Results tagged “bar”

Guess where you could be exactly a week from now? Drinking with us at Shanghaiist's first happy hour of the year! Assuming the weather gods decide to bless us with as sunny a Tuesday as today was, we'll all be hanging outdoors, chatting and listening to great (if we may say so ourselves) music at Cotton's Xinhua Lu location.

Alas, it seems like Huai Hai Lu stalwart Bon Bon may have closed up shop over the weekend, and the only guys who noticed were SmartShanghai. It's Thursday and the club still has to issue official notice of the closure, but according to the nightlife website, they're planning on moving locations. But where will Shanghai's trance-loving expat high school crowd go until then?! WON'T SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN?

The sky was a rare blue yesterday, so we decided it was high time to check out the views from the top of Shanghai World Financial Center (SWFC). The observation deck has been getting consistently good reviews even priced at 150 RMB (to get to the 100th floor) and with the added convenience of getting to queue for hours. So we've been avoiding the place for a few months waiting for the hype and novelty to die down a little.

Shanghai’s #1 Fag Hag has a busy couple of weeks planned ahead. Maybe Shanghai really does deserve the title of 2008’s most improved gay life city…

Everyone likes a good party, especially one with free flow champagne like last night’s M1NT pre-launch. In spite of the copious amounts of alcohol, we are sad to say this exclusive billionaire-millionaire club opened not with a bang, but with a pop. As an old China hand, maybe Shanghaiist is just too jaded to enjoy the hype, but here's our summary of Shanghai's newest club.

By Benjamin Cohen

We're not sure if this has anything to do with this earlier story, but Beijing police do seem intent to really CLEAN UP the city in time for the Olympics. In a massive raid on Sanlitun recently, the city's popular nightlife area, Beijing police have arrested 20 people (including eight foreigners) and many young people are said to be shaken. Blogger Beijing Boyce happened to be in the vicinity, and observed:

1) this raid was much more coordinated that the one last October; 2) given the numerous photographers, it was meant to send a very public message; 3) now is not the time to be acting recklessly in Beijing; and 4) it’s a good idea to have your identification papers with you... [read more]

By Jake Newby

Touring season has official started for Chinese bands and this weekend Shanghai is bursting with shows worth checking out. Tonight the action starts early with three Xian bands playing at Yuyintang. Both Hush and 24hour Party People have played in Shanghai before and put on solid shows. This time they are joined by punk band Sucker. If you miss tonight's earlier show, you don't have to feel like a total bum, all 3 bands will be playing the STD party later that night at Atanus (if the weather holds out this should be a wicked party), and at Live Bar on Saturday, giving you two shots at redemption. Also on Saturday, Hedgehog, those infectious pop rockers from Beijing are back in town taking the stage at Yuyintang. Having recently taken off on their first China tour, Hedgehog is preparing for an upcoming tour of the USA in April.

Most Shanghaiist readers are familiar with legendary dive bar C’s and with the music pub Logo too. Darkness, taxi rides and alcohol make the rest of the area a bit of a blur but we have the benefit of living there.

No, it's not the new dining craze in Shanghai. If you're tired of mainstream house and trance, try giving Infected Mushroom a listen. Shanghaiist guarantees their brand of psychedelic trance will put you in a different frame of mind. To help convince you, the Israeli-based duo performs live tonight at the Tanghui VIP Club. A live set means no pre-recorded songs on vinyl or CDs - this is strictly synths, drum machines, and other instruments, people!

Argghh..can you feel it? With the end of the holiday season things in the realm of live music are starting to pick up again. After a much needed break from Shanghai, we are back and ready for some musical action. During the break it seems that venues around the city have started to warm up to the idea of holding more gigs. In April, Windows Tembo, will reopen as a live music venue and is building a solid lineup of shows, while Harleys, that great basement bar in Xujiahui is rumored to be back on the scene with shows by both Queen Sea Big Shark and Canadian dance punk extraordinaire, You Say Party! We Say Die!.

The dire restaurant choices at Pudong Airport will get a boost when Terminal 2 opens on March 26.

Are you starved for techno? Real, honest-to-gosh techno? Well, Shanghai's Void crew has you covered. Several times a month they fill up LOgO and The Shelter to bring you the foot-tappinest, head-noddinest, neck-snappinest techno you ever could lay ears on. They've showcased both DJ Nomadico and Jason Hodges in Shanghai, and this Saturday March 1st they bring a little bit of Detroit and Berlin to The Shelter.

By W.E.B Lowery

This weekend venues are still suffering from the New Year hangover and not many events are happening. You might check out blues band, Studio 188, who will be performing at the Blues Room on Saturday. Or maybe join the firecracker loving crowds throughout the city for a bit of noise.

If you like your basslines rinsin' and your selektas rewindin', you'll be in broken-beat heaven this weekend. On Friday the 15th, Hospitality Shanghai sends Logistics and Cyantific to disinfect Club Bonbon. The duo will storm the emergency care ward to celebrate Bonbon's new status as a resident stop on the Hospitality tours. Cyantific is bringing an extra turntable just for us and will showcase his own brand of three-deck trickery.

ODDS AND ENDS:

HAPPY DRINKING!

