Noise Pollution: No Entry, Wonder Sea, Unbounded Chamber Orchestra, Peking Floyd, 8 Immortals Restaurant, The Molds
It’ll be getting nice and muggy before cooling down this weekend, and with this blitzkrieg of music coming at us we might as well just lay into it. Rock out at one of these fine establishments and stimulate those eardrums till the heat dips down. Festivals in Haidian, improvisational legends converging, dusty psych rock blues to wrap your head around, and enough rock 'n' roll to keep your brain alit, here’s your weekend update.
Friday, May 14
Time is Running Out 时间不够以后 at Mao Livehouse
Chengdu’s Time Is Running Out – who meld together a bit of falsetto cooing ala Radiohead, some synth-infused indie swagger, and lots of Britpop bombast – have been rising through the ranks over the past couple of years, honing in on a sound that seems to be catching fire with young Chinese audiences. The band is gearing up for the release of their newest EP, which finds them expanding upon their influences even further, and will be kicking off a nationwide tour with a stop at none other than Mao Livehouse. 8.30pm. RMB 80/100
Lao Dan 老 丹 & Deng Bo Yu 邓博宇 & Yang Tao 杨滔 at UFO Space
Sihui’s UFO Space continues to impress with their richly diverse showcases and tonight’s no different. Improvisational musician and wind instrumentalist Lao Dan – one of the experimental scene’s most highly regarded characters for his innovative and defying integration of ancient and modern techniques – joins Inner Mongolian maverick drummer Deng Boyu (of Wu Taio Ren and The Red Scarf), who specializes in sounds found within the fringes of rock, noise, and jazz, with accompaniment from bassist Yang Tao of Dreaming Julie. Expect a genre-crossing free-improvisational jam like none other. 9pm. RMB 120/140
Pan 潘, No Entry, Banana Boom轰炸大香蕉, Evolution Ladder 进化阶梯, ECHO 艾柯, Danger Case at School
Northeast China gets its due with this scrappy, spirited gathering of metal and punks. Representing Heilongjiang are old school pop-punk ruffians Pan and hard rock hair metal propellers Echo. Meanwhile, Shenyang holds its ground with the help of hardcore outfit No Entry (a name that venue owners must surely hate) and nu metal leaning shirkers Evolution Ladder. Harbin keeps it true and blue punk with Banana Boom, whilst Liaoning shows its technical prowess via Danger Case. 8.30pm. RMB 80/100
Wonder Sea 出海部, Yu Ziyan 余梓桾 & Zhang Ziwei 张子薇, Mensheng 闷声, Qianchuan Drugstore 浅川药店 at Theater Space 21号戏剧空间
Music festivals on the outskirts of Haidian, a stone’s throw away from the Summer Palace? Why the hell not. Catch a top-notch lineup over at the outdoor 21 Theater Space this weekend for the Haidian Romance Festival, featuring Wonder Sea, whose debut release this year saw the emo-inflected post-rockers breaking through; Qianchuan Drugstore, known for their swirl of post-punk attitude and avant-garde electronica; folksy rock duo Yu Zijiun & Zhang Ziwei; and newcomers MenSheng who promise some psychedelic pop tunes to dance the night away. 8pm. RMB 120
Unbounded Chamber Orchestra 无界室内乐团, Yinyin尹引 at nugget café
nugget café goes grand (and gives the Egg a run for its money) as they host the Unbounded Chamber Orchestra. Founded in Beijing in 2014, the orchestra is committed to exploring contemporary Chinese classical music, developing Chinese folk music into an international musical language through reverence and innovation. Joining them for the occasion will be handpan artist Yinyin. 8pm. RMB 60/70
Eternal Power, Bad Clutch, Crimson Flag 赤旗, Skyfire at Mei Live
Mei Live over in Xidan continues to hold down the fort for Beijing’s ceaseless metal scene – hosting bands who bask in the pleasure of heavy riffs, guttural screams, and mosh pits galore. Joining the fun will be thrash metal vets Crimson Flag and Bad Clutch, while multi-national death metal purveyors Eternal Power and Skyfire bring a classic progressive brand of metal to hungry audiences. 8pm. RMB 100/120
