Wednesday Feb 8th:

Hot Cat Club of Beijing @ Modernista:
I’ve covered these guys multiple times before and they remain one of the more talented acts roaming the cafes of Beijing. 1920s flavored Jazz well played and well done in a cool little environment! I’m not sold on Modernista as a venue for live music but it’s been full pretty much every time i’ve gone there. Should be a cool party!

Thursday Feb 9th:

Nathaniel Gao & Liu Yue @ Jianghu:
Some more good jazz in store with two recognized names in the industry. Liu Yue cut his chops as part of Cui Jian’s band whereas Gao has been around the scene for a while playing with just about every Jazz musician. There’s gonna be some undeniable talent in here folks!

Friday Feb 10th

Wu Hongfei @ Yugong Yishan
She’s pretty, she’s got a mean voice, she’s talented and known for causing trouble. Wu Hongfei‘s last gig at Yugong Yishan was stop ahem.. censor ..ahem… didn’t take place. Her friendship with a notorious bearded artist was blamed! Here she’s at it again along with a bunch of other musicians starting the Valentine’s Day onslaught a full 4 days early. GAngzi, Zhao Lei and a few others will be there to show you a romantic time cough cough..

Pangbianr Night @ Old What?
D22 might have closed but that doesn’t mean the end of pangbianr. Josh is moving along and it looks like the Old What bar is the chosen destination. I can’t pretend I like or understand any of the noise rock stuff they’re doing but i have this uncanny curiosity to learn more about it.

Immanu El & Glowcurve @ Mao Live:
Yeah, I know. I’m writing about a post rock show! But these Swedish post-rockers are kickstarting their China tour friday at Mao Live! I’m not gonna be here for it but it should be a good event for those that like that type of music. Beijing postrock darlings, Glow Curve, open for them. Interesting choice for Mao’s return.. here’s hoping they get back to Rocking soon

Saturday Feb 11th

Opeth @ Tango:
Swedish Metal monsters, Opeth, visit Beijing. They’re one of the few progressive metal bands around that makes an effort to explore other genres and sounds, even incorporating the melodies in the songs. I haven’t heard their most recent stuff but I’m sure this will be a blast! Expect the Royalty of Beijing Metal to all answer the call. It’s teh one show this week that might have more musicians than non-musos in it.

Jorma Kaukonen @ Yugong Yishan:
Quick.. Who’s the only that’s played woodstock, altamont and the monterey jazz festival, also a rock n roll hall of famer, that played yugong yishan? No one yet! but this saturday, this will change when Jorma Kaukonen ( Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna) plays there Saturday with good friends, The Randy Abel Stable, opening for him. We don’t get many of these guys visiting Beijing, especially not the ones that are not all washed up and living off their mediocrity. This will be a good show for those with a blues bone.

a bunch of other shows are taking place all over town so you’re pretty much be able to get your fix anywhere!

Wednesday Feb 1st:

Hot Club of Beijing @ Modernista
a little minouche Jazz is a comfortable – albeit cold- hutong setting. It’s not a bad midweek option to get you over the hump! The band plays good old Jazz classics and Modernista is perfect for this type of event. It’s been pretty full the last few weeks but I must report that it’s a little cold in there! Don’t expect to roll around in a jacket.

Friday Feb 3rd

Dimefest 10 @ 13Club:
Metal mania re-awakes in Beijing as 13 Club is the first to get a huge show going. They have a nice lineup of metalheads geared up for headbanging and mosh-pitting with Never Before, Beyond Redemption, Forced Pose and a few more. Now that D-22 is gone, this is pretty much the only reliable music venue in wudaokou.

Devils at the Crossroads @ Temple
The devils are back from their road trip to Shanxi and they will be waiting for you at the altar. there will be rock, there will be roll, there will be antics and there will be fun! I’m really getting into these guys nowadays.

Saturday Feb 4th:

February Book Swap & Board Games @ Sequoia:
The monthly meeting and swap takes place from 2 to 6 pm inside the jianguomen diplomatic compound. Good people, good coffee, chilled atmosphere and good times usually prevail. It’s a nice way to cozy up on a Saturday afternoon.

Bob Marley Tribute at Yugong Yishan
The yearly reggae reunion is one hell of a good way to kickstart the Dragon for YGYS. This year, we have ABIJAH (jamaica) and Beijing’s MITABE. Expect dreadlocks, smoke, cool chilaxed people and a whole bunch of DJ around the place. This one has kinda become a yearly tradition in the jing so folks are gonna show up in numbers.

