Summer continues pulling out some surprises for music lovers out there, including the return of one of post-punk’s most loveable and offbeat bands, some hard-hitting rock n' roll at some of the unlikeliest of venues, as well as Japanese bands of all ilk hitting up the capital for some love. So brave the heat, pick up a cold one, and throw down for pain and glory once again, weekend warriors!
Friday, Aug 11
Snapline at Yue Space
After disappearing from the scene for some time, the post-punk schizoids Snapline, one of the best live acts of the No Beijing movement and Maybe Mars records, return for a one-off performance in Beijing. While they have been inactive on the gig front since 2015, the band made up of Chen Xi, Li Qing, and Li Weisi reconnected this past month to record their third album in Tokyo, so we can expect to hear an array of new tracks. Minimalist industrial post-punk with a hint of mischievousness – fans should relish this moment. RMB 100
Gum Bleed, Xiao Wang, C60 at Caravan
It's a 'Diplomatic Incident' as things get heavy in the quiet diplomatic neighborhood surrounding ace Moroccan restaurant and bar Caravan. This comes courtesy of anti-establishment punk veterans Gum Bleed and Kawaicore girl punx group Xiao Wang, along with hard rockers C60. RMB 60
The Glamour Manifesto, Swarm at DDC
Italian industrial electro-rock trio The Glamour Manifesto has been steadily building their fan base over the past year with an array of festival appearances. Now, they’re getting ready to hit the road for a China tour. See them kick it off with a performance at DDC alongside up-and-coming experimental noise indie outfit Swarm. RMB 60
Family Finger, Next Door, Gentle Grape, Poshangcun, Black Mint at Yugong Yishan
Head to Yugong Yishan to check out the indie pop, hard rock, and pop punk bands that have hit it big in the last few years including the young and ambitious female-led pop punk outfit Family Finger, blues funk group Black Mint, indie folk poppers Poshangcun and more. Expect hordes of wide-eyed fans. RMB 150
Anthell (JP), Toy Soldiers at School
Japanese pop punk act Anthell – no strangers to China – return with their Rancid/Anti-Flag-inspired brand of crazy sexy punk rock n' roll, that’ll surely have you begging for more. They’re joined by our own pop punkers Toy Soldiers. RMB 60
Binary Star Jazz Quintet at Jianghu Bar
Sax player Pan Qi heads up the Binary Star Jazz Quartet. He’s joined by fellow sax player Liang Yixiao, bassist Sheng Zhi, Wang Yaoyang, and drummer Wang Feifang. The band includes young grads of China’s top music conservatories, who mix jazz, pop, classical and rhythm styles into their performances. RMB 60
YingGu, Getting Better at Hot Cat Club
Roll through the destruction of Fangjia Hutong and thrash out some emotions with Hot Cat Club’s Metal Night, featuring two Chinese metal bands looking to cut loose and bring down some more walls. Free
Wu Gui, Raymond, Nick Parsons at Mogu Space
Mogu Space gets down to folk business all weekend with sitarist Raymond (of Rudra’s Sage), indie staple Li Eryang, and many more great artists. RMB 60
Liangzi at Rockland
Best known for his song "Snoopy and Charlie Brown," Liangzi also released his first album Curtains in 2016, a concept folk-ballad CD with diverse concepts, all completely his own. Catch him at Rockland, Beijing’s most intimate music venue and distro. RMB 90
Jose James (US) at Blue Note
Often referred to as the jazz singer for the hip-hop age, Jose James, whose influences include John Coltrane, Marvin Gay and Billie Holiday, brings his hip-hop-infused, slow-cooked R&B jazz to Blue Note for two nights. RMB 300
Saturday, Aug 12
Mitsume (JP), DYGL (JP) at Yugong Yishan
