-
Jan
6th2011 in review: Best Live Music Performances in Beijing (and the worst)it started with a bang at 2 Kolegas as Buyi, Nucleus, Rustic and Subs rocked the hell out of the drive-in. That was one hell of a good show to start the year and remains in the top ten of best shows in Beijing for 2011. Many bands came, some vanished, others just took a break and some just lost any guidance… how did they fare IMHO? Let’s check it out! Here are some random musings about the best, the worst and the mediocre from my BIASED perspective! 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 [...]
-
Apr
21stQuickslants: Inner Mongolia awakes, Album launch galore, Bigger Bang for Free and moreSometimes, I really wish i didn’t have this many choices. This upcoming weekend in Beijing is one hell of a hard one to to make up one’s mind about where to go/what to see. Inner Mongolia is heavily represented with Hanggai, Ajinai and Voodoo Kungfu all deriving inspiration from the sounds of the grasslands. I’ve instaured a new: “Never more than once a month” rule to help me make up my mind as to which shows i’ll spend my cash on.. still, it ain’t easy! Special Note: Shanghai’s Friend or Foe is in town playing gigs Friday at Old What Bar and Saturday at D22 Thursday April 21 Love’s Tourettes + Bigger Bang @ Yugong: This one is super interesting because it’s actually free and my usual thursday night plan, capoeira, is on the shelf due to a stiff neck. I heard enough about the Tourettes to peak my curiosity and I wouldn’t mind seeing what’s up with Bigger Bang after the disaster that was their last performance. and free is not a bad pricetag! Makes it easier to walk out if needed Friday April 22 Rustic @ Yugong Yishan: I’m not sure I really need to say much about this. with the slew of Rustic articles, I think y’all know what’s up with the band for friday night. Hedgehog @ Mao Live: Color me curious. I’m not the biggest hedgehog fan in the world but the few tunes i’ve heard out of their latest record got me curious. It’s [...]
-
Mar
14thDH and her Hellcats reign supreme on women’s night while Bigger Bang crasheslast year‘s women day extravaganza at yugong yishan gave us Free the Birds, Bigger Bang and DH w/ her Hellcats. This year, 2 out of 3 were back with Kang Mao’s new project, “Thank you for the fish” replacing FTB… trading one queen for another is fair enough. The Fish kickstarted the evening with their folky melodies. Ruby had seen them at Mao a few days earlier and confirmed what everyone should know: Kang Mao might be one of the most underrated female singers in Beijing. The Fish are actually a trio with vocals and 2 guitars, peaceful and relaxing melodies that are the extreme opposite of what SUBS do on stage. Given that this was only their 3rd ever performance as a band, I think they did pretty darn good. It’s not out of this world folk but let’s give them some time to see where it can get to. Bigger Bang was up next and I won’t even bother waste my time on them… crappiest performance I’ve seen in a long long 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. A year later, to the day, 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… it screams overhyped and overrated. Finally, after the bore [...]
-
Nov
24thLive Music Quickslants: Random Goodbyes, Rush Covers, Screams, Effects and HellcatsLast weekend looked boring on paper but i still ended up at 2 shows, both of which were interesting/good. This coming weekend is looking like it’s gonna be one of those crazy ones with multiple gig nights because they’re all sounding good right now. It’s kicking off tonight with Hanggai & Blackwater at Yugong Yishan. I’ll be writing about some of them a bit more later in the week but for now, here’s what’s gonna be cooking Friday Kaiser Kuo & Friends cover Rush@ Gulou 121: (updated) Our good friend and rock legend Kaiser Kuo put together this one off lineup so that his old band-mate could get to play in Beijing. Knowing Kaiser, they’ve been practicing like crazy and will cover Rush classics. Two sets planned, one at 9:30 and then 11:00 Amazing Insurance Salesmen + Made in Ningxia @2Kolegas: on a night like this, things starting late at 2 kolegas work out really well to catch the Rush gig then head over to the drive in. Expect a night of raunchy partying to celebrate the fact that Buyi are back in town and GBoB winner, The Amazing Insurance Salesmen, will be there too. 4 Good bands on the lineup… wouldn’t wanna miss it. ( WU & The Side Effect as well as Nucleus round up the bill) SUBS & Friends @ Yugong: The Queen of F%&king Everything brings her friends for a good evening of punk rock with He Yang, Bigger Bang and Chasing Stars advertised. I like [...]