Bob Marley Day @ Temple
Considering the dreadlock credentials of the establishment, you can’t expect them not to try and pay tribute to the ultimate rastaman. They got Shaddai, a roots reggae band, playing that night and i have never heard them before. They’re fun though and pretty much everyone is at temple these days.. so why aren’t you?

This foursome has been around for a little while now but finally settled on this line-up of the band just about a year ago if I’m not mistaken… since then, they basically blew the roof wide open and have exploded unto the scene. I’ve had the pleasure of watching them at 2 Kolegas, Temple, jianghu, Salud and a few other places around town but somehow I never get around to writing about them… well, here I am!

Temple goers in Unison for Hey Jude

I made it to temple saturday night around 9:30 to find the place pretty hopping with a crowd that obviously came there to see them, much like the previous time. The band did what you’d expect them to do, going through The Beatles diverse catalogue without skipping a beat. They had showmanship, quality, charisma and a commitment to entertainment judging by how they zoned those outfits and wigs despite it feeling like 45 degrees on stage.

What made the show at Temple special is that the crowd would not let the band off stage! They had a 7 song encore much to the delight of everyone present, including yours truly! Honestly folks, having these lads play is becoming a fun fun event and in many cases a more reliable and enjoyable musical adventure than many of the crappy concerts we’re subjected to in this town. Did I mention the show was free? and the place full of Beijing based musicians singing along like any other fans.

I mentioned before how chunjie was a slim affair in terms of shows around Beijing with the usual suspects all off bringing in the year of the dragon with their families… all except the cray dedicated fuckers at TEmpel who kept the candle high (more on that some other time). Still, there were shows just about every night and The Beijing Beatles had the show of the week.

(i forgot my camera that day so some pictures from http://thebeijingbeatles.com/ )

image from LEmonGraphics

Wednesday Jan 25th

Bluewolf @ Temple:
They’re described in the following words: “Bluewolf music style is a blend of flamenco and gipsy mixed with some touches of reggae & Xinjiangese folk music”.. sounds intriguing enough for me to check them out. Thanks to T, I’m getting into more minority music, especially Uighur and Kazakh.

Blackwater @ Modernista
Up on Baochao hutong, Modernista is starting to make some noise with their mix of style, drinks and personality. They’ve also been getting a steady diet of chilled mellow music! Tonight, they got the Irish flavored melodies of Blackwater. I haven’t seen Desmond and his gang play in quite some time so this could be a good day for that.

Thursday Jan 26th:

Saudade e Alegria @ Modernista
How about some Brazilian bossa nova? Again, I don’t know much about these kids but they’ve been the resident Thursday band over at Modernista and they can’t be that bad if they’ve played a few weeks in a row.. right? That’s what they tell me. Maybe a good opportunity to be open minded and check something else out.

Djan San @ Temple
Ze Frenchie is at it again with his mix of electro folk weirdness. I’m not the biggest fan of his experimentation but then again, I’m not a fan of sampling in general. Some people do like it so it’s worth a listen at least once. I know, it’s a resounding endorsement!

Friday Jan 27th:

Toy Head @ Temple:
From what I hear, it’s SKA flavored tunes by some folks who’ve been around the music industry for a while… again, sorry but not much to go on! slim pickings baby

Saturday Jan 28th:

Beijing Beatles @ Temple
Alright.. finally a band we actually know and can guarantee. These cats have taken Beijing by storm and their act works… everyone knows the songs and tends to sing along so what’s not to like? Get a few drinks, a few laughs, a few sing alongs and a lot of good times.

As you can see folks, it’s Temple, Temple and more Temple with a little Modernista thrown in there. The Electro Disco crowd is in much better shape with a few parties at Haze, Spark etc… but we don’t get into those, do we?

Their show at Temple, on the first week of the year, will probably go down as one of the best ones for 2012 potentially: When they were underwhelming at Jianghu for the CD release, they sounded great at Temple.. no doubt that the cavernous nature of the room provided better acoustics to match their dark, industrial, metallic rumbling sounds.

There was actually quite a turnout for the occasion, most of which were faces i hadn’t seen at Temple before so you could tell that they came specifically for IZ.. An audience that was very much well behaved and in a trance-like state during most of the performance. They barely broke the silence from time to time to clap but otherwise kept the conversation to a minimum. Much like the band one could argue. An interesting change in dynamics was with 努尔太 Nuertai singing a bit more than usual, almost more so than Mamer himself (if we can call his mumbling singing).

