Whether you take your indie pop rock West coast from your dorm room or East coast from your grungy Brooklyn apartment, Shanghai has something for all of you come this spring! Following the enormous names at Black Rabbit last year, Split Works keeps hauling them in for 2012 - this time in the form of US indie sensations Death Cab for Cutie and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. more ›

Midweek Music Preview is our weekly rundown of everything happening on stages across the city. On the docket this week: Yuyintang seems to be the place to go this week, with electrifying musical performances almost every day, with The 88's, The Illumin8tors, and Friend or Foe, as well as mini-music fests Sound Wonderland and Dakou! And if that's still not enough, head over to our calendar for more. more ›

This weekend MESH is happening, and even if you have no idea what that is you should thank them for bringing us DIPLO! MESH stands for Music Exchange Social Hub and they're throwing a really neat two-day event designed to foster conversation between music industry leaders in China and the next generation of up-and-coming talent. You can find all the details over at their website. There's plenty more happening, so read on or check out our calendar for more! more ›

The May Day holiday (International Worker's Day, whatever) this weekend means an explosion of music festivals around China. Two of them are close by if you fancy a road trip: The Strawberry Music Festival in Suzhou and the Nanjing International Music Festival, where you can catch big names like Carsick Cars and SUBS (if you missed them in Shanghai.) If not, stick around Shanghai and catch excellent Japanese post-rockers MONO, and plenty of other local rock happening around town. Read on for highlights, or check out our calendar for more! more ›

This week is fairly dead as far as international acts go, but there's plenty of local talent to fill in the gaps! We've got Chinese metal bands at MAO Livehouse, the monthly Fever Machines show, and some earthy Taiwanese folk music. We only list the highlights here at Midweek Music Preview, so if you're looking for full listings check out our calendar! more ›

We're now in the fourth and final week of JUE Festival, so get off your couch and get 'em while they're hot! Despite some unforeseen problems cropping up over at the new MAO Livehouse, JUE has confirmed their closing shows there on Friday and Saturday. So look forward to some Beijing pop rockers and Japanese orchestral synth, respectively. And if those aren't your bag, see our other highlights below or check out our calendar for everything else! more ›

Apparently there are troubles brewing over at the newly-opened MAO Livehouse, now involving canceled shows and disgruntled parties a-plenty! We were a bit skeptical last week when two acts were scheduled for Friday night, and apparently things went about as un-smoothly as imagined when they tried to shuffle Shanren in and out before hosting Paul Kalkbrenner. Then on Saturday Hanggai was canceled, along with the rest of MAO's lineup this week (but sparing, thank god, JUE's closing weekend.) more ›

Once again, the week is utterly jam packed with live music. JUE Festival is still chugging along, and they're in it to win it this Friday with some Yunnan-ese rock at the MAO Livehouse grand reopening! Finally, the city's venues are all back in action. Save yourself some energy, though, because we've also got Mongolian rockers Hanggai, local band Moon Tyrant's CD release, and some indie rock form Holland! Read on for all of our top pics, or check out our calendar for everything else! more ›

After being let go by their landlord in Red Town on Huaihai Xi Lu, Mao Livehouse wasted no time finding a comeback spot. Their new location is right next to the highway in the third floor of what, at first glance, seemed like an office building. Remarkably, they've managed to keep the same feel and roughly the same size of Mao Livehouse 1.0. more ›

Good thing it's Friday, and for many of us - that means Chinese New Year break! Bl*&y week took so damn long to get through, so here's our reward - book swapping, music jamming, and...movies about sex? Bet the last one caught your attention, so go ahead and read on about what Shanghai has in store for you this coming weekend. And if that's still not enough, head over to our calendar for more. more ›

Shanghaiist lists all the live music performances you might want to check out from now to Sunday this week. For fun things that aren't live music, take a peek at our Pencil This In (out every Monday!) or the all-inclusive calendar. more ›

It's looking pretty bleak for the local music scene this winter. Yuyintang has announced plans to undergo renovations, closing in January and reopening as late as March. I'm thinking they could do without the backwards sloping floor (somehow tiny Asian girls always get stuck back there) and those elevated tables in the back. Who sits there anyway? more ›

Danish garage rock duo The Raveonettes will be popping by Mao Livehouse in Shanghai on Sunday, followed by a trip to Beijing on Tuesday. Austinist described them as "one of Quentin Tarantino's soundtracks in a blender. Fifties and sixties riffs are coupled with bursts of noise, hypnotic drum beats, Everly Brothers-inspired harmonies, and guitar lines that range from the surf rock sublime to riotous solos straight off an early Dinosaur Jr. record." more ›

An 80's time machine must have rolled into Mao Livehouse on Friday night. Either that or Queen Sea Big Shark. Photos by Jeremy Breningstall. more ›