Heading south down Hengshan Rd from Dongping Rd, turn trustingly left down a dark lane with a large ad for Yang's Kitchen on the wall. Keep walking till you see an old villa on your right-hand side where there is a faded brass plate with the faint engraved lettering "Le Garcon Chinois." (Actual address is No.3, Lane 9, Hengshan Rd). Go up the stairs and you are there. Le Garcon Chinois restaurant has a cosy and unpretentious bar that serves good quality drinks at very reasonable prices. There is an extensive cocktail list with most drinks priced RMB35-55. House spirits are mostly RMB35-40, including Bombay Sapphire and Tanqueray gins, both at RMB35. Vodka sippers can enjoy Grey Goose for RMB55, while Tequila massacists can revel in self-destruction by slamming down shots of Jose Cuervo 1800 at RMB45 a pop. Even though the bottled beers are run-of-the-mill, they are good value priced between RMB20-25 (Qingdao RMB20; others RMB25). For those on the wagon, soft drinks are also priced RMB20-25. Wine drinkers will be pleasantly surprised, with several wines available by the glass priced from RMB45-58, with the pick of the bunch being a fine Bordeaux red at RMB58. Should you wish to indulge in a bottle, a good selection is offered with this scribe noticing Vasse Felix merlot, Petaluma chardonnay and Henri Bourgeois sauvignon blanc. Being located close to many other well known expat bars and restaurants, this place should be on many more drinkers' drinking circuits. Go give it a try.

Alcohol companies (especially in Shanghai) are known for their lemming like approach to parties (maybe it is the incestuous nature of their cliques). The latest trend is in throwing expensive "invite only" parties like the Hennessy Artistry series and this weekend’s upcoming Smirnoff party featuring Hard-Fi and DJ Sasha (gag). Just like at the Hennessey party, we loser expats aren't overly welcome (at more than one of these parties we have been told that our extra invite shouldn't be given to a laowai). About the only way in is to be Chinese and register or be part of that trendster socialite clique who relies on being invited to these things to help keep their massive egos inflated. Don't think too much about it though, because this weekend there are plenty of other great shows where everyone is welcome ... and not a bottle of Smirnoff or Hennessy in sight.

Yes, in the old days it was a national centre. The Jing Wu school was fully running before 1920 in Zhabei. Huo Yuan Jia was the most famous, although many people think he’s fictional these days. You can’t compare now to then but you can still find a lot of Bau Gua Zhang, Taiji and Xinyi, for example.

The weekend has arrived and with Chinese New Year looming things have gotten much quieter on the live music front. Friday night Club 8 and Pelle Carlberg, both from Sweden, will bring their pop sound to the crowds at the Shanghai Concert Hall. It had been scheduled for the Dream Factory but due to lack of a proper live music license has been moved. Shanghaiist's interest in this show has been piqued by the oddly high ticket prices. Advanced tickets are selling for 200rmb while those who don't plan ahead (that would be us) can expect to pay 250rmb at the door. Is this band really worth it? Well, we are curious to find out. If you aren't willing to shell out the hefty door fee then we suggest you check out the 9th edition of Pecha Kucha being held at the Living Design Center. Might not include live music, but will definitely stimulate your mind. Either Bai Yun (folk) or Kidney Stone (covers of hard rock) will be playing out at Live Bar... or maybe they are playing together, been getting different information from different people.

Living up to its name, the decor is predominantly red, including red lighting, red sofas, red walls, red backed chairs and even a red surfaced pool table. There's a corner lounge with its own small screen TV, a bar with seating for about eight amply-built foreigners, one nice sturdy table that seats about seven, then there is a lot of small tables for couples or small groups, with some tables on a split level higher than everyone else, apart from the band. The pool table is unfortunately positioned very close to the seats at the bar. Better hope the owners have insurance for flying pool ball-caused injuries — it's a matter of when, not if. There are also some screens for watching sports broadcasts and music videos, including a pull-down screen in front of the stage, another one near the bar and the small TV facing the corner lounge suite. Apparently, USD300,000 was spent on renovating the place and taking care of all the proper licensing fees.

This may get to you too late (unfortunately we have a 9 to 5 and can't blog on demand), but tonight, instead of sitting on your ass in front of the computer, stop by The Shelter and witness their first experiment with a four-piece (or more) band. Angry Jerks (last seen playing in Shanghai in March of 2007) from Nanjing, one of the tightest punk outfits this side of the Pacific, will be joined by those always pleasant Boys Climbing Ropes (we hear they like to climb ropes because of that special tingling sensation they get in their pants).

RIP: 4Live (November 2006-January 2008)

It was inevitable. A week into the New Year and we are already saying goodbye to one of the city's few venues for underground bands. 4Live limped to a close last night after a year of struggling to make it promoting live music in the city of turntables (and laptops). Opening as a beacon of hope for those interested in the underground music scene the venue was plagued by internal management problems and an identity crisis that lead to its demise. Lucky for us that both Live Bar and Yuyintang are going strong with regular gigs, while Logo (despite a crap sound system) and the Dream Factory still hold random shows. Also rumored to be testing the live music waters is the Shelter. It seems that no matter how far under the ground you push it, the scene manages to survive.

By Derek Sandhaus