Noise Pollution: OWAT, Oriental Metal Festival, Juan Carmona Quartet, Folk Fest

How’s spring fever treating ya ... I always underestimate how much the pollen and catkins manages to reduce me to a sniveling snort nosed kid, be here I am, scratching my retinas like a junkie. My only salvation at this point is escaping into the bars and venues of Beijing where some of the season’s hottest acts will be performing – from EP drops to oriental metal – there's a lot to take in over the weekend so without further adue here's your weekend roundup courtesy of Live Beijing Music (WeChat ID: livebeijingmusic).
 

Friday, April 7

The Paramecia, Silent Speech, Pacalolo at Temple
Folksy psychedelic troupe Su & The Paramecia bring their diverse catalog of sounds (and instruments) to Temple alongside alternative indie rockers Silent Speech, who have been receiving some good word of mouth, and veteran electro rock duo Pacalolo, always a buoyant treat. A nice array of sounds to dig into there. Free

Juan Carmona Quartet (SP) at DDC
Nominated countless times for the ‘Best Album Flamenco’ at the Latin Grammy Awards, Juan Carmona is considered one of the best flamenco guitarists in the world. At the intersection between musical modernity and the oldest flamenco traditions of Andalusia, Juan Carmona is an innovator, one of the most valiant links of his generation. Catch him and his band this evening. RMB 120

Recycle, Finger Family, Miss Future at School
China punk rock royalty Recycle have been at it for over a decade, and tonight they make a semi-rare appearance with what is sure to be an explosive set – joining them are young pop punk outfits Finger Family, who have been killing it as of late, and J-punk inspired Miss Future. Rowdy rowdy. RMB 80

Scare The Children, The ProzaX, Goodbye Sunset, Defying Gravity at Mars Club
Things get heavy at Mars Club out by Gaobeidian with a ravenous lineup featuring everyone’s mask-wearing horror metal group Scare The Children who’ll join emo-core outfit The ProzaX and more for some hard hitting rock and rolling. RMB 80, RMB 60 (advance)

OWAT, Hind Brain, Awake Mountains at Mao Livehouse
Nu metal outfit OWAT (aka Originality Without Any Thing aka Wu You Yue Dui) release their new album Hello World at Mao Livehouse tonight with support from scrappy hard rockers HiondBrain and Awake Mountains. RMB 100, RMB 80 (advance)

Zhang Qianqian at 69 Café
‘Known for her strangely imaginative, stubborn and idealistic works’ veteran sing-songwriter Zhang Qianqian, a staple of the folk scene since her debut in 1996, gives a special showcase courtesy at 69 Café. RMB 80

Tsering at Hot Cat Club
Tibetan folk artist Tsering Norbu returns to Hot Cat Club with his music that’s rooted in the traditional Tibetan folk traditions from Lhasa, as well as world music from around the globe. Free

Zhenren at Jianghu Bar
Richard Barnes, Heike Kagler and Peter Murchison team up to take on Jianghu. The trio will be playing delta blues, combining rustic guitar sounds, harmonic, and cello to bring alive the music of artists like Robert Johnson and Blind Blake. RMB 60, RMB 50 (advance)

Saturday, April 8

Nocturnes, Anxt at School Bar
Indie-electronic duo Nocturnes bring their intimate, haunting and ethereal debut Dust Into Glory to School Bar for the release show. Compiled of Leslie (vocals and lyrics) and Da Wei (production and melody) the EP is a sleek, sensual concoction with impeccably groomed arrangements. They will be supported by up and coming electronic artist Anxt. RMB 80, RMB 60 (advance)

Mark Levine, Fu Han at The Bookworm
Americana folk meets traditional Chinese music as expat troubadour Mark Levine and traditional Chinese instrumentalist Fu Han perform their multilingual song and story set, Inside Out, at The Bookworm for a special performance. Read our interview with Levine here. RMB 180 (7pm start)

DJ Quaver, Fakakilla Saber, Tsunami, Z Dev, The Boom at Modernsky Lab
The hip-hop label Dungeon Beijing hosts a party at Modernsky Lab for two of their artists’ debut releases. DJ Quaver puts out his first EP, as does Fakakilla Saber, for whom DJ Saber served as a producer. The two artists will be joined by guests Tsunami, ZDev, and The Boom for a label showcase. RMB 100

Lucifer, Qi Ming, Jordan Darling, Sid Silwal, UncleHu, Ani, Interracial Staple, Dan Taylor at 69 Café
This weekend at 69 Café is a part of ‘A Folk Fest’ which will bring together a slew of Beijing’s finest singer-songwriters over the course of two days at the cozy Nanluogu Xiang staple. Day one finds solace in such recognizable acts like Uncle Hu, Jordan Darling, Lucifer, Dan Taylor, and more giving it their all on the small stage. RMB 60

Deep Mountians, Suld, Dream Spirit, Xing Yuan Gu, Mysterain, Virus Base at Yugong Yishan
It’s an Oriental Metal Festival featuring some of the scene’s most invigorating outfits who are not afraid to bring in some Chinese traditional sounds in their pile-driver sets including the Tai’an black metal trope Deep Mountains, Inner Mongolian metal outfit Suld, Beijing-based Virus Base, among others. RMB 150