-
Nov
9thThe White Eyes surprise, Bigger Bang doesn’t Bang and the Ghost Spardac rocksIn case you didn’t know, The White Eyes played Beijing this past friday… I’ve only written about them 4 or 5 times on this blog, right? The lineup at Mao looked promising with The Ghost Spardac, Bigger Bang and The White Eyes, definitely the strongest one of the night in Beijing. Things got started a bit later than usual due to a movie being filmed outside the venue with concert goers and movie crew running into each other. Still, at 9:30, the Ghost came on. I had seen them earlier opening for Hang on the Box and heard enough to be intrigued. This second time found them sounding better and tighter than before with less schizophrenia in their sound. They’re goof and have some good days ahead of them IMHO. Some big time label dudes from Japan seem to think so as well since they’ve recently been given a record deal. They had more of a heavy punk feel to them this time around with good guitars, more than 3 chords and some alright Bass from singer/bassplayer Boxi. Bigger Bang was next and I’m not sure what to think/say about them at this point. I think they’re growing on me as a unit and Pupi is quite the charismatic frontwoman.. still, she ain’t no Kang Mao, Gia or Helen Feng! on Friday, they just sounded bad, out of synch and I had to walk out at some point. So did part of the audience! I’m not sure if it was [...]
-
Nov
4thBeijing Live Music Quickslants: Mamer, White Eyes, Wong Faye, and molto vinoThe weekend is rolling around with some really cool shows on the horizon folks and some of them are actually worth braving the cold for. Thursday November 4: Mamer, Li Tieqiao & Dawanggang @ Jianghu: If you like folk, this is where you wanna be thursday night. I’ve loved mamer’s performances over the past year but he’s apparently trying some weird experimental stuff recently, following in the footsteps of xiao he. Let’s hope that’s not the case! Dawanggang get good reviews from some trusted music insiders and are worth checking out. New Generation of Rock @ Mao Live: Black Eyed Child, Closer, elec-bunny, Sweet Escape, Two Faced Country. These are all names I’ve never heard of and it would be extremely interesting to see what the upcoming batch of Beijing rockers sound like. It’s always a good opportunity to discover a few diamonds in the rough. Friday November 5: The White Eyes @ Mao Live: I’m looking so forward to this show that I might skip on it because I’m afraid I’ve built up my expectations and the band can’t match them. I loved their last Beijing appearance and have been keeping an eye on their current China tour which is going pretty darn well according to their douban updates. Bigger Bang and the Ghost Spartac support the album launch. It’s gonna be electro punk all around! Amazing Insurance Salesmen + Love’s Tourettes @ 2Kolegas: One of the last AIS performances in beijing before they head over to Hong Kong [...]
-
Aug
30thHot List #4: Chasing Stars shakes, Bigger Bang booms, Free the Birds shines and The Face screamsThis has been one hell of an interested weekend all over Beijing with great performances, once in a lifetime events, reunions, festivals and what not. I was dead set on the Back to Basics concert at Workers Stadium for Friday night but I ended up at Yugong Yishan instead for Zippo Hot List with Chasing Stars, Bigger Bang, Free the Birds and The Face. I did not regret it! I was surprised at the size of the turnout considering the number of big scale music events around town with Tanglewood festival and the Gongti show but there must have been a good 350 people at YGYS.. however, about 1/2 the audience had managed to score tickets for free somehow. Chasing Stars 追星族 opened up the festivities with a full lineup including drummer Wang Yun who’s been mostly with Bad Apples over the past few years! Singer Guo Keyu looked visibly nervous as it’s been a long time since she’s been on stage singing due to her movie obligation! There was a noticeable hesitation and self doubt in her demeanor during the first few songs but she picked herself up eventually and performed like i remembered. Her voice is just incredible.. Most of the sounds/songs remain the same and those that did not received a big Keyboards/synth treatment with a bit of trip-hop feeling that i really do not care for. My favorite song of theirs since 2006, wenti zai nali, has been slaughtered to the point of me rather listening [...]
-
Aug
9thHandsome Furs at 2 Kolegas: Smoking Hot Green, Electric Buzz Bounce and Indie Good TimesThere wasn’t much to get excited about this past weekend as far as live music in Beijing. Some solid shows but nothing out of this world! I figured I’d take a chance and head out to 2 Kolegas on Sunday night to take a personal look at Handsome Furs who my indie friends were fairly gaga about. I even went as far as getting and advance ticket. We got to the drive-in area a bit early so that we could grab a dinner at the neighboring Ethiopian restaurant where the experience didn’t live up to the hype ( but I’ll address that in a rant later). The show started a little after 9 with Beijing’s own Bigger Bang taking care of the opening duties. First thing I noticed when i walked in was Pupi, the lead singer, sporting a smoking hot green dress that oozed sex-appeal! This was in stark contrast with the rest of the band whom were dressed in standard issue rock outfits. Last time I’d seen Bigger Bang live, I was less than impressed due to some excessive screaming… last night was definitely not the case. There was more singing and playing as opposed to screeching. The band was tight and pulled a classic set that i did enjoy! There was some really good chemistry between band members as they spent a lot of time smiling towards each other and Pupi did spend a lot of time gazing at the audience, making eye-contact which I take as [...]
