Noise Pollution: Carsick Cars, P.K. 14, Anoise, Ching Wen Hsiao, Loreli Art Market, Anda Union

Nothing like a little provincial rainstorm to wash away the grime, the sweat, and tears of the past week and wipe the slate clean. And there’s nothing better to do with a fresh conscience then to muck it all up again with this devilishly delirious weekend of live music – from the return of Beijing’s post-punk godfathers to the latest Loreli-sponsored art market, there’s plenty to go around.
 

Friday, June 23

Carsick Cars, Chui Wan at Yugong Yishan
Beijing based independent label continue their ten year celebrations with a summer solstice showcase featuring the label’s two hottest tickets – longstanding noise rockers Carsick Cars and the ‘strange and novel psychedelic rock quartet Chui Wan. Fresh off their American tour, here’s your chance to see them on their home turf. 150 RMB

Nasty Ray, After Journey & Boom, N-Bomb & Saber, Def Capone & Buckchild, Krazy Family, DJ 4Teal at Modernsky Lab
Natural Flavor returns to Modernsky – rounding up some of Beijing’s top MCs and rappers for a delectable evening of hip hop. The ‘dope, fresh, nasty’ Nasty Ray joins new-school hip-hop artists D-Mob and underground rapper Bomb, the founder of the Dungeon label in Beijing, and much more. 150 RMB

Miga, 5th Dimension, Electric Lady and Mr. Honey at 13 Club
Beijing’s infamous pillow fight series makes its way to Wudaokou with a slew of musical guests including electronic post-punks 5th Dimension, stoner rockers Electric Lady, indie pop outfit Miga, and longstanding big band group Mr. Honey, fresh of their latest album release. 40 RMB

Whale Circus at Yue Space
Super talented musician, producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Li Xingyu unveils the third release from Whale Circus, his rotating, ever-expanding musical ensemble made up of a vasy array of talented musicians, who create lush, cinematic soundtracks that will pull at those heart strings.

The Flyx, Sino Hearts, C60 at Temple
Put out the punk signal – cause its down to get down and dirty at Temple with this deadly trifecta of punk outfits including the massively underrated The Flyx, one of this year’s breakout successes, power pop swaggers The Sino Hearts, and C60. Get some. Free

Giant Saint, Next Door Band, Gentle Grapes, Dungeon Beijing, New School Waste Choir, Summer Sunshine at Mao Livehouse
Skate pop punk, Britpop heart string pullers, freestyle rapping, 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. 120 RMB

Ember Swift, 星星Star at School
Canadian artist Ember Swift who now resides in the magnetic city of Beijing, China has released 12 albums since 1996 and continues to have a loyal fan base across many national borders. She brings her swag and stylish indie rock to School for a pre-summer hoedown before everyone leaves for the holidays. 60 RMB

U.T.A (TW) at DDC
Taipei dream-pop band, U.T.A, who started as a folk duo in 2006 has evolved over the years and now brings their psychedelic-tinted pop sound to DDC. 80 RMB

Xu Dale at Jianghu Bar
Advertising executive by day and musician by night Xu Dale appears at Jianghu in support of his new album Life and Death. 80 RMB

Ah Ye, Yan Baizhou at Mogu Space
Folk musician Ah Ye plays guitar, piano, flute, and drums in her sad, melancholic songs about life’s endless confusion, but welcomes all lost souls to her show. She’s joined by the more uplifting indie musician Yan Baizhou. 35 RMB

Soul Mate, Fooloo, Mandala, Requiem at Mars Club
Head to Gaobeidian for this eclectic lineup that features pop emo outfit Soul Mate, crosstalk folk rockers Fooloo, as well as goth nu metal band Requiem and more. 60 RMB

Wu Gui, Nathan Borofka and Nick Parsons at 69 Café
Regulars Wu Gui, Nick Parsons and Nathan Borofka take the stage for a acoustic session at the cozy 69 Cafe. 60 RMB

Russian Roulette, Kuso Eyes, Rupture Call, X-Summer at EA Livehouse
EA Livehouse looks to join in on the fun with a surprisingly explosive lineup featuring punk dudes Russian Roulette, emo-tinted punk outfit Kuso Eyes, and more. Free

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

The M’zyk Band at Modernista
Focusing on pop, jazz, R&B, and lots, lots of soul, the M’zyk Band are unique to say the least – their performances and their music assure that every sound, note, and words will bring more than groove into the audience: it will bring up emotions. Free

