Noise Pollution: The Notwist, Dollar Wong, The Dice, Click #15, Jungle Mico Project, MEW

As you’ve been hearing all week – the po po will be out and about this weekend, and while the music venues are usually too much trouble for them to break up, it’s best to be prepared. Bring some identification, lay off those jazz cigarettes, or whatever else the kids are doing these days, and keep your eyes peeled. But seriously, this list of shows below are only for folks who want to enjoy themselves. No Debbie Downers or Paranoid Petes while I’m trying to get my head bang on. Enjoy this weekend gig roundup courtesy of Live Beijing Music (WeChat ID: livebeijingmusic).

READ: Live Beijing Music’s Top 10 China-Based Acts Playing at Wetware Douban Music Fest

Friday, May 12

CMCB, Tone, Owat, Laisee, Long Jin, Ice Moon, Drunkard, Dark Haze, Purgatory, Devil Mask, Dr. V'Agent, Zi You, Black Lotus, Mr. Honey, The Uncrowned, Red Chariot, Army of Jade Kirin, Scar Constitution, The Skin I Live In, Nuclear Bomb, Spring Ka Mu Suo at Yugong Yishan
Lordy lord – Yugong Yishan lays it all bare with an enormous hard on of a lineup to celebrate 15 years of ummm, Hao Yun instruments. My guess is that every band is getting their hands on a new guitar cause this is one bloated affair with over 20 bands performing – from hardcore angst-ridden kids Ice Moon, to nu-metal stalwarts CMCB, to big band blues poppers Mr. Honey – this is a extensive and diverse day and evening of music and likely the biggest bang you’ll get for your Reminbi in some time. Pace yourselves young ones. 3pm start. RMB 150

Jungle Mico Project at Temple
The live dub band – and one of Temple’s biggest hitters – return with a surprise 2017 showcase to present their new album Dream Walking. Led by the well known electronic drummer Mico, the ensemble mix elements of ‘live drum'n'bass, dubstep, dub, break beats, deep techno, and more – all performed live on real instruments in real time.’ Expect a wild 'n’ out crowd. Free

MEW (DEN) at Tango
Everyone needs a little MEW in their life. At least that’s what all the cool Chinese kids keep telling me. The Danish alternative rock band, known for their glacial moving melodies full of the real whimsical flourishes, return once again with their latest tour ‘VISUALS’ with a stop at Tango. RMB 280

Earl & The Steadies, Longjin at Barn
Prominent, award-winning Canadian songwriter Earl Pereira brings his latest band, island rock outfit Earl & The Steadies to Beijing – the band’s unique sound which mixes pop-rock with funk and reggae, will be having audiences dancing and singing along at the new venue just east of Tuanjiehu – The Barn. Support from Beijing’s own reggae-pop outfit Longjin. RMB 100

Childs (Mexico) at Modernsky Lab
The Mexican post-rock band Childs, who have been around since 2001 and is often compared to Sigur Ros for their ‘ethereal electronic nursery rhymes’ bring their trail-blazing soundscapes to none other than Modernsky Lab. RMB 120

TOSS, Russian Roulette at School
Long standing Beijing rockers whose grunge-edge and uncompromising melodies have made them one of the scene’s most underrated outfits, finish up their fifteen city tour in support of their debut at School Bar alongside up and coming punk ruffians Russian Roulette. Out for blood they’ll be. RMB 70

Larry’s Pizza, Windsor Forest, Bye Bye Noise, Gentle Grapes at Mao Livehouse
Skate pop punk, britpop heart string pullers, Strokes-riffing, and 70s rock and roll – it’s a buoyant evening of rock and roll with these seasoned Beijingers keeping the flame alive at Mao Livehouse. RMB 120

Hot Club of Beijing at DDC
The finest Gypsy Jazz ensemble in town, the Hot Club of Beijing return to DDC, which has bounced back with all cylinders firing since their unexpected closure last weekend. So no more excuses jazz lovers and swing dancers! RMB 50

Click #15 at Modernsky Lab
Funk glam rockers Click #15, led to the tight-jeaned Ricky Sixx finish off their ‘Funky Experience’ tour to support their recently released debut – expect Prince-esque funk that’s sexy, fun, and just the right amount of dirty. RMB 80

The Dice, Goodbye Honey Boy at Fruityspace
Space rock cadet duo The Dice bring their walls of psychedelic noise to Fruityspace alongside up and coming dream pop trio Goodbye Honey Boy, whose Beach House-inspired ambient dream pop will have your head in the clouds. RMB 40

Dan Taylor, Rosie Eade, Randy Abel at 69 Café
Folk pixies and bluegrass favorites converge on the petite venue including The Harridans frontman Dan Taylor, Rosie Eade, and Randy Abel. RMB 66

