Midweek Music Preview: Backyard Surgeons, Undercover, Strawberry Festival!
Midweek Music Preview is our rundown of all the music events happening across stages all over Shanghai. On the docket this week are a bunch of bands from Australia leaving their island to come to Yuyintang on their tour, a new Undercover by DClub with some Shanghai bands, and last but definitely not least is the one we've all been waiting for, Strawberry Fest! Three days of music overload starts Sunday! Read on for details, or check out our calendar for more.
The Midi Music Festival Returns tomorrow!
The Midi Music Festival (迷笛音乐节) is back and this year is its 12th birthday! China’s longest running music festival is crashing down in Zhenjiang City (镇江) for four action packed days of aural relief this Golden Holiday.
Restaurant Week Shanghai coming soon
Although not the first food festival Shanghai has seen (There was that Gourmet Month brought to you by the City Weekend crew) as an internationally recognized event, organized by DiningCity.com, Restaurant Week definitely helps boost SH's cred in the fine dining world. According to DiningCity's managing director for China, Siem Bierman, the event will give Shanghai's chefs and restaurant owners the chance to "promote their concept" and present their work to the dining public.
12th International Shanghai Film Festival coming up soon
If you're interested in catching some of the films, most of the information you'll need is at their official website. Browsing though the schedules, it seems that there an awful number of fairly recent Hollywood releases, such as Eagle Eye and Pink Panther 2. Why you'd want to fork over money to watch these on the big screen is beyond us, but dig a bit deeper and you'll find that there is a very healthy selection of films by two English directors: Alfred Hitchcock and Danny Boyle. Of the latter, little needs to be said: he's the head of the jury this year, which is why so many of his films are being shown. Although you've no doubt seen many of the more successful ones, you can use this chance to see some of his lesser known, earlier works. As for that great benefactor of Freudian film theorists goes, you've got the standard fare: The Birds, Rear Mirror, North by Northwest, Psycho, Rope etc.
Midi Festival Coming to Shanghai
If you had plans to go traveling for the May Labor Holiday, you ought to think about canceling them now. Midi Festival, China's longest running music extravaganza could be hitting Shanghai.
Chinese Soundbites Podcast: Mid-Autumn Festival
Welcome to the latest episode of Chinese Soundbites, a podcast series brought to you by ChinesePod and Shanghaiist. Every week we'll be bringing you topics and words pulled straight from the headlines, in Mandarin Chinese.
Venue: Shanghai Midi Festival off
Shanghaiist has just spoken to a promoter from Yuyintang. As of yesterday, they have had their application for the Midi Festival performance licence rejected, and have since announced on their Facebook page that the festival is now officially off. It was going to be held in the park behind the venue (Tianshan Gongyuan). The reason is confirmed as being a knock on from the Bjork incident and concern about ongoing protests in the run up to the Olympics.
Expensive My Blueberry Nights T-shirts, Jackie Chan stunts and other movie news
Wong Kar-wai is celebrating the opening of his shit movie My Blueberry Nights in the US this Friday by selling some merchandise — most notably, $95 t-shirts, $50 posters, and $25 postcards. And if you want to thank him for ripping you off in person, you'll get your chance in New York at a fashion boutique store called Opening Ceremony, where Wong is going to be on Wednesday afternoon. We hope that someone tells him that the US is facing a recession and that the real incomes are not increasing for the average American. $25 for a postcard? You can get four lattes in Manhattan for that price! Sheesh!
Eye On Gay Shanghai: Shanghai Pride
Although June is the designated month of Gay Pride events all over the world, Shanghai will show its Pride this week by holding several events at Shanghai's own, one-of-a-kind gay dance club/bar/motel multiplex, PinkHome. All of the events are the result of much hard work by Shanghai's own, (and also) one-of-a-kind organization, Shanghai's LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) group. As for the events, there won't be a parade or hopefully any tear gas, curses, or...

