, Zhang Qianqian at Yue Space
An all-star folk lineup featuring some of the Beijing folk scene’s longest surviving characters – singer-songwriters who are adorned by audiences and musicians alike for over two decades. On the bill is acclaimed Ningxia singer-songwriter Dongzi, whose rich voice has captivated audiences everywhere, as well as esteemed folk ballad writer who founded Wang Juan, and veteran Zhang Qianqian. RMB 120

Zhang Zhongshu, Yang Xiu, Hexiaoyu & ZhaoKai at School Bar
Nojiji noise collective member and experimental musician who dabbles in everything - from field recordings to noise and the spiritual communion within both, joins fellow wanderer Yang Xiu as well as the new project featuring School Bar’s silent owner He Xiaoyu and Zhao Kai from Bedstars/Holy Shit. Your Sunday just got a hell lot noisier. RMB 60

Li Ziqiang at Mao Livehouse 
While most bass players quietly stay the course, Second Hand Rose’s bassist Li Ziqiang has gone ahead and recorded a solo album, and he’s ready to present it to the world. Describing his style as ‘cartoon rock’ his album isn’t afraid to jump all over the place to get a reaction out of listeners. Expect guests galore, including of course some of the bassists Second Hand Rose mates. RMB 120

The Blue Note Beijing Jazz Orchestra at Blue Note
With a program that surveys a wide range of the most exciting jazz compositions across several generations of composers, this first BNBJO concert of 2019 will bring a breath of fresh air just in time for the approaching end of winter and the beginning of spring. We hope that you will join us to sample the mesmerizingly diverse offerings of modern big band jazz. RMB 100-348 

Kinkorgasm, Bailu, Tang Tang, Yang Nan at Mogu Space
Get warm and fuzzy this evening with the dark new wave sounds of Kinkorgasm, and the tender folk sounds of the rest. RMB 66

Victor Bastidas Trio at Modernista
Columbian Percussionist Victor Bastidas known to some as ‘one of the best drummers live in Beijing’ will be hitting up Modernista this Sunday with his band. FREE

Want to cut a rug instead? Check out this weekend's nightlife offerings here.

Images: Will Griffith, courtesy of the promoters