-
Mar
11threview: Girl Power brings down Yugong YishanMusic is back on the menu folks as you can tell by the variety of choices available over the past few weeks. now usually, this happens on weekends or even thursdays but this week, thanks to Women’s Day, there was a line up form hell at Yugong Yishan.. And I loved it. DH & Chinese Hellcats These guys are one of the most fun acts to watch in Beijing, bar none!!! DH (Dizzy Hemmy) seems to be stepping away from the Betty Boop feel and the whole band was sporting quite a retro look with matching shirts. They opened the festivities with their rockabilly swing sounds and had the audience rocking/jiving/ for a good 35mn. DH was on top of her game vocally (as usual) and Guitarist/boyfriend Dee Dee was on fire. Most people see him playing for the Hellcats and forget he’s a member of Beijing heavy hitters “Brain Failure” Those two have an amazing chemistry on stage!! Bigger Bang I originally misread the lineup and thought that Ourselves Besides Me, not Bigger Bang, was part of the bill.. So when these cats came on, I was surprised. Last time i had seen them was in 09 at Mao and they stole the show. I wish I could say the same for monday night. They seemed to have a few technical issues and had trouble with the synth/guitar mix. Pupi ( lead singer) was displaying moves worthy of a graduate from Kang Mao School of Epileptic Dancing (Kang Mao [...]
The Mini Skinny
What once started as my personal ramblings has morphed into the number one collective resource about underground live music in Beijing and China. All bands, all music, all Rock n Roll, all the time with a little side of eclectic topics.. best of all, it's still as BIASED as ever
Ganbei!!!!
'dazeFEAST 2012 - June 23rd at 2 Kolegas.
17 Bands, Roast Lamb & All FREEWhat’s on Offer?
- 10 Questions (31)
- Album Reviews (22)
- Beijing 人 (44)
- Belly Ties (52)
- blabbers (326)
- Book Review (1)
- Chinese Through Lyrics (2)
- Freeloading (34)
- Geek matter (17)
- Gig Reviews (58)
- Need'em liquids (9)
- On The Road (3)
- Outsourced Blabbers (21)
- Provincial Restaurants (15)
- Quickslants (64)
- Roaming Around (11)
- Tunes under the moon (524)
looking for something?
Ingredients
2 kolegas Amazing insurance salesmen Bad Mamasan Beijing 人 black cat bone Brain Failure buyi Chunqiu DH & the hellcats Dude Ember Swift Flying Mantas free the birds GAWTMY Hanggai Hedgehog iz Jacky Danny Kaiser Kuo Kick Ass Lidong live music mademoiselle Maggie Who Mamer Mao Livehouse MIDI Miserable Faith Nanwu Nucleus Omnipotent youth society provincial restaurant randy abel stable Residence A rustic skarving Steely Heart SUBS Suffocated The Redbucks voodoo kungfu whai wu & side effects xiao he yugong yishanFresh Pills
- Quickslants: Tambours du Bronx, New Shanren, Painkiller Fest and more
- Mamer & Song Yuzhe: opposites attract at Jianghu
- Dreamer Festival 2013 – Azure Ray, Shan Ren, Omnipotent Youth Society and More
- PS: You Rocked Me – Abaji, One Drop, Devils, Yungiema etc..
- Quickslants: No Dong, Some Punk, a Little Ordnance and more
Can of Worms?
- Joann on Quickslants: Jurat, PiL, XTX, Yangjima for a Loaded End of Week
- On The Scene: 2013 Strawberry Festival Day 1 | Live Beijing Music on MIDI 2013: Anywhere, Anytime, Thanks for the Rock n Roll
- ex virility pill on Quickslants: Jurat, PiL, XTX, Yangjima for a Loaded End of Week
- ruby on MIDI 2013: Anywhere, Anytime, Thanks for the Rock n Roll
- Beijing Daze on MIDI 2013: Anywhere, Anytime, Thanks for the Rock n Roll