Midweek Music Preview: Boys Noize, free French rock, and the annual Halloween Rock Tribute concert!

Midweek Music Mreview is our weekly rundown of everything happening on stages across the city. On the docket this week: The 5th annual Halloween rock tribute concert, French post-rock, Japanese speed metal, and Boys Noize returns to Shanghai! Read on for details, or head over to our calendar for more.

WEDNESDAY

Microfilm @ MAO Livehouse French post-rock band Microfilm is on their second China Tour (first was back in 2007) and they'll be over at MAO Livehouse tonight playing a free concert (courtesy of Alliance Francais.) These guys are famous for their audio-visual effects, and their sound has been compared to Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky. They've got specially-outfitted pedals for their visuals and other cool stuff. Sounds worth checking out.
Free entry // 8pm // MAO Livehouse // 3/F, 308 Chongqing Nan Lu, near Jianguo Zhong Lu (3/F重庆南路308号 近建国中号)

THURSDAY

Tour of Mix Music: Hanggai & la pegatina @ MAO Livehouse This one is interesting. Hanggai is teaming up with a band of similar nature (if those even exist...) from Spain for a "tour of mix music" at MAO Livehouse. La pegatina play some kind of flamenco fusion and have been touring for 8 years (wow). They'll be playing with our favorite Mongolian folk rock group.
100RMB, 80RMB presale // 9pm // MAO Livehouse // 3/F, 308 Chongqing Nan Lu, near Jianguo Zhong Lu (3/F重庆南路308号 近建国中号)

FRIDAY

Boys Noize @ Shanhai The German electro giants are returning to Shanghai after their excellent show last year. Catch them over at Shanhai if you can get tickets. Backup by DJs R3, Liman, and Linfeng.
180RMB // Shanhai // 1F, Bldg 7, 477 Aomen Lu, near Shanxi Bei Lu (澳门路477号中华1912, 文化创意产业园7号楼1层, 近陕西北路)

Death to Giants @ Logo Free concert on Friday! Death to Giants is a side project that Nichols of Rainbow Danger Club and Ivan of Moon Tyrant have been doing a kind of math-metal thing for at least a few months now. For this concert, they're getting real heady and letting DJ BO throw up film clips for them to improvise to.
Free // 11pm // Logo // 107 Sinan Lu, near Taikang Lu (思南路107号, 近泰康路)

Benefit concert for animals @ Livebar Two Chinese folk artists, Shay (解征) and Fengyan (冯言), will play Livebar on Friday night and have pledged to donate all the money raised from the concert to the Animal Protection Project (上海动保项目). It's part of a month-long tour they kicked off on World Animal Day on October 4. Check out their website, Don't Eat Friends, for more.
40RMB // 8:30pm // Livebar // 800 Guoshun Dong Lu, near Shuangyang Lu (国顺东路800号 近双阳路)

SATURDAY

Halloween Rock Tribute @ Yuyintang More fun than whatever Halloween party you might go to on Saturday, the Halloween Rock Tribute has a great lineup this year. A hodge podge of Shanghai bands will cover four rock legends: Metallica, Dead Kennedys, Twisted Sister, and The Velvet Underground done by a mix and mash of Fever Machine, Rainbow Danger Club, Friend or Foe, Moon Tyrant, X is Y, Fire in the Hole!, Les Semi-Croustillants and Boys Climbing Ropes. We'll be there. You should be, too.
40RMB // 9pm // Yuyintang // 851 Kaixuan Lu, by Yan'an Xi Lu (凯旋路851号, 近延安西路口)

Pipe Dream Princess @ Shanhai Check out some rock from Qingdao at Shanhai on Saturday in the for of Pipe Dream Princess. Opening for them will be Duck Fight Goose. Shanhai's double booked themselves that night, so if you hang around long enough you can pay again and stay for their Halloween party. Dub-step, drum and bass, you know the drill. 30RMB for that part, 50RMB for the initial rock concert.
50RMB // 9pm to 11pm // Shanhai // 1/F, Bldg 7, 477 Aomen Lu, near Shanxi Bei Lu (澳门路477号中华1912, 文化创意产业园7号楼1层, 近陕西北路)

SUNDAY

X Japan World Tour @ Shanghai Grand Stage Japanese metal takes to the stage on Sunday. These guys have been around since 1982(!), play speed metal, and used to be famous for their big hair. Raw ballads, guitar riffs, etc. They disbanded back in 1997, but got back together in 2007. This year they'll release their first studio album in 14 years! Tickets here.
380 to 1880RMB // 7:30pm // Shanghai Grand Stage // 1111 Caoxi Bei Lu, near Zhongshan Lu and Tianyaoqiao Lu (上海大舞台, 漕溪北路1111号)