Results tagged “gigs”

This is an exclusive sneak preview of Live Bar's new Weihai Lu branch, opening this Friday. Yep, while Soma's head honchos are over in Japan trying to persuade the people behind MAO to part with their cash for a Shanghai livehouse and while Yuyintang continues to pull in regular packed crowds, Live Bar have sneaked in and taken over a downtown location of their own.

There is something goin down

UPDATE: Pinkberry have been forced to withdraw from Saturday night's line up at Yuyintang (their bassist's wife is seriously ill, we wish her well).

Ugh. Summertime in Shanghai and livin' ain't all that easy. It's too darn hot one minute, sun showers the next. Luckily, Yuyintang have just installed a new air-con unit in the main room making it just that little bit less hot 'n' sticky. Live Bar? Well, they've got dirt cheap beers. And Soma Live? They seem to have melted away altogether for now. So here's where to get sweaty this weekend:

It seems wrong to put out a music-related post today without mentioning The King of Pop. When we received a text from a friend this morning asking if we'd heard about Michael Jackson, the initial thought was 'what's he done now?' It's a shame that for some generations, he will only be 'Wacko Jacko', a bizarre public freak show.

With his closer involvement at the livehouse, we can also expect more Miniless artists performing there in the coming months adding another dimension to Shanghai's live music scene. We spoke to Hans about the label and his hopes for its future.

This weekend is all about hero worship. Miserable Faith are the kind of metal band that causes diehard fans to get their name and logo tatooed across their bodies; Joyside's Bian Yuan sexy swagger is enough to make you weak at the knees; while Shanghai's own folk heroes Dan Shapiro of The Rogue Transmission and Pu Pu of The Mushrooms will also be in action building their own cult followings. Last weekend may have been a quiet one, but the next few days are anything but.

Two months on from Soma's controversial deal with the Dream Factory, it seems the local record label are preparing to pull the plug on their arrangements with Zhijiang and instead combine with one of Beijing's premier livehouses to create MAO Shanghai.

We're not going to lie - this weekend pretty much belongs to hip hop. There's a couple of good rock gigs in the next few days and some great shows on the way later this month (the Miniless Showcase will be amazing and Joyside are in town for the first time in ages backed by The Rogue Transmission for example), but given the limited options this weekend, we'll keep it brief.

I have a dream... a song to sing. Yeah, that's right, we're quoting ABBA. What of it? We won't be expecting to hear that song tonight (probably for the best), but instead you will see eight local bands performing as the artists who first inspired them to get into music at Yuyintang's "Back to the Beginnings of Dreams" night.

Yep, this weekend is a big 'un. We probably spend an inordinate amount of time in YYT anyway but, if it wasn't for the Antidote Festival down in Zhujiajiao, we'd probably just camp out in Tianshan Park this weekend.

Decisions, decisions. Time was, choosing your live music for the night in Shanghai was easy: you headed to Yuyintang, occasionally the Dream Factory if there was something big on. Maybe, if you were into something a bit different, you'd head out to Live Bar. Generally speaking though, there was one stand out gig on a weekend and it was a pretty straightforward choice. Well, no more, if this weekend is anything to go by. We're not saying this is a brave new world yet, just that we hope it's a sign of things to come. If it is, picking your weekend gigs is going to get a lot tougher. But don't you dare go complaining that there's too many options.

The forthcoming holiday means that the weekend is coming early for a lot of us. For music fans, it's coming even earlier with a solid five days of gigs starting tonight for anyone who's not heading out of town for Midi or the other festivals taking place around China. There's more mid-week action next week as well, which we're very excited about but will keep under our hat for now. A full weekend run-down, including the Straigh Oota Canada shows will be here on Friday as usual, but here's what's going on tonight and tomorrow:

Before we get on with this weekend's live music preview (and there's plenty going on by the way), here's a quick round-up of some recent music news we thought we'd share with you.

Just when you thought it was safe to enjoy a slowly growing and community-built live music scene, something comes out of nowhere to shake things up again. YYT will no doubt be packed for Re-TROS this weekend. Does that mean Shanghai needs a mid-sized venue? Probably yes. Does that mean it's sustainable to run gigs in a mid-sized venue 4-5 nights a week? Probably not (though we wish it did). Does it mean that venues can afford to start making ridiculous demands of promoters? Definitely not.

So you thought Midi was the only festival game in town? Think again. Three music events - all festivals of a sort - covering three different types of music are heading your way in the next month or so. Yes, we know one of them is related to Expo, but World Music has the right to a festival too and bringing in those kind of artists was never going to escape Haibao's reach this close to 2010. We'll have more details on all of these nearer the time but, for now, here's a preview:

The last few weeks have seen a steady stream of great gigs on the Shanghai live scene, something that is set to continue this weekend. Does this mean that the city needs more gig venues? We're not so sure, but there are a few signs of some more live options coming our way. First, a certain underground rehearsal studio has started putting on the occasional show and will host Torturing Nurse's 5 year anniversary in a few weeks. Second, Soma - the people behind the Indie Top label, which hosts bands such as Momo and The Mushrooms - are reported to be looking at opening a live venue as well. Of course, this is a sign of the increase in recent months in the number of talented local bands capable of putting on a great live show, but we'll wait to see whether such expansion is sustainable.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Nope, that's not the sound of Midi hopes being quashed, it's the sound of three straight weekends of great gigs coming your way. Forget all that tiresome festival nonsense and look forward to Battles this weekend, the brilliant Hard Queen next Saturday and then Hedgehog promoting their new album the weekend after.