For those of you who wanted to check Boys Noize on Friday, isn't it crazy how quick the pre-sale sold out? Our good friends at S.T.D. wanted us to tell you: they've made more! A limited amount of tickets are available tonight at LOgO (13 Xingfu Lu, near Fahuazhen Lu) from 9pm. Please look for the Boys Noize sign when you enter...this will be the last chance to purchase Boys Noize tickets before the show. Boys Noize performs at 10pm at Mao Livehouse (570 Huaihai Lu Near Hong Qiao Lu) on Friday. more ›

All the things you want to do this Monday to Thursday in Shanghai. On the schedule this week: Candian Thanksgiving, Dave Chappelle, and the World Photography Festival. Read on (or check out our calendar) for more! more ›

As you can tell by the title, the big news this week is international superstars Panic! At the Disco's first ever performance in Shanghai this Saturday. Panic! At the Disco is an American band from Las Vegas famous for their stylish outfits and odd use of exclamation points. Shows in the States have included circus performers and crazy goth outfits - it'll be interesting to see what they bring to Mao Livehouse this Saturday. more ›

This week, get acquainted with one of Asia's biggest pop stars, or with local musicians making a name for themselves on the Shanghai scene. There's a little something for everyone with dubstep blended house music, a reggae-jazz fusion, East Coast hip hop and 3D-assisted electro. more ›

In 2007, three friends sat down together at local dive bar C’s and decided to take a proactive role in changing a part of Shanghai night life important to the them: the underground music scene. Three short years later and S.T.D. - the music promotional team that bar talk birthed - has become one of the very best in Shanghai. more ›

British rock legend, Mani, a member of The Stone Roses and now of Freebase and Primal Scream, comes to Shanghai this evening (Friday April 16th) for the first gig of a two stop China tour. Mani will be supporting Puressence, another UK act also from the city of Manchester, with a dj set at Shanghai's Mao Livehouse this evening. more ›

Two big acts are coming to Shanghai’s Mao Livehouse this Friday (April 16th). Hailing from the UK, Puressence and Mani (Gary Mounfield), of Stone Roses and Primal Scream fame, are visiting China for the first time on a two stop, two-gig tour of Shanghai and Beijing. Here’s Shanghaiist’s interview with Puressence’s bass guitarist Kevin Matthews. An interview with Mani, who will be doing a dj-set, coming this Friday. more ›

Oh come on! Shanghai only just finally got a decent mid-large venue for rock acts and now Mao Livehouse might soon be a goner. Allegedly, says China Music Radar, the owners of the real estate that Mao Livehouse sits on have decided that they can make a ton more money by tearing down that area of Red Town and turning it into... well, nobody's sure, though CNNGo says "high-rise apartment complex." Update! The organizers say that reports of their demise are greatly exaggerated: "Soma and Bad News (the Japanese investors) are committed to continuing Mao regardless of the physical space. The landlord has assured them that if/when they lose the lease, it will be with ample advance notice for them to find a new venue." Phew, good to hear! more ›

Shanghaiist lists all the live music performances you might want to check out from now to Sunday this week. For fun things that aren't live music, take a peek at our Pencil This In (out every Monday!) more ›

Way before Lady Gaga even hit puberty, Peaches was on stage grinding to explicit electroclash and talking about being a hermaphrodite. And now, she's coming to Shanghai. According to Cityweekend, the Canadian songstress (best known by some for that Fuck the Pain Away song in Lost in Translation) will be coming to Mao Livehouse on April 24. We love it! more ›

So those free Maybe Mars tickets we told you we'd give away earlier this week - good job to Sean Dickinson and Stephanie Liu for being the quickest on the draw, sending us emails so quick the contest was over almost as soon as it began. For the rest of you, even if you have to pay that 80RMB at the door, it's totally worth it. Not only will you get to see Chinese rock gods P.K. 14, girl rock powerhouses Ourself Beside Me, dancey anthem wailers 24 Hours and fun pop punk newcomers Rustic will be hitting the stage as well. Plus, drinks at Mao Livehouse (570 Huaihai Xi Lu near Hongqiao Lu 淮海西路570号 近红桥路) always fall on the cheap side! more ›

Given how sensitive officials are about the Shanghai World Expo (we hear from one anonymous magazine worker that the slightest jokes about Haibao are censured heavily from even expat mags), we suppose this news is kind of inevitable. Still, it is to our great disappointment to hear that Top Floor Circus' anti-Shanghai tune, Shanghai Doesn't Welcome You is now nowhere to be found. more ›

Electrolist, by Shanghai Ultra of the VOID crew, gives the lowdown on the Shanghai electronic music scene each week, with picks, tips, news, and other rumors. more ›

Photos by Jeremy Breningstall. more ›

From time to time, Electrolist does stray a bit from what is considered electronic music, just to keep things interesting. But we are doing nothing of the sort today, as tonight a man who is something of an innovator in minimal techno - Richie Hawtin - will be playing at Mao Livehouse. more ›

Shanghaiist lists all the live music performances you might want to check out from now until Sunday this week. For fun things that aren't live music, take a peek at our Pencil This In that's out every Monday! more ›