Live Music This Weekend: The Gar, Fading Horizon, and Torturing Nurse

Update: Oops! Sorry, just realised that Torturing Nurse show is on Saturday not Sunday!

Before your mind starts wandering to what we're going to go ahead and dub "festival weekend", there's a whole bunch of top gigs to get through in the next few days first.

Friday
Live Bar have come up with a cunning plan to get you to head out to the wilds of Yangpu district on a Friday night: they're hosting a party named after everybody's favorite Chinese character, 囧. Not a bad idea. There's just one catch: they haven't gotten around to announcing which bands are going to be playing.
¥30, 9:30pm, 721 Kunming Lu, near Tongbei Lu, 昆明路721号近通北路

Over at YYT meanwhile The Dovetail Joints continue their recent spate of gigs with a headlining slot. Adding to a night of mystery, the support act is also thus far unconfirmed.
¥30, 9pm, 1731 Yan'an Xi Lu (entrance on Kaixuan Lu), 延安西路1731号 (入口在凯旋路)

Saturday
Get in the Van is back. You know how it works by now: you watch a bunch of great bands at one venue before getting on a bus and downing as many free Reebs as you can on the way to another venue where you see more great live music. The line-up for GitV 3 is a cracker: Beijing buzz bands The Gar (who'll be launching their new album) and 24 Hours will be joined by Banana Monkey, The Dropkicks and of course The Rogue Transmission at the Dream Factory, before the excellent Boys Climbing Ropes and DJ Sacco see the night out over at YYT. Not bad.
¥60, 8pm. 4/F, Building B, No. 28 Yuyao Lu, near Xikang Lu. 余姚路28号B4楼, 近西康路

Not that it's the only option in town on Saturday night. Before a bus-load of drunken party-goers rock up at YYT, they'll be hosting an album launch party of their own (YYT that is, not the drunken party-goers). If, like most of us, you didn't catch much of Fading Horizon's post-rock set last week when they supported Re-TROS in front of 600 very cramped people, then you can see them headline their own show tonight. The Nanjing band will be releasing their debut Name It Yourself and will have support from our own Syd Barrett-styled post-rockers Boojii and fellow Nanjing experimental rock outfit 8Eye Spy.
¥35, 9pm, 1731 Yan'an Xi Lu (entrance on Kaixuan Lu), 延安西路1731号 (入口在凯旋路)

As if choosing between those two wasn't hard enough, there's also a special 0093 showcase the same night. Five Pointed Star, Big Fresh, Left Putting, and 5 Pence are the bands. Live Bar is the place.
¥30, 7:30pm, 721 Kunming Lu, near Tongbei Lu, 昆明路721号近通北路

Sunday
Bondage, wanton destruction, and, of course, torture. Just some of the features of Torturing Nurse's shows over the years. Shanghai's premier noise group are celebrating their 5th anniversary this weekend in 0093's performance space. They've gone from being one of the only noise groups in China to international renown in the last five years and are fully deserving of the recognition they've garnered. Come and celebrate the anniversary of one of the city's most interesting and consistently fresh live acts, it's sure to be a special show. Here's to another five years.
¥30, 2:30pm, 93 Lingling Lu, near Damuqiao Lu, 零陵路93号, 近大木桥路

At the other end of the scale meanwhile, rock-balladeer Zhang Tie will be gently shaking the house over at Yuyintang.
¥30, 9pm, 1731 Yan'an Xi Lu (entrance on Kaixuan Lu), 延安西路1731号 (入口在凯旋路)

Video: The Gar's 王子复仇记 live