Japanese indie rock favorites DYGL and Mitsume take the stage at Yugong Yishan with their highly infectious tunes. The DIY ethos and laid-back hits have made Mitsume one of the most sought after Japanese bands. They’re joined by fellow indie rockers DYGL, whose Strokes and Arctic Monkeys-inspired indie punk sound will surely have audiences moving. RMB 280
Sein (JP), The Devils & Libido (JP), People Jam (JP), WHAI, Auburn at Temple
Temple Bar dips into overdrive with this stacked lineup featuring a trio of Japanese hard-hitters, including energetic post rock-esque indie threesome Sein, alt-rock noisecore duo The Devils & Libido and electro disco rockers People Jam. Some dangerously sexy sounds there. They’ll be joined by Temple house band WHAI doing their thing and indie rockers Auburn. And considering it's free, you ain’t gonna get any better bang for your buck than here. Free
Namo at Beijing Century Theater
Campus rock sensations Namo, a band that has captured the hearts of 80s-born young adults, have continued in the vein of their high-spirited, infectiously catchy melodies by moving to the big leagues in recent years without losing a bit of their charm. Singing earnestly on the minute stories and themes which make up life in a contemporary China, with a tongue-in-cheek self-awareness that’s sincere above all else, the band gives a special showcase at the Beijing Century Theater (that’s by Liangmaqiao) – looks like they've hit it big finally. RMB 120-580
Joachim Badenhorst (Belgium), Wang ZiHeng, No Performance at Fruityspace
After what felt like an eternity, the basement safe haven for offbeat and experimental musicians returns with a proper gig (not to knock their Open DJ nights, which I hear are pretty fun). The occasion: out-of-town Belgian improvisational artist Joachim Badenhorst, who'll join saxophone madman Wang Ziheng and No Performance – the collaborative multi-instrumental duo of Zoomin Night head honcho Zen Wenbo and Sean Lee. Love me some experimental hijinks. RMB 40
Electric Lady, Tractor, Wiido_PA at DDC
Old school, hardened, with a touch of menace and a whole lotta fun – DDC gets down and dirty with stoner rock, prog rock, doom, and good ol' sludge – as Electric Lady, Tractor, and up-and-comers Wiido_PA bring the pain and glory. Crunchy crunch-crunch – me want some. RMB 50
Dusky Star, Nuclear Fusion G, Horror of Pestilence, Nower, The Falling, Logic Control, Eternal Wings, Nerve Resistance, Crack at Omni Space
Get your devil horns ready 'cause this is a heavy metal night to remember. Omni Space rounds up some of the finest heavy metal bands this side of the country, including thrash metallers Crack, industrial metal outfit Nuclear Fusion G, The Falling and much much more for a stacked afternoon-into-evening mosh pit frenzy that’ll have metal heads in utter delight. RMB 150 (3pm start)
Dreaming Julie x Pink Money at Today Art Museum
Free jazz experimental supergroup Dreaming J, made up of renowned experimental and jazz figures Feng Hao, Liu Ping, and Yang Tao, mixes up traditional instrumental music with postmodern sounds. They'll get down and dirty with acclaimed VJ duo Pink Money for a multi-media exploratory showcase at the 798 gallery. RMB 150
Yunomi (JP), Ujico (JP), S9ryne at Yue Space
Yue Space brings a taste of Japan to Beijing with a lineup that includes “kawaii” J-pop artist Yunomi, electronic/jazz producer Ujico and Chinese producer S9ryne, who was highly influenced by Japanese anime, producing trance, dubstep and J-rock. RMB 220 (1.30pm start)
Sama at Jianghu Bar
The Uyghur flamenco passion/Xinjiang folk group combines traditional Arabic songs and lively Spanish rumba classics, with lyrics both in English and Uyghur. Yes indeed, Sama continue bringing the energetic sounds of Xinjiang to China's capital. RMB 60
N-Bomb, DOMle, Drop Science Crew, Spine, Saber, DaWuTong, Dj Quaver at School