I still struggle to describe these guys but I think i might be settling for this sentence coined by my friend Beagleboss: If a steel mill could sing, that’s what it would sound like. It’s growing on me! It’s quite fitting, especially with the dark images they tend to use as a backdrop.

As much as I like to call it Industrial Kazakh Folk, I see the steel mill analogy as more accurate. How else would you describe a band that has two bass players and a drummer? and no, Drum n Bass, however semantically correct, just doesn’t cut it.

Either way, this band is amazing and there’s a reason why their latest album made it in my TOP 5 Chinese Albums of 2011. It’s that freaking good!

I had been waiting a long time for this gig where Muma & Third Party, latest incarnation, come up to Beijing and give us the goods they’ve been working on for a few years. It’s pretty much a whole new band with new dynamics, even between the only two remaining members who are Muma himself and Mico ( I stand corrected on the original members). Yugong was decently full for the occasion despite it being a cold december wednesday evening. The place was decked out with floating banners that reflected a matrix-esque random pattern of numbers.

The band is all grown up, wiser and quite dark… The voice still sets the tone for everything else around but now, the music follows and matches. it tiptoeing a line between industrial and gothic sounds, very much along the lines of NIN and Joy Division… heck, i might be able to argue if i cared enough that that particular wednesday, MTP did Joy Division better than Joy Division on some songs.

The concert lasted almost 2 hours with the band going through some classics. I especially liked the reworked, more organic version of “feifei run” that had the audience singing aloud along. It worked amazingly well with Muma on vocals and Guan Wei (who’s not bad) on acoustic guitar, I mean that’s the Muma I love, making use of his most powerful instrument: his voice! and make no mistake, that voice is freaking good! Not to mention his style is just as intense as ever…

The new stuff got a bit of a humho reception with the audience just not expecting the extra effects and all that industrial noise added. Neither did I… One exception was the song 纳迪 (Nadi) which had that slow grind groove going for it and had Miserable Faith’s Gao Hu helping out on vocals.
As an example, 无可救药 (Hopeless) sounds much better on the record than live: Don’t get me wrong, I love the guy’s voice and I’m a big fan of the music on the new record but they’re not always on sync… he’s pretty much singing at the same tempo no matter how fast or how slow the song is and that just doesn’t work. On another note,Gao Yufeng, of Brain Failure fame, is really proving to be one of the better Bass players in China right now… I’m digging him onstage.

Evolution ( THe new record) is definitely a big departure from the previous release, Velvet Highway, which i still consider the band’s better work… a beautiful dark, fascinating and powerful record. While Muma himself is still the main creative source of the band, you can’t help but notice that the other players have also made some marks on the music, especially Mico, as evidenced by some of the live stuff. I expected better out of the record but I liked the live show!

Here is the live version of feifeirun from that evening… good for chills down a spine:

This version of Third Party has some really good growth potential IMHO and Muma himself has grown wiser by the sounds of things. The Evolution is underway (pun intended)… It really feels like this is a band playing and doing things as opposed to one lead singer and his hired guns… and that’s not bad!

Let’s hope we don’t have to wait almost 4 years for the next CD.

First up is this fantastic guide to Chinese musical styles on Timeout Beijing courtesy of Wang Ge..
http://www.timeoutbeijing.com/features/Music/14310/Chinese-musical-genres.html
This little piece should be mandatory reading and good reference the next time you’re in a gulou bar arguing with hipsters… Learn the differences between Tibetan Folk and Dai traditions, your mandopop from your cantopop and more!
seriously, it’s a great resource! Thanks Wang Ge.

reTROS, one of my favorite bands, have updated their weibo! They’re gearing up for a busy busy 2012 with festivals in China and overseas. Expect a new album out at some point in May! They have recorded this little baby up in New York apparently. Now that is good news to my ears! re-TROS are one of my favorite mainland based bands.

One of my favorite scandinavian guilty pleasures, Roxette, is set to return to Beijing after 17 years… oh yeah! They’re set to play the Mastercard center on March 12th according to China.org . The Swedish duo was one of the first foreign acts to play mainland china back in the days!

While we’re at it, Avril Lavigne is also headed to Beijing in February for a show at the same Mastercard Arena… I’m not a big fan really but there is a whole generation of fans around here. The pop punksters make up a substantial percentage of music goers and they will pay for this one.