Wen Liang, X-Summer, Bai Jianqing at Mars Club
Ambient sound sculptor Wen Liang joins pop punk group X-Summer, folk singer Bai Jianqing and much more at the Gaobeidian joint. RMB 100 

Ember Swift at Modernista
Indie singer-songwriter Ember Swift brings her swag and stylish indie rock to Modernista as the long standing Beijing-based artist presents her latest album Sticks and Stones, which promises to echo ‘childhood joys while living in an adult world.’ Free

Just Chellin’ at Caravan
Cello geeks – find heaven at Caravan this evening as the cello supergroup Just Chellin’, made up of three of the scene’s best players Joy Stuhr, Nicole Jhang, and Heike Kagler, bring you an array of improvised covers and originals. RMB 50

Open Mic Hip Hop Night w/ Bluso, One Plus One, Beastie B, more at Hot Cat Club
It’s a hip-hop open mic at Hot Cat Club as an array of Beijing’s latest rappers take their hand at dropping the mic. RMB 60

Los Amigos at Jianghu Bar
Long standing Beijing-bred latin jazz ensemble Los Amigos return to spice things up at the hutong mainstay with Cuban flavored salsa tunes. RMB 80

JustJam at Mogu Space
Made up of members of the Tsinghua University Orchestra, Just Jam bring their improvisational-based pop rock singles to the Xizhimen space. RMB 66

The Ah Q Arkestra at Living Room
Featuring Matt Roberts on trombone, Liu Xiaoguang on saxophone, David Moser on piano, Da Zhong on bass, and Scott Silverman on drums, the Ah Q Orchestra plays an eclectic mix of modern, funk and Latin jazz tunes, including many original compositions. Free

Saturday, May 13

Gate to Otherside, Backspace at School
Beijing indie psychrockers finish their trek across the country with a bash at School Bar. The band, fresh off the release of their devilishly fun spaced out debut Dragon Bus Terminal, bring the guitar driven psych rock into overdrive with support from one of the year’s best new acts – Backspace. Read our recent interview with Gate to Otherside here. RMB 80

The Mac Daddies at Temple
It's been two whole years since Stevie Mac first assembled the Mac Daddies, and they’re gonna celebrate at none other than Temple Bar where they’ll be test driving their new forthcoming EP, full of original songs – expect high spirits, drink deals galore, and take this next step in the evolution of the Mac Daddies. Read our interview with Stevie Mac himself about what he expects of the show here. Free 

Cold Cave (US) at Omni Space
Before his stint at the Wetware Festival next week, darkwave synth pop mastermind – Wesley Eisold AKA Cold Cave – gives a special warm up performance at Omni Space before hitting the road. RMB 200

Life Awaits, Chaos Kills The Pain, Awake Mountains, Collision Dreamer, Duskystar, The Sweet Escape, Stream of Life at Mao Livehouse
Hardcore’s offbeat cousins join forces at Mao Livehouse – post-hardcore, electronic core, easycore, emocore – it’s all for the taking as some of the scene’s most exhilarating characters including Life Awaits and Chaos Kills The Pain give the hardcore genre a shot of adrenaline. RMB 80

Slap at Yue Space
Genre-hopping, satirical cross talking folk rock outfit, one of the scene’s best kept secrets with one the biggest fan bases out there, perform at Yue Space to present their newest material as well as present special limited release compilation albums. RMB 120

Dan Taylor, A. Borealis, Yahkehbu at Fruityspace
Volume 9 of ‘An Art Show’ goes down at Fruityspace – started by Shannon Lethbridge over a year ago to create a platform for all things art, the upcoming event will be her final experimental endeavor here in Beijing which will infuse art, photography, animation and film with music and poetry, and will include sets from Dan Taylor, A. Borealis, and guqin musician Yahkehbu alongside an array of poets and artists of every ilk. RMB 60

Dollar Wong at Modernsky Lab
Mandarin pop songstress Dollar Wong, known for her bubbly and colorful performances that mix rock and roll swagger with hip-hop flow, plays her hits at Modernsky Lab to one can only guess will be a stampede of fans. RMB 180 

Jiazhi Wang, Shawn Moore at La Plantation
Spend the evening with top-notch chamber music as violin soloist Jiazhi Wang brings her gifted skills to La Plantation alongside fellow violist and former Yale University graduate, Shawn Moore. RMB 150

Zhang Qianqian at 69 Café
Veteran singer-songwriter Zhang Qianqian, a staple of the folk scene since her debut in 1996, gives a special showcase at 69 Café. RMB 80

Tang, Lucky Roots, Lil-B at Mars Club
Chinese Rastafari duo Lucky Roots bring the good vibes eastward to Gaobeidian alongside deep house producer Lil B and britpop outfit Tang. RMB 120