Hard Candy Revolution, Scary Honey, Longjin, Electric Lady, Silent Elegy at Mao Livehouse
Check out these hard-hitting ladies of the rock and roll scene with an array of bands fronted by females including stoner rock outfit Electric Lady, reggae pop band Longjin, and many more. 8pm start. RMB 100

Liu Donghong & The Sand at Yue Space
Blues-ridden singer-songwriter Liu Donghong and his band The Sand have been known as one of the most important rock 'n' roll artists in China since their formation in 1998. Catch them give a special unplugged performance this evening at Yue Space. RMB 100, RMB 80 (advance)

Tulegur at Jianghu Bar
Tulegur, the veteran Mongolian folk rock duo whose grungy revisionist take on Mongolian music has won acclaim both here and abroad, performs tonight at the hutong mainstay Jianghu Bar. RMB 80

Bluso Rap Team, L-Force, T.O.B, Pengzi at Hot Cat Club
Reggae meets hip hop with this spring welcoming, red hot lineup featuring rap collective Bluso, T.O.B.and more like DJ Wildwata keeping the reggae vibes alive and just maybe some break dancers to liven up the evening. Free

The Hunters, 4 Channel Club at DDC
One of Beijing’s hottest crowd-pleasing outfits The Hunters who combine old school funk, soul, and rock classics with intoxicating delivery, get down at DDC with a lil help from 8-bit soundscraper 4 Channel Club. RMB 60, RMB 50 (advance)

Tavey Lean and The Solid Gold Dream Machine at Temple
Audience favorites, Tavey Lean and The Solid Gold Dream Machine bring their impressive repertoire of classic soul, R&B, 3-piece horn section, rock and roll fun to Temple. Free

Ravi and the Shadows at Beer Mania
Ravi plays a wide variety of full energy music using multiple folk instruments and combine it with a new and different way of "Pi Ying." A contemporary approach to the old and beautiful art of Chinese shadow puppetry. Free

Beijing Greenwolf Rockfestival at BeijingWorld Youth Academy (BWYA)
Support the next generation of rockers with this daytime music festival planned and organized only by the students of Beijing World Youth Academy – an international school in Wangjing. From 5pm to 8pm at the BWYA IPC Performing Arts & Athletic Centre (aka a gym that doubles as a theater) check out eight bands from the various international schools around town perform, including such inspiring names like The Baguettes (they’re of course from the French international school), and IXLives. RMB 70-100

Beijing Axis Ensemble at La Plantation
The chamber music ensemble Beijing Axis, whose four experienced members come from the US, Taiwan, and Spain are committed to introducing classic music and musicians in western music history to the audience in China with their beautiful interpretations of music from baroque era to the 20th century. RMB 150

Sunday, April 9

Motorbike Girls, Default, The Dice!, Little Wang at School
Get frisky this Sunday evening with a scorching hot lineup featuring some of the scene’s latest barnburners – from the garage rock maelstrom of Motorbikes Girls, the psychedelic pummeling of The Dice!, the shoegaze bliss of Default, to the raw girl power of Xiao Wang – they’re plenty of dangerous new sounds to soak in. RMB 40

‘M2B’ Screening w/ Sound Sculpture, Eric Tsen at DDC
Celebrate the 6th anniversary of French artist Niko de La Faye’s sculpture-performance piece M2B, which chronicles the artist’s travels across China, Paris, and New York on a Chinese tricycle, with thismulti-media event that’ll feature videos compiled by Niko de La Faye and music from improv ambient outfit Sound Sculpture, saxophonist Eric Tsen, and more. RMB 60, RMB 50 (advance) (6pm start)

No Performance, Jason Wayne Sneed, Zhang Shouwang at Fruityspace
The duo project of Sean Lee (living coding) and Zhu Wenbo (clarinet), No Performance, present Insecta – a sine wave work related to space and feedback. They’ll be supported by bassist Jason Wayne Sneed and Carsick Cars frontman Zhang Shouwang for some offbeat sounds. RMB 40

Xu Ming, Dooder, Your Creepy Uncle, Hugh Reed, The Plum Trees, Kamau, Coupla Cups, Nick Parsons at 69 Café
Day Two of ‘A Folk Fest’ brings out even more of Beijing’s fine and blossoming folk scene including Xu Ming, Hugh Reed, Nick Parsons, and the aptly named Your Creepy Uncle. RMB 60

Duo Antwerp at La Plantation
Duo Antwerp is formed by two outstanding performers: Adilia Yip on the marimba and Daniel Belloví on the bass clarinet, who always believe in the enormous potential of this unique combination. Through original works from contemporary composers and classical arrangements, the Duo extends the amazing possibilities of marimba and bass clarinet in both musical interpretation and high technical level. RMB 150

Stefan Krist (Austria), Li Tieqiao, Yu Miao, Liu Ping at DDC
Austrian free improvising musician (trombone, vocals, sound objects), composer, writer, and performance artist Stefan Krist joins some of Beijing’s most dedicated improv performances including saxophonist Li Tieqiao for a Sunday night experimental treat. RMB 70, RMB 50 (advance)

Phew! Still hungry for more? For events, videos, and photos from Beijing's thriving music scene, head over to Live Beijing Music or check out all of our live music listings here.

Images: Samual Silverman, Live Beijing Music, courtesy of the organizers