Wednesday Jan 11th:

Hasetie’er : You’re Not Alone @ Mako
Mamer, Dawanggang, Wu Tun, Dongzi, Zhang Weiwei, Liu Kun, the Jam Band, Mural, Yerboli (the younger) and more join their musical talents to support a night of giving. The folk community in Beijing/China is amazing in terms of pulling their resources together and helping out those in need! Be there, it’s gonna be amazing!

Thursday Jan 12th:

Liu Kun @ Jianghu:
Low Wormwood’s frontman, Liu Kun, seems to be hanging around Beijing a lot lately. I oughta ask him about his favorite lanzhou mian place in this town when i get a chance. His brand of folk is quite interesting, earthy with western influences. Quite appropriate for a venue like Jianghu. Judging by how popular the gig was at Mako a while back, Jianghu might be packed.

Ma Tiao Album Launch @ Tango:
Well, the album is out. Ma Tiao has literally been around every show played in Beijing this past month. He popped up at Yugong Yishan during Muma’s performance. He was there at Tango during Su Yang’s show and he’s been promoting his new release. The New album is called “Master” or 高手. I’m sure there will be a pletora of guest performers/friends to support and lend a helping hand. I’m not sure how the record is but with Ma Tiao, your mileage might vary with each performance. I’ve seen him rock the house and i’ve seen him crap it out.

Friday the 13th:

Stay home and hide under a blanket… just kidding!

Bad Mamasan @ Temple
It’s been a few months since the last Bad Mamasan outing..equate it to letting the wild beast out of the cage after keeping them in there for far too long. I know J-Curls and Co. are decking the place out with a new drum riser and all kinds of goodies in honor of Friday the 13th. A guaranteed good time! New comers to the scene, Never Before, with Nico of Nakoma/Voodoo Kungfu will take care of the opening duties.

8 for veterans @ Yugong Yishan:
The who’s who of Chinese Rock royalty is getting together under a He Yong initiative to raise money for China’s retired veterans… There will be performances and auction among other thing taking place all night at Yugong. This show popped out of nowhere earlier last week and it’s interesting to see it come together so fast. Live action courtesy of He Yong, Brain Failure, Yaksa Metal, Long Shen Dao, Hao Yun, CMCB and Chi Ren… it’s sounding like a festival listing, ain’t it?

Mohanik @ D-22
The punksters have come all the way from Mongolia’s Ulaanbaatar to help close out this wudaokou institution in style. We’re promised a party that’s gonna go on til the wee hours of the morning.. a good chance to pay tribute/respect one last time…. for this is THE LAST SHOW

Saturday Jan 14th:

The Tea Quintet @ 2 Kolegas
The Beijinger’s Michelle Dai described this better than I could: “Who’d have thought that noise hypnotist Yan Jun, folk maverick Xiao He, academic guqin player Wu Na, underground multi-instrument nomad Li Daiguo and tea master Lao Gu would form a band together? They’ve played two shows in Bern and Basel, and their Beijing debut is scheduled for this month.”
Interesting potential, he? If nothing else, it’s probably the last Hurrah at 2 Kolegas before they shut down for the winter.

Wan Xiaoli @ Mako
Wow.. Mako twice in a quickslant? The Hebei Folkster is ready to close out the year in shuangjing. I haven’t seen him play in quite some time so I have no idea what he’s been up to lately. He was always one of the more pessimistic singers around and I can’t think that this has changed much. The place is sure to be pretty busy as he is quite a legend around here.

Hell City @ Mao
look Ma! They’re all grown up! Hell City is finally getting their act together and releasing their record Saturday at Mao Live. expect Mohawks, punks, Doc Martens and shaved heads around along with the usual suspects.

Let’s get rocking folks!!

IZ [ Kolengke ]

If a steel mill could sing, that’s what it would sound like (thanks Sharon)! This has been one of the better records of the year and that for many reasons. It’s pretty darn different from anything available in China that I managed to get my hands on. If you know of something similar, let me know.
Mamer and his crew just put together a beautiful cacophony of sounds and made it work. It’s dark without being too gloomy. The album is actually beautifully simple despite what seems like elaborate compositions with thundering bass lines and percussions. Back in the days, Kazakhs used to write songs about grasslands and plains where they roamed free. Nowadays, Mamer and IZ are city dwellers, it makes sense that they songs reflect their new lifestyle.This is an album that stands on its own in and outside of China as far as I’m concerned! It doesn’t need nor does it ask for excuses!

