Quickslants: Halloween Comes Early, Ghools, Circus, Moliere and more

Hello Halloween! This is the one weekend of the year where audience members might actually out wear better attires than the band members. Sure enough, after last week’s low key offerings, we’re back to having a huge musical weekend. Let’s get going!

Thursday Oct. 27:

New Forces of Rock @ Mao:
A bunch of youngish rock bands take the stage at Mao hoping to pay their dues and gain some experience. I’ve heard some of these names thrown around and I’m quite curious. 16mn, Cheery Mor, Illness Sickness & Pirate Pistol, just to name a few. a good chance to find that diamond in the rough.

Le Malade Imaginaire @ The EGG:
yeah, it’s not pure rock n roll but Moliere was one of the original rock stars in my book. His play, Le Malade Imaginaire, is being performed at the Egg ( National Center for Performing Arts) from thursday to sunday by one of the best theater groups in the world. Tickets a bit steep with only 400+ remaining for sale. Definitely worth it if you’re a theater fan.

Friday Oct. 28:

Halloween Comes Early @ Yugong Yishan:
Not There, The Randy Able Stable and Christmas join forces for this early halloween edition. Bluegrass, electronica and indie under one roof with a costume contest as well. This might be a fun one if for no other reason that some good musicians are on board and it’s a grassroot show put together by the bands themselves, not some shady promoter.

Lidong @ jiangjinjiu
an easy breezy show to sonly bring in the weekend with Ningxia’s Lidong. They’re almost as comfortable at Jiangjinjiu as they are at 2 Kolegas. Nice folk, mellow and enjoyable…

Saturday Oct. 29:

Top Floor Circus & SUBS @ Yugong Yishan
One of the other really good shanghai bands comes up to Beijing for a rare appearance: Top Floor Circus. These guys are cooler than ice and have a knack for controversial lyrics in shanghai-hua. Oh yeah, they’re also pretty good musically. Think about them as a mellower Second Hand Rose with better costumes. SUBS land a hand so no matter what, you know this one is gonna rock.

If You Want Blood @ Mao Live:
The heaviest of shows for the halloween weekend will be at Mao with Metal, Hardcore, Punk, mosh pits and most likely a whole slew of live gore. Unregenerate Blood, Army of Jade Kirin, The Falling, Black Diamond and more will be on hand to make sure you get in touch with the dark side of Beijing.

Halloween @ 2 Kolegas:
This one started off looking quite mundane but it’s picked up steam with a few more bands on the bill: Beijing Beatles, Flying Mantas, Flaming Heat (Ricky Sixx new band), Fuzz and more. It might be the most easy going show of the evening with drunken stupor and lots of silly costumes.

Sunday Oct. 30:

We’re Still Singing @ 2 Kolegas:
How is this for a folk lineup? Xiao He, Zhao Laoda, Song Yuzhe, Wang Juan, Dongzi and more. This is looking on paper as a clear candidate for show of the year. I mean we’re talking serious heavy hitters all around the place right at their second home. This one has the potential to be a show of the year for yours truly if they all stick to what they do best ( No Laptops allowed please)

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