Another loaded weekend to take the mind off of those chilly willies – no shortage of fun to be had. Everything from electro pop, post punk, metal, to folk, no genre goes untouched this weekend. And be sure to take a look at the calendar for details, or for you map junkies check out the real time gig map on the side which Giz ze Frenchmen put up. Neato!

FRIDAY

How about a straight shot of original eccentric electro pop this evening – check out local French duo We Are Not Invited at School where they’ll release their EP Rubik’s Cube – expect a very festive atmosphere as guests DJ Pei, DJ Oshi, and a ‘special drummer’ take School back to its electronic roots. Li Dong the Ningxia folk outfit, fronted by Li Xia, and rounded out by a who’s who of Dos Kolegas royalty bring their earthy rocks tunes, a kickass accordion, and big heart to the ever cozy Jianghu Bar. Post punk continues to reign supreme – catch kinetic, brooding, industrial Xinxiang outfit The Fallacy at XP as they stop by Beijing to record their latest (after their much talked about debut The Terrible Silence) – expect plenty of new cuts and post punk swagger. Blue Stream Bar is firing on all cylinders tonight as new wave rocking traditionalists Perpetual Motion Machine perform alongside shoegaze outfit Fuzzy Mood, and new age reggae trope Longjin – sounds like a blast. It’s a proper Americanarama at Mako Livehouse as legend Michael Ismerio joins The Randy Abel Stable, The Hutong Yellow Weasels, and The Confectionaries for a good ol fashion hoedown. Over at Zajia Lab Belgium-based musician Matthieu Ha and Fred Chemama presents a multi-media live music/video performance. Yugong Yishan goes on all folk tonight as Zhang Yide and Huazhou take the stage for some pristine soundscapes. Finally, catch indie pop outfit Time Capsule at Mao Livehouse, freak folkster Daniel Taylor at the Hot Cat Club, and gipsy alternative folk outfit Santa Macairo Orkestar (from France) at Temple.

SATURDAY

If someone asked which bands are primed to hit it big next year, these four would definitely be near the top of said list -no hyperbole. Rave rocking U2-evoking Residence A have been in the spotlight for some time now, but believe me, they haven’t lost a step yet; post/math rock hybrids Glow Curve just put out this monster of an album; CNdY is taking over the electro rock party market with ease; and I’ve loved everything about the New Order-esque The Big Wave since I first caught them. No fat on this baby – catch them all at Mao Livehouse for awesomeness galore. I’ll let megastar Richard Doran spell this bad boy at Temple out for you – “Beijing based Blues / Punk duo Low Bow once again call forth the mystical forces of rock & roll to bring together three bands that will either make you smile whilst jumping around or confirm what you already suspected about the future of music in general. With BFF’s Yan Tiao and BFFF’s Girl Kill Girls plus FREE STICKERS & CDR’S for you and your wife, husband, girlfriend and or neighbor, tonight’s show will be better than taking a TEFL course and / or visiting Hei Long Jiang in February.” Enough said. Another killer lineup backed by the infamous Jagermesiter girls in their skimpy orange tank tops – this one rolls out at School and it’s looking like a rambunctious night of good clean fun – you’ve got new wave sneering rockers Steely Heart, visiting party rock trope Quark from Xian, Christian rock courtesy of Tookoo, pop doo wop outfit Candy Monster, country-style jams from The Power Powder, and college-aged electro punk from PB33 – no pretentions here my friends – just lots of fun and free Jager shots (if you can call those test tube concoctions shots). A taste of what’s coming out of Singapore has been long overdue – over at XP psychedelic space rockers The Observatory join Beijing’s own Chui Wan for some ‘out-there’ tunes that’ll fry your brain. Everyone’s favorite folk rockers out of Ningxia, Buyi, fresh off their latest album of goodness, bring their righteous brand of rock and roll to Jianghu Bar. Post punk quartet Me Too bring their detached emotional soundscapes to the Hot Cat Club. And finally, for you metal lovers, LA-based progressive death metal heroes The Faceless look to tear your face off at Yugong Yishan.

SUNDAY

Singaporean band The Observatory head to School with their lavish, beautifully orchestrated, slow burning sound – they’re joined by post punk screamo kids Yantiao and violinist trouble maker Yan Yulong. Out of Wuhan, Hualun, one of the bands who have been at the forefront of the post rock movement for some time bring their heavy, atmospheric epic sound to XP for a little afternoon delight. Melodic uptempo rock outfit out of Xian, Quark, swing through XP for some fun. Metal night at Mao Livehouse with a slew of new names including Stone Glory, Damned to Perdition, Equal Temperament, Meng Ling, and Wu You. Finally, catch violinist and sound artist gogoj at Zajia Lab for an outdoor late afternoon performance – bring ya coats.