Hedgehog [2011 DEstroy meMOries]

yup, Hedgehog! The trio has been extremely active recording and releasing demos, live tracks and even a full fledged album in 2011. Still, Destroy meMOries stands out for me despite it being a collection of out-takes and demos. It’s raw, inspired and just generally good! The band’s new lineup is grown up and has meshed quite well. I like raw edgy sounds in general and this one delivers beyond expectations. I actually had no expectations of this record or any hedgehog record as I never was a fan of their old sound. It’s been changed now and I’m looking forward to seeing them play sometime soon.

Ordnance [ To Become a Citizen]

Not their finest record per say but just having them release a record is something special for this band! They’ve had plenty to deal with over the years between performance bans and record bans. So when this one came out, it was a bit of a surprise! Thing is, the album still stands heads and shoulders above a lot of the crap we get in China that is called Metal. Lyrically, these guys are inspiring, still finding ways to stir shit. This is an EP with balls! Check out the lyrics to the title song for reference.

Long Shen Dao ［ Tai Chi Reggae]

When I first heard Long Shen Dao play years ago, I never thought in a million years that they would release a record that would make it in a “Best Of” list… Boy was I wrong! Tai Chi Reggae is the fruit of years of jamming, playing, experimenting and finally getting the right sounds together. It’s on par, if not superior, to XTX’s reggae record and I would put it pretty much at the top of the pack for 2011 along with IZ. LSD got their mix of Reggae, Dub, Ska right and they’re paving the way for a new generation of dreadlocked musicians. Another record that doesn’t ask or need excuses. Just beautifully done and executed.

Proximity Butterfly [ Reprieve]

The Chengdu quartet delivered one of the most elaborate records to come out of the mainland this year! It is inspired, dreamy and well composed! The record combines Tibetan hymns with 70s inspired stoner rock, psychedelic grooves and soulful vocals. Tiptoes of Shiva is one haunting song that I have had stuck in my head for a few months. The album is a finely crafted piece that takes the listener on a beautiful and captivating sonic journey that screams “Genuine”. I was a bit disappointed when i say them live but that doesn’t take anything away from this beautiful piece.

Honorary mentions must go to Bad Mamasan’s Jeanine the Wolverine, Rustic’s City of Heartbreak and Horror as well as The Amazing Insurance Salesmen’s Escape. Voodoo Kungfu’s Dark World as well as Rainbow Danger Club’s Where Maps End are worth a mention.
A couple of records came out at the tail end of 2010 that could have been considered but i limited myself to releases from the calendar year 2011. So if you have time, look up Namo, Su Yang and Zhao Yiran for some pretty sweet records.

There you have it folks… These are the best of the best as far as I’m concerned! What did you think?

AK47 @ MIDI:

Never been a huge AK47 fan but this past MIDI, they put on the performance of a lifetime! The crowd was all in it at the side stage, moshing, screaming, jumping, singing…. IT was a trance-like state for almost everyone there! The music was heavy, loud, sharp like a razor blade and was the perfect accompaniment for dust storms.

The Black Snakes @ ‘dazeFEAST:

Holly mother of god were these cats impressive! I had no idea what to expect when i added them to the bill other than they were friends of Kang Mao. Boy am i glad! Their energy was out of this world, stage antics second to none, sweating it out and getting the audience in a frenzy! That was just beautiful! Thank you again guys!

SUBS @ King of the Road:

When all was going to hell with drunk people in the audience, douchebags and 2 Kolegas filled to the brim, Kang Mao and her gang came out to deliver a blistering powerful performance to show those pretenders how things were done! It might not have been the band’s finest hour but it was one of their best freaking shows ever, especially with the new lineup gelling together. The amount of energy around the room at that point was stratospheric.

Dong Zi @ Jianghu:

There was something special about that show that just can’t be described in words. At some point, past the songs, things became strangely intimate. The audience stopped mattering and the musicians entered their comfort zone, where all was one. The turnout included the who’s who of folk/roots music in China with Wu Tun, Zhang Zou, Ma Tiao, Guo Long amongst others, some of which even got on stage to play a few songs. It became the folk equivalent of a Ningxia night at 2 Kolegas… Having the musicians so relaxed brought out the best in them IMHO…

ChunQiu @ Gulou 121:

I’ve seen the gang play their share of shows all around Beijing and even in Tianjin… truth be said though, they could have played them with their eyes closed. But on that early October 2011 at Gulou 121, the dragon was unleashed again! The band played with a passion, determination and energy I had not seen in a very long time.

Last Choice @ Mao Punk Fest:

In a sea of baby punksters, Last Choice, hailing from Changsha stood as men! They were heads and shoulders above most bands at this year’s Punk Festival with their demeanor, energy and proper old school punk that had the crowds at Mao Rioting.

