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 ›

This week Three Chord Truth brings us the third edition of the BooshKaBaash music festival and Split Works celebrates their 5-year anniversary with five nights of concerts. So much happening, let's just skip the pleasantries and get right to it. more ›

If you're interested in being part of the team that's putting on next year's Jue Festival taking place in Shanghai and Beijing, then here are the details. Split Works, the same people who brought you the Black Rabbit Festival, is looking for passionate interns who're way LEET when it comes to Chinese and international alternative music, and also possess the requisite language skills, ability to work in a team, and other such employment jargon. more ›

Years of planning by Split Works and Taihe Live finally paid off last weekend with a killer all-day festival at northern Pudong's Shanghai Rugby Club. It was a veritable marathon of music, dancing, sun and beer, and we're sure Monday morning didn't come easy for many attendees (it certainly didn't for us.) more ›

Did the government issue an edict to let a hundred music festivals blossom this year? In what looks to be a festival that will actually showcase acts we'd be giddy to see, The Black Rabbit Festival will feature the likes of Hip-Hop heavies Ludacris and Grandmaster Flash, mall-rockers 30 Seconds to Mars, Indie persons Titus Andronicus, Perfume Genius and Gold Panda, and the cream of the Chinese rock niche, including 2007-08 "It" kids Carsick Cars and punk pioneers PK14. OMG, and Hebe from the girl group S.H.E. will also be performing? YES! more ›

It's been a little slow lately for live music, but it's gonna be a really hectic month in March. Aside from some world-famous performers, starting on the 12th until April 3, JUE festival: The Anti-Hibernation will be providing three weeks of "eclectic artsy dopeness." more ›

Stockholm native and "electronic futurist" Axel Willner a.k.a. The Field will be heading to Yuyintang on Saturday and is one of this month's must catch acts. Not only has he toured with !!!, LCD Soundsystem and Juan Maclean, he's also built up quite a name of his own. more ›

This year's JUE FestivalMusic + Art Festival, a celebration of the alternative, creative and progressive arts in Shanghai and Beijing, was tons of fun. For those who missed it, or those who want to relive moments of it, organizers Splitworks, in collaboration with Daedalum Films, have now put up a documentary of the event on Vimeo. more ›

We here at Shanghaiist have been fans of Caribou (official site) since our very first year of existence (and even before Shanghaiist existed and Caribou was known as Manitoba). So we hope to see a bunch of you tonight at the Dream Factory for what should be a great show. more ›

One of the best live shows to hit Shanghai last year was Canadian indie band Handsome Furs' energy packed set at Yuyintang (we're not just saying that, it was top on our list of Best Music of 2009), so it's awesome to learn that they're coming to China yet again at the end of summer. more ›

As if to signal the end of another dreary winter, this Spring brings the 2010 JUE Music + Art Festival. A celebration of the alternative, creative and progressive arts in Shanghai with no branding, no restrictions and no hidden agenda, JUE is an excuse not to be cooped up in your apartment. more ›

Andrew Bird, playing for the first time ever in China to a sold out crowd at Zhijiang Dream Factory. In one of the few times he engaged in stage banter during the two hour long set (impressive!), he commented, "[Shanghai] seems like it could be a real tough place to live." Indeed. more ›

Archie arrived in China in 2005 to set up a company that focused on building both the music industry from the ground up and generating compelling creative and content for brands that have a youth bias. Split Works book and produce tours all around China and Southeast Asia, and curate and produce festivals and brand campaigns — outdoor monster Yue Festival (watch out for this returning in 2010), the International Music and Arts Festival JUE | Music | Art, Bacardi Sino Sessions, Converse Love Noise, etc. He writes a blog on the Chinese Music Industry called China Music Radar and manages a Chinese language only blog on the music industry in China called Wooozy. more ›

Last year's JUE Festival was an awesome one-two punch of art and music that hit us in the dead of winter. This year, SplitWorks has been kind enough to push it back a couple of months so that hopefully we won't freeze our little booties off trying to get to their shows. JUE 2010 will be from March 12 to 29. But who will be showing? more ›

Oh happy day! After the Handsome Furs came and left, we didn't think we'd be hit by another act we'd look forward to so gleefully so soon. But now our sources at Split! have told us that - barring any weird visa issues/sudden changes in show regulations - ANDREW BIRD will be heading here in late January 2010. YES! more ›

In case you couldn't tell about how excited we got before they even came, we heart the Handsome Furs. We chatted with them before their show at Yuyintang, we photographed them rocking the stage (and found other online photosets too) and... more ›

So we always get pretty excited about the bands Split Works brings over, but this has got us literally jumping up and down in our rooms in glee. The Handsome Furs, the indie rock duo project of Wolf Parade's Dan Boeckner and his wife Alexei Perry, are going to hit up Yu Yin Tang on September 5th. Tickets will be 80RMB at the door, and 70RMB if you book it early through Taobao or by email. Opening acts are yet to be decided, but heck - we don't care who's up on stage with them... the Handsome Furs are coming. THE HANDSOME FURS ARE COMING! more ›