Ben Rando Quartet (FR) at DDC
Linking the two worlds of classical music and folk pop through the universal language of jazz, the French pianist Ben Rando will bring together a team of exceptional musicians to perform at DDC. RMB 60

ChaiHaiQing at Jianghu Bar
Fingerstyle virtuoso brings the magic to audiences with a special live showcase at Jianghu Bar. RMB 80

Boss Cuts, Kahlua at Mogu Space
Up and coming indie funkoutfit Kahlua who blend elements of jazz fusion into their female-led tunes join fellow funk rockers Boss Cuts in Xizhimen. RMB 60

Mademoiselle et Son Orchestre at Living Room
Mademoiselle (Canadian vocalist and accordion player Marie-Claude Lebel) appears with her orchestra: Doug Martin on lead guitar, Vince Vharam on rhythm guitar, Fiach O’Brien on drums, and Xu Guang Zhun on bass as they get you moving with Quebecois and French melodies, played straight from the heart. Free

Uighur Sama at Modernista
A mixture of traditional Arabic songs and lively Spanish rumba classics, with lyrics both in English and Uyghur, Uighur Sama continue bringing the energetic sounds of Xinjiang to China´s capital. Free

Tsering at Snail Hostel
Tibetan folk artist Tsering Norbu returns to Snail Hostel with his music that’s rooted in the traditional Tibetan folk traditions from Lhasa, as well as world music from around the globe. RMB 50

Sunday, May 14

The Notwist (Germany), Future Orients at Yugong Yishan
New Noise continue their hot streak with legendary indie band The Notwist. The German band, best known for their 2002 album Neon Golden, considered one of the best indie records of our time, have played just about everywhere around the world. Blending electronic beats, pulsing waves, the mixture of organic instruments with digital blips and loops and most notably the serenity of Markus Acher’s voice – it’s a band whose sound has resonated far and wide. Read our interview with the band ahead of their show here. RMB 150

Outsiders, Wireless Puppet, Kusoeyes, Hangnail at Temple   
Celebrate Mother’s Day with a punk hoedown at Temple – cause nothing says ‘I Love You Mom’ like tossing your body around like a rag doll whilst spilling beer into your crotch. Free

Wonder Sea, Bai He Zu, Orion, Jagger, Time Partner at School
Local promoters 96.1 have booked an afternoon show today at School Bar. Join post-emo rockers Wonder Sea, pop rock group Orion, indie rockers Time Partner, as well as Bai He Zu and Jagger for a rock 'n' roll filled afternoon. 2pm start. 50 RMB

Liquid Palace, Zhang Shouwang at School
Lesson 3 of Beijing Rock101 – and we’re going full on experimental here with noise collective Liquid Palace (featuring the electronic wizardry of Meng Qi) joining Carsick Cars frontman Zhang Shouwang. RMB 20

Fatiaokamusuo at Yue Space   
Tianjin folk rock outfit Fatiaokamusuo bring their humor-filled, slice of life rock and roll (in Tianjin dialect to boot) to Yue Space as the bands presents their new album Che (or "bullshit" in Chinese). Sneakily charming stuff. RMB 80

Scharmien Zandi (Austria), A.Borealis at DDC
After being invited by the Master International Culture Development of Beijing to live and work in China for a few months Austrian artist and pianist Scharmien Zandi is ready to present her exhibition Amour Fou alongside local ukulele singer A.Borealis. RMB 50

Nightingale, Virus Base, Purgatory, Gravitation Force at Omni Space
Round two of Omni Space’s XIAN Project – which looks to open it doors to aspiring artists across Beijing. So if you’ve got a band and need a new place to play – with a killer soundsystem – then look no further. Today they go heavy with a metal-filled lineup. RMB 60

Duo Vela (AUS/USA) at La Plantation
Flute and guitar duo Duo Vela make it their goal is to transport audiences to distant lands by playing music from many cultures, displaying the beauty of diversity that exists in the world. Both rearranging such classics as Tchaikovsky’s "Nutcracker Suite" as well as performing original compositions, the duo have garnered a following here and abroad. 4pm start.

Blue Diamond, Cui Longyang, Derby Day, GentleGrapes at Modernsky Lab
W&M throws down with a summer party, featuring four different musical acts with strong 60s and 70s British rock and roll vibes. Qian Xi appears with the Blue Diamond Band, singing pop, rock and soul while indie singer-songwriter Cui Longyang goes solo, and electro-acoustic group Derby Day and 70s punk outfit Gentle Grapes rock out. RMB 80

Kamila Nasr Bossa Nova Trio at Living Room
Canadian singer, multi-instrumentalist, and composer Kamila Nasr is joined by Da Huai on bass and Sejin Bae on piano for an evening of gentle waves of rhythm and melody to soothe the soul this Sunday night at the lavish Chao. 7.30pm start. Free

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: Live Beijing Music, courtesy of the organizers