Out of Control @ Mao Rolling Stones Tribute:

I don’t expect much from tribute shows usually, especially in China. So when Scott Chen and his gang hit Mao Live like a hurricane, I was not ready for it. The band put on an awesome show with usual suspects and even some of the more recent covers like “anybody seen my baby”… I throughly enjoyed this! They played well, had great charisma, perfect style and even changed some of the songs around. Made me happy!

Abaji @ Jianghu:

A master displaying his craft… this show was so magical in may ways for me. Seeing someone i never expected to see live in Beijing after hearing him in Paris back in 1999. Abaji made me and the rest of jianghu dream that night with an amazing performance. He is a class act! and a talented one that is. The magic of this show was reflected best in an email i got the next day from a reader: “[..] The concert the other evening was fantastic! [..] For me that concert has been the best I’ve seen in my time in Beijing, [...]“

Hanggai & La Pegatina @ Mako

As far as fun times go, this show scored through the freaking roof on so many levels. 2 extremely fun and energetic bands, a Mako live house filled to the brim but not uncomfortable, good music, good mood and ok weather… recipe for great fun! The amount of dancing and screaming along that went on inside Mako that night could have been mistaken for a riot if one was not aware… Last time i walked out of a show so worn out and sweaty was Exodus at Mao…. strange if not bad comparison.

Bad Mamasan Album Launch @ Yugong:

I’ve seen Bad Mamsan for pretty much every show they played over the past two years but this one was special. All the friends were there and all the guest performers were there helping the band bring out “jeanine the wolverine” successfully. The Who’s who of Metal came out to pay tribute and have one hell of a good time with over 2 hours of blistering riffs. hell yeah!

Special mention (out of town)

Concrete Blonde @ Hangzhou West Lake Festival

I travelled far for this gig but the band travelled even further to play it. They are one of my favorite bands around and Johnette is everything a lead singer should be. Powerful, charismatic, humble and so freaking talented! The set they played in Hangzhou under the rain, in the mud with the audience just jumping up and down hanging on to every piece of lyric and every chord was magical. I expect them to know Metallica songs but not to be able to sing along to Joey or Tomorrow, Wendy.

Most disappointing Gigs:

Thin Man @ Anda (September 2011)
In the rank of disappointments, this one is pretty big! I used to swear by Thin Man as one of the most underrated and oft-forgotten bands in the country. I insisted that if China had a yaogun hall of fame, they should be one of the first in line…. never more! Dai Qin looked like a wanna be teenager decked out in a velvet suit and going through the motions with a made-for-cctv band… I almost puked in disgust! I was ashamed to see one of the heroes of scene come to that.

Bigger Bang @ Yugong ( Women night) (March 2011)
“crappiest performance I’ve seen in a long long time” is how i described it at the time. Even Pupi’s “barely there” outfit couldn’t save them. words like “boring” “uninspired” “tiresome” come to mind when describing the band that night..and I haven’t even covered the bad music/vocals. A year later after they had rocked the 2010 women show, the band has regressed on a regular basis. It’s entirely possible to blame it on this being their first show together in a while but i had noticed a downward trend too long ago to let it slide. I haven’t seen them since they became known as Da Bang

Voodoo Kungfu @ Mao (december 2011)
This was not actually a bad show but it was so freaking disappointing. Li Na might still be one of the most talented frontman in China but having more than half of the songs coming out of a computer doesn’t cut it. I’ve seen Voodoo Kungfu be great and I have a hard time settling for just an average version… no sir! that’s a cop-out!

Free the Birds (Ziyo)
the few times they played Beijing, they were just completely off sync. What can i expect from a band that doesn’t really play much or practice much together at this point? Much like Voodoo Kungfu, I’ve seen this band be great and it pains me to see them crash and burn the way they have over the past 12 months. They should be ruling the scene and the festivals at the same level as queen sea big shark but instead, they’re almost an afterthought.

Cui Jian @ intercity
I was really impressed back in 2007 by Lao Cui at the Chaoyang Pop Festival. He was on the spot, edgy, controlled the crowd and delivered an awesome performance. This year, he looked old and going through the motions. Voice was completely off, the jumps and screams manufactured… just a shame

There were a whole bunch of other good gigs, some probably even better than the ones above… that said, as far as I’m concerned, the ones mentioned above were the cream of the crop

There was a shitload more bad shows as you might imagine but these could be considered as my biggest disappointments of the year