Ghostface Killah rocked out Wu-Tang style in Shanghai last Sunday night, June 14 at the WTF Club in Red Town (which some of you may have known as the old hip hop club, Candy). With the artist originally facing visa complications, many were worried he wouldn't actually make it to Shanghai. But in the end, Split Works! stuck to their word and helped deliver an incredible show. Support from local musicians - including Red Star, Ne Zha and Didjelirium - pumped up the crowd before the main act. more ›

Or at least Shanghai. The story of live hip hop in our city (MC Hotdog aside) is generally one of rumour and disappointment. Remember when Nas tore ish up at Racks? Or when Jay Z wowed a packed crowd at Hongkou Stadium? No, us neither. That's largely because it didn't happen. Sure, we had Kanye go through the motions in a half empty stadium last year, but that's been pretty much it. This weekend though, might just make up for all the hurt. more ›

The competition to open for Wu-tang Clan's Ghostface Killah rages on! If you're curious about the hopefuls trying out their rhymes andbattlin' it out for the spot at his Shanghai show, head over to Splitworks' Douban site. We've got seven aspiring rappers right now with Ne Zha's "Rude of Us" and bLow mc's "Money Make the World Go Round" heading the pack. Feel like you've got the chops to kick them out of the running? You've still got til June 9th to lay down your best moves. Ghostface Killah will be playing at Zhijiang Dream Factory on June 14. more ›

We remember how psyched we were when we first got our hands on Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), so we're absolutely thrilled at this piece of news: Ghostface Killah is coming to Shanghai on June 14 (after stopping over in Beijing the day before)! And even better, he wants local talent to share his bill with him. So if you're an MC or DJ or singer with aspirations to open for one of the biggest acts in hip hop, head to the Douban/Splitworks contest site. Competition begins on May 14 and will end on June 9. more ›

Canadian Jewish rap is truly something to behold. And tonight, you'll be able to behold it at Yu Yin Tang when Socalled (aka Josh Dolgin) hits the stage. Socalled is known for mixing hip hop with slightly less street sounds - drum & bass, folk music and klezmer. more ›

"Split Works is saddened to announce that P.K.14's drummer Jonney has broken his foot! Though the band was scheduled to open for New York rockers Battles this weekend, it looks like they'll have to sit this one out...Wishing Jonney a speedy recovery. Fans are welcome to send virtual flowers and cards to jonneygetbetter at spli-t dot com. Fear not! We've rustled up not just 1, but 2 intrepid acts in each city to sub for P.K.14, bringing with them a spacey, lo-fi, hi-fi, fiercely experimental and eclectic sound; fitting support for the futuristic noise of Battles." In Shanghai, Mr. Particle and AV Okubo will be filling P.K.14's shoes. more ›

The Young Knives — all the way from Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire — with support from local bands Boys Climbing Ropes and The Sonnet at Shanghai's Zhijiang Dream Factory on Friday, March 6. Thanks to Split for another great night of live music! more ›

Remember back in January when you had nothing to do and then, suddenly, out popped a ten-day festival filled with art and music and people to mosh away the winter with? Relive some of the highlights of the Jue Festival, brought to you by Split! Works (who are, incidentally, bringing us Young Knives at Zhijiang Dream Factory this weekend)! more ›

Shanghaiist was lucky enough to hang out with Jose Gonzalez for his first night performing in Shanghai. After a delicious meat-free meal at Jujube Tree (aka Vegetarian Lifestyle) — Jose is a vegetarian — we went off to be thrilled by his performance at the Children's Art Theater on Huashan Lu. Jose played the greatest hits from his last two albums, including "How Low" from In Our Nature and his cover of The Knife's "Heartbeats." more ›

More photos on the Shanghaiist Contribute page. To see your photos on our Contribute page, use Flickr and tag your photos “shanghaiist”. Or you can email your photos to photos@shanghaiist.com and they will automatically appear on our site (and here). more ›

So last week we thought summer in the city had come early - temperatures were pushing mid-20s and the sun was shining. This week temperatures have rocketed back down to single figures. Ridiculous. Luckily, you can warm yourself with some quality live music this week - starting tonight. more ›

It was raunchy and raw, rockin' and raucous... and now it's over. The two night line up this weekend started out on Friday with Shanghai-based pop-rockers Pinkberry, DJ Sacco and an amazing set from Beijing's Demerit - easily one of the best bands on the alternative scene right now. And on Saturday, Maybe Mars outdid themselves, bringing us AV Okubo, Snapline, Ourself Beside Me and Carsick Cars. Special thanks to Split Works for bringing us two weeks of artistic mayhem. Please sir, may we have another? more ›

Via City Weekend we learn that the documentary film about last year's Converse-sponsored (and Split Works organized) Love Noise rock music tour of China is now viewable at a DVD player near you. Love Noise put Beijing bands PK14 and Queen Sea Big Shark on a converted bus and sent them on a two-week, six-city tour during the height of Olympics craziness last August. The trailer to the Love Noise film is embedded in this post, and after the jump you'll find a slew of related clips, uploaded to YouTube six days ago. The director's first name is Hammer, so it's got to be good. more ›