Peking Floyd at Modernista
Baochao hutong goes down the rabbit hole as Beijing's premier Pink Floyd tribute band brings their vast and ever-increasing collection of cuts from the band’s most creative years including Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety. While staying true to the original structure, Peking Floyd prides itself on emulating the live performances of Pink Floyd during the 1970s, when their improvisation and psychedelic jamming were at their best. 9pm. Free
Saturday, May 15
Dream Can 谷水车间, 8 Immortals Restaurant 浅川药店, Qianchuan Drugstore 八仙饭店 at School
A dangerously alluring night of sounds over at School as Shanghai psych-rock outfit Dream Can look to make their mark, dabbling in noise rock anarchy, freak jazz, spacey strawberry-tainted melodies, and bewitching siren-like vocals. It’s groovy and heavy with an ominous edge that constantly reminds you, "everything is not all right." Joining them will be female-fronted 8 Immortals Restaurant, the Beijing indie rock outfit that giddily wallows in the waters of grunge, stoner, garage, and psychedelic rock, as well as hi-fi post-punks Qianchuan Drugstore. 9pm. RMB 100/120
Diagon Alley 对角巷, 2D-Foil 二向箔, Simplicity Lover 简约情人, Later Islands 后来的岛屿 at Theater Space 21号戏剧空间
The Haidian Romance Festival – located at the outdoor theater space on the northwest of Wudaokou – continues into its second day with a sexy little lineup featuring simmering dream-pop outfit 2D-Foil, who plant a sharp pop sensibility beneath the flowery gloss and ethereal haze of their sound. Also on the bill is Simplicity Lover, headed by Shi Xiaofei – a veteran of the indie-pop scene – whose latest project matches her pop sensibilities with a rustic charm by wisely scuffing up her lush lyricism with an indie country-rock veneer. Rounding out the bill are post-rock weavers Later Islands and indie-pop veterans The Diagon Alley. 8pm. RMB 120
Dreamki, Wang Yingtian 王应天, Weizisi 未子巳, Sweet & Irritable 甜蜜暴躁 at Yue Space
No frills rock and roll from an array of acts over at Yue Space including Handan’s Dreamki, who effortlessly oscillate from Ramones-style punk to late 70s new wave pop at the drop of a hat. Joining them are singer-songwriter Wang Yingtian, whose work behind the scenes is just as impressive as his melodic pop tracks, yaogun rockers Weizisi, and third-generation rockers Sweet and Irritable, who have no issue switching it up between nu-metal and pop (ahhh, now the name makes sense). 8pm. RMB 78/98
Sunday, May 16
The Molds, Naja Naja at Yue Space
For those who don't know, The Molds have enjoyed a cult-like status over the past decade in Beijing, made all the more exciting when they reunited after a lengthy hiatus! Capturing the sound of "surf rock strung out on methadone for those who prefer the company of tumbleweeds," it’s psych-rock that mores at its own pace, led by the nonchalantly charismatic Liu Ge, the whole package would fit right in at Twin Peaks’ Bang Bang Bar. Support in the form of Naja Naja, the up-and-coming psych-pop duo featuring members of Last Goodbye. 8.30pm. RMB 100/150
RNA 核糖核酸, Hawk Sally, Insulator 绝缘体, Desert Boogie Dorama at UFO Space
Protopunk, hard rock, and hardcore hijinks! Rock and roll’s unlikely new hero UFO Space hosts Hawk Sally – whose sound is "rooted in 50s rock’n’roll, mixed with 70s madness and banter, and covered with 80s hard rock" – and newly-formed jagged electro hard rockers The Ribonucleic Acid, hardcore outfit Insulator, and Desert Boogie Dorama, "the kind of band your mother would fall in love with when she was young." 9pm. RMB 80/100
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Images: The Molds, courtesy of the organizers
