Weekend Update (22.08-24.08)

Though some may believe the summer hasn\’t brought anything worthwhile, I beg to differ – the sheer amount of kick ass worthy shows at there is astonishing. And we ain\’t gonna let no raids, ebola-granola, and general lameness take that away – not on my watch! Rise ewoks! Rise!! Umm, yeah, rant over – jump over to the calendar for more.

Friday August 22nd

Tongue is held mighty high in the underground rock, yaogun circles about town (just ask BeijingDaze) – even cited as one of the most important bands to emerge out of the early oughts by Jonathan Campbell, author of Red Rock – originally from Xinjiang, Tongue have garnered quite the following and after a hiatus, they’re back and will be unveiling their newest album, Mama, Let Us Take Flight, Let’s Rock’n’Roll at Mako Livehouse – early word is they still got it. A return to glory? We can only hope so – killer title track must admit. Yaogun lives! Yeah, I pimped out Birdstriking last week but damn gonna have to do it again – fan\’fucking\’tastic. Seriously, looks as though their UK tour lit a fire under their asses. Joining them at School are post rock outfit Sparrow, whose pristine take on the genre has always caught my attention, and indie rockers Fuzzy Mood, led by one of Beijing\’s unsung female vocalists – who gives the bands grungy shoegaze sound a kick. It\’s not often School mixes it up like then so relish it while you can folks. Rising indie folk star Tree, out of Hangzhou, returns to Beijing to present his latest stuff at XP as a part of Douban’s Music Series – he’ll be joined by Nanjing indie rockers Wogui de Huoche. Things get satanic at Temple as Devils at the Crossroad returns to shake things up. Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter Matt Duke brings his piano-driven indie folk to Yugong Yishan. It’s a Cali Party at Mao Livehouse as hip hop gets its due with a slew of artists including N-Bomb, Odd Pluton, Krayzie Actor, Saber, and more. Catch Ariane, Lattice, Wugui and more young rockers at 69 Café, the Taste of Soul at Blue Stream Bar, DDC Blues band at yup, DDC, and finally Abu Jazz Trio at Jianghu Bar.

Saturday August 23^rd

Hardcore gets its day of glory at Make Livehouse with this beefed up lineup featuring a who\’s who of the hardcore scene in China – failing arms, circle pits, and cathartic cries of fraternity – when you\’re here your family. Top picks are definitely Hong Kong and CNHC founders King Lychee, Spill Yours Guts out of Shanghai, as well as locals hoodlums Saving Molly and Unregenerate Blood. It\’s gonna be a long one kids…best pace yourselves. Check out the full details here. Looking to catch some new talent – this lineup over at School is a bit all over the place but oh so tempting – Chen Mi of Snapline sports his newest pet project Late Troubles and that my friends is super exciting.; Drunk Deer, dips from melodic britpop to prog electro rock that I must at this point see the up and coming band with my own eyes; Da Bang has enough voluptuous spunk and rock n roll chops to blind any critic; and white+ remains one of the city\’s most exhilarating and innovative acts in town – worth the price alone. Serious potential this evening. Get your ska on at Temple with Mr. Honey and Mademoiselle et son Orchestre. Naning indie rockers Wogui de Huoche swing through 69 Café this afternoon alongside The Twenties. Meanwhile, celebrate the latest Line6 Amp withthis all-star lineup including Lao Wu [Tang Dynasty], Wen Lin, Chen Lei, Yang Li, Yao Lin, Wen Liyuan, and Liu Bochen at Yugong Yishan. Catch hard rock and blues courtesy of Feixiang at Jianghu Bar, and Inner Mongolian singer-songwriter Gangzi at DDC. And for those lucky enough or for those who have no quarrel walking into Tango without a ticket (a little uv ink never hurt anyone) – you’ll get a chance to see Chochukmo out of Hong Kong, My Skin Against Your Skin from Taiwan, and our own star-risers SUBS, Re–TROS, and Poshangcun.

Sunday August 24th

Third week in a row I\’m recommending the cozy Gulou joint – 69 Café – fact is, they\’re attracting quite the talent as of late. This weekend folk rock artist Tree, up from breezy Hangzhou swings through with his brand of indie folk – really vibrant contemporary folk that draws on the heaps of successful folk tropes back West (think Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes) without the cheapness or branding appeal. And though the young artist is already bein sought after by big names – Converse, Modern Sky – at the moment, this dude’s the real deal. Get at it while you can. Down the street at Mao Livehouse, black metal outfit Black Lake release their debut, Fight Battle War, with a little help from some friends – Source Code, Poison Mist and Ephemerality. Meanwhile, down at Mako Livehouse Taiwanese indie rock kids Elephant Gym bring their debut album to fruition and renowned LA drummer Gregg Bissonette brings his versatile skills to Yugong Yishan.