Results tagged “indie”

As many independent films aren't welcome on the cinema charts and often only get public screening in connection with film festivals, one should definitely take the chance when these low budget, yet high quality movies finally appear on a silver screen. Now this opportunity has reached Shanghai's own independent film director, Kevin Kai Huang (黄凯), and his movie Park Shanghai. Well, at least on Sundays... during the month of September...

We had a chat with R3 of S.T.D. Promotions (the people who brought us Ratatat in May) about his work on tonight's launch of Shanghai's newest bar and live music venue, Not Me. We also got to take a look around the place on Dongping Lu, and while it's not the biggest venue in town, it's definitely got potential for some great parties.

Party animals that we are, we were absolutely thrilled to find out that Shanghai was getting another live music venue. Not Me, a bar/lounge on Dongping Lu, will soon be hosting a score of Indie / Indie Electro / Electroclash / Dance Rock acts in the French Concession. But before we start rooting for Cut Copy or Friendly Fires to make their way over to (or at least get copious dance floor play in) Shanghai, there first must be a grand opening!

Underground hip hop act People Under the Stairs have flown all the way from Los Angeles to play one night at The Shelter. Consisting of Thes One and Double K, the group has been putting on amazing live shows since the late 1990s. Just before their Shelter debut, PUTS gave Shanghaiist the low down on hip hop, being in China, and buying fake DVDs.

For those who weren't able to make it to Yuyintang last Saturday, here's a glimpse of the action. HedgeHog is amazing to watch live, and the crowd went crazy (literally, as in jumping dancing when there was already almost zero sardine-packed standing space).

Enduring eight straight days of work ahead of the Golden week? Take this opportunity to let off some steam and get out and hit what Shanghaiist thinks that Shanghai has to offer before you either vamoose out of town or bunker down to avoid the May 1st Holiday crush.

Further proof that indie rock is this decade's grunge and thanks to its burgeoning popularity and "hipness" is doomed to die a slow, watered down, homogenized death (and will probably lead to another reactionary slew of Britneys and boy bands in about eight years or so): Vogue China has a story about "indie music" in its June 2006 issue.

Michael Ohlsson, underground DJ