Car car cars, Against All 对尖, 赤子即兴（Tigerish Raiders 奇袭翠虎团） – HAPPY POTION 2021.09.19
Headed to Hangzhou last weekend as part of my live music bender holiday. Only four hours into my sabbatical and I was already whisked away to the outskirts of Hangzhou city – deep in the east where the universities rest and the construction know no limits. Essentially a town upon itself, I wasn’t sure what to expect for the latest edition of the 8 Hour Rock Club – the brainchild of Borderless – an Hangzhou-based promoter whose enthusiasm for rock and roll in all its glory spills into their jam-packed, riotous showcases that include bands of all ilk, DJs, mosh pits aplenty and good times.
For their latest endeavor the series took over Happy Potion – a tiny alcove at the bottom of a massive apartment complex and just hidden enough away from the hustle and bustle of the Main Street – for an unplugged punk fest complete with fist-pumping anthems, debauched sing-a-longs, free-flow craft beer, and yours truly scrambling together a DJ set. Music came courtesy of a ragtag group of musicians from the various punk scenes around the area – including musicians from Hangzhou’s Against All (a band we’ll be seeing a lot of within the next year), Nanjing’s Car Car Cars, and Jiaxing’s Tigerish Raider.
Low-key yet boundless in the enthusiasm brought by each and every involved, it was a joyous, surly occasion. The true theme to emerge from the evening was that of finding your ‘home’ away from home – a place cut off from the pressures and soul-crushing routine of city life, as we each try to find that balance between living and surviving. The punk scene and in particular the 8 Hour Rock Fest has become a place of solace for the misfits of society. And a place I’ll be gladly head to again and again.
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