Jue Festival – Shanghai Night in Beijing: We Ain’t no Foes, Let’s Be Friends on The Rainbow

This one might take the crown for tackiest blog post title.. it’s also the king of late posts as it comes a full 2 weeks after the fact but hey, Beijing is keeping me busy. To say that I had been looking forward to this show would be an understatement… Talk about this night started months ago after Friend or Foe visited Beijing last winter and it was finally here.

Fuzzy Mood was scheduled to get things started over at the drive in. I missed their set and from what I heard before, that was not necessarily a bad thing. They’re good kids, trying hard and we’ll leave it to that until I actually hear what they’ve been sounding like the past few months. I’m sure Ruby has some choice words to describe them.

By the time i got there, it was time to stand up and answer the question: Are you a Friend or Foe? The trio hit the stage like a bat out of hell an proceeded to rip through their catalog of high energy goofy Alienesque Rock n Roll. I’m not sure how else to describe their music really… it’s fast, it’s punkish, got tons of attitude and is about as unpretentious as it gets.. I mean we’re talk songs about “Snorting Clorox” which by the way is even better live than on the record ( Read the Review).

I have this theory about how the band didn’t actually come from outer space but they were subjected collectively to sonic torture using T.A.T.U’s song, Friend or Foe. Playing in this band is their preferred method of Primal Scream therapy. I had a great time listening to them, dancing along with the crowd while fighting the urge to jump on stage to steal Rabshakeh’s purple velvet suit. I really wish these guys were in Beijing because they’d rock the shit out of this town. The costumes, tunes, stage presence and general music ability would set them apart really quick.

Next up were the quirky named “Rainbow Danger Club” making an extremely rare trip to the capital. I remember falling head over heels for their latest record when it came out and I was curious/anxious to see how they would measure up live. Ruby, Alex and Indie_A had been singing their praises for so long. How did they turn out? Considering I’m not big into this “indie” thing, I’d definitely pay to see them again.

The music is definitely UK-inspired-whiteboy-indie-pop! Funny enough, that description makes perfect sense to me! I can go on about how well crafted the tunes were and what not but if you’re a fan or you go to bandcamp, you can hear that for yourself. I’d rather talk about how passionate they were during their performance and how tight they sounded. I’m also a big fan of the trumpet! every indie band should have a trumpeter as far as I am concerned.. These guys could/should seek an overseas market for their work. I was a big fan of the harmonies/dual vocals on the songs but I can’t say i paid 100% attention on solo vocals… the difference was huge IMHO. Label them whatever you want, they put on a good show.

On a general note, this was one hell of a good showing for the Shanghai bands in Beijing. It was also the biggest audience any of them had ever played to in Beijing which is encouraging… One thing that was bizarre was how many foreigners ended up being at 2 Kolegas for this one. the split was probably 80/20 in favor of the laowai which is not something i expect in the drive-in unless the bookworm events are taking place there.I was hoping that Jue’s reach would allow for these guys to get a bit of penetration with the Chinese audience.. maybe next time!

The first battle was won, people came out to see the bands! The second battle starts: Let’s get locals to realize what they’re missing!

Get More Rainbow Danger Club over at their Bandcamp
http://rainbowdangerclub.bandcamp.com/

Check out the if your claw is Limp
http://friendorfoeband.bandcamp.com/

Thanks for coming to Beijing folks.. see you next time!