Festival Countdown: Zebra Music Festival (Poly 198 Park, Chengdu)

As always, May is the festival season for live music. the Beijinger Blog will be running a festival series in the following days, offering round-up of congregations around town in springtime.


We are going to start from out of town in Chengdu, since the success of this event last year (see our review here) makes it difficult to ignore what they’ve been up to this time. In contrast to an overwhelming number of Beijing bands last year, the 2010 Zebra Music Festival brings local talent together on their "Sky Stage", and some of the biggest names in Chinese pop music will also make it to Chengdu - I'm talking about pop icon Chang Chen-yue, indie rock group Sodagreen, and Taiwanese rapper MC Hotdog. Of course some of us are too cool for them, so the choices are Manchester rockers Exile Parade and Israeli folk rock band Asaf Avidan & the Mojos (both will also perform in Beijing, stay tune for more details), and our Beijing heroes includes Xiao He, Long Shen Dao and Pet Conspiracy. For a bit of quirkiness, Reading-based disco punk band Does It Offend You, Yeah? (they are called DIOYY, apparently) share the stage. Just take a look at that video below, what a bunch of happy people. It must be nice to hop along with their music while holding your drinks, in hot pots.

DIOYY perform "We Are Rockstars" on Channel 4

When: May 1-3
Where: Poly 198 Park, Xindu District, Chengdu
How Much: RMB 80 (per day), RMB 198 (three days)
Tickets at: 400 810 1887 or here

Fop more information, visit www.myzmf.com/enshow.shtml

Line-up (click to listen)

DAY ONE: May 1 (Saturday)

Earth Stage
3.40pm Long Shen Dao (龙神道)
5pm Mosaic (马赛克)
6.20pm Asaf Avidan & the Mojos
7.40pm Pet Conspiracy (宠物同谋)
9pm Monkey Pilot (猴子飞行员)
9.30pm MC Hotdog (热狗)
10pm Chang Chen-yue (张震岳)
10.30pm DJ

Sky Stage
3pm Founding (育婴堂)
4.20pm Falling Cookies
5.40pm Boss Ma Jazz Band (马老板爵士乐队)
7pm Tongdang (童党)
8.20pm Narrenschiff (愚人船)
9.30pm Proximity Butterfly (变色蝴蝶)

DAY TWO: May 2 (Sunday)

Earth Stage
3.40pm Caffein (咖啡因)
5pm La Petite Nurse (小护士)
6.20pm Ashura (阿修罗)
7.40pm Sitar Tan (谭维维)
9pm Jason Zhang (张杰)
10pm Does It Offend You, Yeah?
10.30pm DJ

Sky Stage
3pm Zrer (自然而燃)
4.20pm Crow's Feet (鱼尾纹)
5.40pm Wider Fahren (降临)
7pm The Deep Green Sea (深绿海)
8.20pm Sol Spaceship (太阳飞船)
9.30pm The Trouble (热超波)

DAY THREE: May 3 (Monday)

Earth Stage
3.40pm Future Bicycle (未来脚踏车)
5pm Mr.Chelonian (海龟先生)
6.20pm Reptile and Retard
7.40pm Miserable Faith (痛苦的信仰)
9pm Exile Parade
10pm Sodagreen (苏打绿)
10.30pm DJ

Sky Stage
3pm Elephant Man (大象迷)
3.40pm Wu Zhuoling (吴卓玲)
4.20pm Shu Zi (树子)
5.40pm Zhao Muyang (赵牧阳)
7pm Liangzhi Shouqiang (两只手枪)
8.20pm Xiao He (小河)
9.30pm Zhou Yunpeng (周云蓬)