UPDATE: And just a few minutes later, according to @Neocha, Shanghai Midi is canceled. Apparently there was a permit issue?

It was only a matter of time. Yes, the traditional Midi Shanghai is on, off, on again, moved, all nonsense, season has started in earnest. Not only that, but it seems to be enjoying something of a vintage year. If all the claims and counter-claims are getting on your nerves, then we suggest you hit some of these shows this weekend and get Fucked Up*. We promise these shows aren't rumours. Honest.

Things are showing no sign of slowing down live music-wise at the moment. The next few weeks are going to see the long awaited Hard Queen EP release party, Battles with PK14 and their new proteges and a welcome return for Re-TROS. Then there's the 5th anniversary of Shanghai's premier noise outfit Torturing Nurse to look forward to, which is bound to be crazy. Meanwhile a new album will see the always brilliant Hedgehog heading to Shanghai on April 11th. Not only that, next weekend will see Fucked Up in town. They're out in Nanjing this weekend at the Castle Bar if you fancy hopping on the high speed train to go see them but if you decide to wait until they hit Shanghai, there's plenty to keep you occupied here while you wait.

Or, as you more likely know her, Lin Di - lead singer and pipa player for Cold Fairyland. Tonight marks the release of her ten track solo album, Meet in the Secret Garden. Miyadudu's sound is billed as "warmer" (maybe even a little naughtier) than that of Cold Fairyland. However, we wouldn't expect it to be a million miles away from the traditional Chinese instrument-led folk/rock that Cold Fairyland have made their name playing. You can find out for yourself just how much warmer the style is by heading down to Yuyintang at 9pm.

This week's big music story in Shanghai has clearly been the Oasis debacle (even if some people insist on misreporting it). Local music hacks have really gone to town on the British theme, cracking out puns like they were auditioning for a job with The Sun and even indulging in some classic tabloid-style "exclusive" wars and bitchiness.

With the Oasis cancellation and rumors swirling around that 0093 - the underground practice space for most of Shanghai's bands - could possibly be closed down for the Expo, local music fans were in need of some good news.

Maybe Shanghai's local music scene people were all at last Sunday's Oscars and are thus still sleeping off the hangovers, but things are pretty quiet in terms of live music this weekend. Still, thankfully, there is a little something for all you band lovers to attach yourselves to.

Once-relevant Britpop legends Oasis are the latest band being touted to appear in Shanghai during 2009.

Christmas is over, and like many others, Shanghaiist is still nursing a hangover from all the holiday cheer received on our trip back home. Lucky for us, we came back at a perfect time, with many exciting gigs coming up in January. Here is a look at the shows we don't plan on missing out on......

January in Shanghai tends to be a cold, slow month for live music. But it looks like 2009 is going to start of with a bang....and a pretty huge bang at that. On January 3rd cult heroes the Queers will be playing at Yuyintang in what will be the biggest punk concert in Shanghai in.....well, ever (we don't consider Avril Lavigne punk, sorry). Forming in the early 80s, the Queers came out with their first lp in 1990 on Lookout! Records which has been followed by a slew of other on Asian Man, Lookout! and Hopeless. Just having a band like this play in Shanghai is exciting, the fact that DOA, Godfathers of Canadian punk, will also be playing here is mind blowing. Also at Yuyintang they are performing on the 11th (their myspace hasn't been updated). DOA is a band that Nirvana, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Rancid and many more have mentioned as an early influence on their music. Along with Black Flag, Minor Threat and the Cro-Mags they are credited with starting the Hardcore movement in North America in the late 70s. What more of a reason would you need than that?

Usually weekdays in Shanghai are fairly dead when it comes to gigs, but this week there is a slew of shows worth checking out. Jens Lekman will be playing two, much anticipated shows at JZ Club on Wednesday and at Glamour Bar on Thursday. This gives you two chances to check out why so many people are excited about the appearance of this Swedish indie-pop crooner.

November has been a good month for live music and this Saturday the Subs are back in town to finish off the month in style with a show at the Zhi Jiang Dream Factory. Deemed the best live band in China by many magazine scribes, their moshes are a good way to escape the cold winter chill that will no doubt engulf the open roofed Hongkou Stadium during the Kylie Minogue concert. Joining the Subs are one of the most talked about new Beijing bands, the Molds, and depending on who you talk with sound similar to the Cramps or Jesus and Mary Chain...either way Shanghaiist is getting excited. If you can't wait till Saturday for some live action, head to Yuyintang on Friday where the Molds will be playing with Rogue Transmission and Loudspeaker.