
I think I mentioned this before a while back and I even posted a video of Norway’s Black Snakes covering Down (by SUBS) at 2 Kolegas during their last tour. Well, guess what folks, the full blown video is out and it’s a treat with tons of probably unknown cameos by some Beijingers and ex-Beijingers. If the video doesn’t load automatically, go see it here: http://vimeo.com/57092393 As I mentioned before, something like this is really one hell of a step ahead for the Chinese music industry and a testament to the genius of SUBS, especially the songwriting team of Kang Mao and Wu Hao.. Now if people could buy their songs online, things would be different. What do you think? Get more Black Snakes here http://blacksnakes.no
Summer is officially music season here y’all.. we’re looking at another busy weekend in old smoggy ( and boy is she smoggy this week) to try and distract us from all our weekly grind. It’s a rich and diverse one with tribute shows, metal galore ( and lulu galore) not to mention a whole bunch of ‘daze favorites stopping by… let’s get to it, shall we? Thursday July 5th Lulu Galore & Sweet Leaf @ Temple Lulu rocked the grass at 2 Kolegas 10 days ago with her suave voice, charming smile and soothing ukulele sounds. I’m assuming she will do more of the same to the Temple goers tonight and have no reason to believe it won’t be fun. Friday July 6th Omnipotent Youth Society @ Yugong I get a feeling I have not been to Yugong Yishan forever and that might be true. Granted, they’ve been putting on a few high profile shows lately and I’m seriously overdue for a return there. Friday would be interesting and packed most likely with Shijiazhuang’s Omnipotent Youth Society doing a rare stop in the capital. Last time these cats played a paying show, there were 200 people stuck outside Mao Livehouse that couldn’t get in. Even with ticket prices at 150 rmb, I expect a full house here. 3 Weddings & 1 Farewell @ 2kolegas DH & The Hellcats as we know them will be no more. One member is moving overseas while 3 are getting married. They’re marking the occasion [...]
we’re still in major hangover from ‘dazeFEAST mode but slowly recovering and becoming functional again. Actually, just in time to realize that tomorrow is Wednesday June 27th which means The Black Snakes, from Norway, will be descending on 2 Kolegas and that promises to be one hell of a show! I met these folks at 2 Kolegas last year when they played ‘dazeFEAST 2011 and proceeded to rock my socks off along with those of a few hundred feasters.. since then, I’ve fallen in love with their music and their CD has been one of my most played records of 2011. Heck, the show was so good that it made it into my most memorable performances of 2011 where i wrote the following: 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! yes folks, these cats are good and I’m extremely pissed off that no one seems to know this band is playing Beijing tomorrow… this is a promotional clusterfuck the likes of which i’ve seen too many times… let’s make sure they get a proper audience!! Here is a documentary of their 2011 tour of China to give you [...]
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 [...]
I’m not sure where to start reviewing this baby because it’s so close to my heart and it’s very very very freaking biased but here comes folks! It’s gonna be a long one so buckle up and get a cup of coffee! I’ll start off by thanking 2 Kolegas for being the perfect venue and the Beijing Meteorological Bureau for their outmost cooperation. I need to thank the amazing Ruby for being at my side throughout the whole thing and helping keep the show rolling smooth. Trust me folks, dealing with 15 bands and their schedules was not an easy feat and she was a freaking Champ. Couldn’t have pulled it through without you babe! Thank you to Iris, Grace, Fiona and Mo Mo for manning the merch table I also need to thank Jaime Welton of Black Cat Bone/Bad Mamasan for cutting his vacation short to come and play ‘dazeFEAST no matter how hard that was. Huge thanks go out to Yang from Painkiller Mag and Rock in China for sorting out the Orange Amps Another big ups for Chery Bomb of the Flying Mantas for helping get flyers sorted out Thanks to Lauren Johnson, nightlife editor at City Weekend for the huge support she provided over the past few weeks. Thanks to Timeout, The Beijinger, Beijing Boyce, Beijing Gig Guide and Music Dish China and all others for also listing the event. A huge round of applause to all the bands and musicians because without the bands, there [...]
Hope you got some rest last weekend folks cause this upcoming one will require some serious stamina from all of you considering all the fun stuff taking place in Beijing over the next few days! so, what we got? Wednesday June 22nd: Misandao @ Mao: Misandao is tons of fun! I love these guys because they’re genuinely punk to the bone, skinhead bootboys that bring on the Oi punk like no one else. I just saw them last week at Mao and they have not lost a beat. Newcomers, The Rudeness, open things with their brand of ska/reggae/punk. Not a bad humpday gig Thursday June 23: Paper Tigre & RE-TROS @ Yugong Yishan: I couldn’t care less about papier tigre but any opportunity to watch the RE-TROS should be cherished.. these cats perform with such amazing passion. Label them whatever you want, they put on a show each and everytime that cannot leave you indifferent. Ember & Jess @ 2Kolegas: Take Ember Swift with her folk pop and the Laowai Song, Jess Meider’s Heavenly Stems and you got yourself a lovely night of lilith fair type music to sooth you soul by. Friday June 24th: Beijing Prom @ The Bookworm: This one is so bizarre that it deserves a mention. Our good friend the Prom Queen has decided to go back in time and party like it was 1990 for those that remember the era. You’re expected to dress for Prom, with heavy emphasis on sequins, then mingle with likeminded [...]