Volume 1 of School Bar's new "Open Fire" hip-hop series kicks off tonight featuring a who's-who of the Beijing underground hip hop scene. Set to take the stage are rappers and hip-hop ensembles N-Bomb, DOMle, Drop Science Crew, Spine, Saber, DaWuTong, and DJ Quaver. RMB 80
Zhang Xi at Yue Space
The multi-talented record producer, guitarist, songwriter and folk musician Zhang Xi (who has collaborated with many influential musicians such as Cao Fang) releases his low-key and somber debut album Grow Old in Earnest, and kicks off his first tour tonight. RMB 80
Lucky Roots, Qianzi, Birddie & Lil B, DJ Wildwata, DJ Yoyo at Hot Cat Club
Catch some of the freshest reggae musicians, hip-hop MCs and scratch artists for an intoxicating evening of diverse styles that’ll keep the vibes hot and humid. Free
Sid, Kamau, KJY at Caravan
Three singer-songwriters perform sets of originals in the Moroccan staple including Nepalese singer (and Redundant Seconds frontman) Sid, old-soul folk set Kamau, and KJY. RMB 60
Eric Allen, Gabrielle Ocasio, Juan Ni at Mogu Space
Mogu Space gets down to folk business all weekend with American singer-songwriters Eric Allen and Gabrielle Ocasio, as well as Island Studio founder Juan Ni. 60 RMB
Jose James (US) at Blue Note
Often referred to as "the jazz singer for the hip-hop age," Jose James, whose influences include John Coltrane, Marvin Gay and Billie Holiday, brings his hip-hop-infused, slow-cooked R&B jazz to Blue Note for two nights. RMB 300
Sunday, Aug 13
Convention Theory, Watermelon Canned, Crispy Balls, Soul Mate at Yue Space
Yue Space brings out the Young Blood – the best emerging bands on the scene, including CAFA students and post-rock/chamber pop act Convention Theory, pop punk outfit Watermelon Canned, Crispy Balls, a group of avant-garde electronic explorers (and winner of best band of the week), and pop emo act Soul Mate. RMB 80 (7pm start)
Sein (JP), The Devils & Libido (JP), People Jam (JP), The Hotline, Plateau at School
The ragtag trio of Japanese roamers continue their warpath with a stop at School Bar – including the energetic post-rock-esque threesome Sein, alt-rock noisecore duo The Devils & Libido and electro disco rockers People Jam. They’ll be joined by Beijing’s own electro rockers Hotline and psychedelic pop quartet Plateau. RMB 100
Jaron Freeman-Fox & The Opposite of Everything (Canada) at DDC
Winner of three Canadian Folk Music Awards, violin virtuoso Jaron Freeman-Fox, who contorts his violin into new traditions, brings his fiery band The Opposite of Everything to DDC for some fun that’s been described as “Tom Waits playing the fiddle, backed up by the Mahavishnu Orchestra." Dope indeed. RMB 80
Entry, LeCh, Angie, Falcony, Cai Zhou Ang, Dango x Reatk, FosaMon, Shadowsdown, Vgllol, ink at Yugong Yishan
‘Entry and Friends’ is a multifaceted performance from an array of artists, singers, and producers including electronic producer Entry, techno producer LeCh, indie pop singer Angie, hardcore rapper Falcony, folk singer Cai Zhou Ang and much more. RMB 100
Need a Name, SSC, YouKong at Hot Cat Club
No rest for the wicked this Sunday as Fangjia Hutong’s Hot Cat Club gets deviant with this trifecta of old school rock-and-rollers bringing some noise to the hutong staple. RMB 50
Ko, Yan Bai Zhou, Lao Di at Mogu Space
Mogu Space gets down to folk business all weekend with Chicago-raised Afro-grunge singer-songwriter KO, avant-garde finger guitar player Yan Bai Zhou, and more. RMB 60
Wang Wu at Snail Hostel
Northeastern Chinese singer-songwriters, Wang Wu, whose loose hair and vibrant voice made him one of the finalists on one of the country’s top-rated American Idol clones, performs. RMB 80
Phew! Still hungry for more? Check out all of our live music listings here.
Images courtesy of the organizers