Saturday, June 24

P.K. 14, Lonely Leary at Yue Space
Seminal post-punk quartet – P.K. 14 – considered the godfather of post-punk, finish off their whirlwind tour of China with a nightcap at Yue Space. The band, one of the country’s highest regarded, will be playing songs from their forthcoming album. It’s a rare treat these cats so get them while you can. Support from Maybe Mars’ Lonely Leary. 150 RMB

Anoice (JP) at Yugong Yishan
‘In the vein of Sigur Ros and Godspeed You Black Emporer, this Tokyo-bred troop utilizes everything from synths, to cembalo, organ, flute, cello, harmonic pipe, and even glockenspiel along with guitar and piano to create spooky symphonies.’ Catch the unique musical experience at Yugong Yishan. 150 RMB

Hugh Reed & the Electric Shadows, Dan Taylor, Carlo, Nick Parsons, Ravi & the Puppets, ZHEGE at DDC
The Beijing Underground's latest series 'Sweet Summer Music Days', hits up DDC for their second installment - running for a massive six hours, the lineup features music and shadow puppet production Ravi and the Puppets, Scottish rocker Hugh Reed and the Electric Shadows, Yorkshire-born singer-songwriter Dan Taylor, blues pianist Carlo, psychedelic throwback Nick Parsons, and satirical expat band Zhege. 60 RMB

Wen Liang, Atelier II, Boss Cuts at Mogu Space
Dark ambient and surf rock vibes – it’s a summer electronic showcase in Xizhimen as drone-filled ambient duo Atelier II joins producer Wen Liang and surf rock duo Boss Cuts for some mischief. 50 RMB 

LaiSee, Day Dream, The Diagon Alley, BaiHeZu at School
Get an ‘Bad Education’ at School with the latest ‘installment in debauchery’ featuring rising hardcore heroes LaiSee, 70s inspired punks Day Dream, Britpop electro rockers The Diagon Alley, and J-pop female troupe BaiHeZu. 60 RMB

Jony J at Modernsky Lab
Artist Jony J burst onto the scene with his 2013 mixtape, which showcased his unique personality and music style. Since then, the hip hop star has been racking up miles on tour, hordes of fans, and awards on his shelf, making his name as one of China’s biggest rappers. Catch him at Modernsky Lab.

Peking Flyod, The Peppercorns at Temple
Check out the newly established Pink Floyd tribute band Peking Floyd, featuring some very familiar faces, who’ll join psychedelic ruffians The Peppercorns for a heady evening of in your face tunes. Free 

Su Zixu & Heike Kalger at Jianghu Bar
Su Zixu, one of 2016’s breakout stars, joins friends at Jianghu Bar for an intimate evening. Known for his sensitive instrumentals and rough voice, he’ll be accompanied on stage by German cellist Heike Kagler. 80 RMB

The Spice Cabinet at Modernista
The Spice Cabinet is the jazz machine that slices, dices and reworks every pop number into the frenzy of a pop modern dance beat of wonder. It's pop according to jazz, sprinkled with funk, hip-hop, bebop, rock and a heavy dose of avant-garde. 50 RMB

Death Penalty, Dusky Star, Scotophilia, Obsession, FenZang, Obsoletenova at 13 Club
Something wicked comes this way – as some of the scene’s most hardcore metal bands converge on 13 Club including Death Penalty, Obsession, Dusky Star, and more for some brutalization. 80 RMB

Ching Wen Hsiao Piano Recital at La Plantation
Taiwanese-American pianist, Dr. Ching-Wen Hsiao, has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the North America, Europe, and Asia. Since making her concert debut at the age of sixteen in the Philippines, giving four performances of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Cebu Youth Symphony, she’s been playing around the world and receiving awards from just about everywhere – catch her give a special piano recital tonight. 200 RMB

Anna Kouri Trio, Soares Jazz Trio at The Living Room
Grecian jazz vocalist Anna Kouri appears at the Living Room at Chao with her band for an early evening set. They’re followed by the Soares Jazz Trio, fronted by guitarist Marco Giongrandi. Free
 

Sunday, June 25

The Harridans, Su Zixu, Nocturnes, The Guzzlers at Yue Space
The Loreli Affordable Art Market returns and they’re staying up extra late this time with an sexy musical lineup that’ll follow their afternoon into early evening market extravaganza featuring some seriously cool artwork from Beijing’s budding art scene. Acts from the ever-evolving The Harridans, indietronica duo Nocturnes, as well as the mischievous The Guzzlers and Su Zixu of The Paramecia. 50 RMB (after 8pm)

All Unknown, Hard Candy Revolution, Re-SCHEDULE, Ma at School
Celebrate these rocking females this Sunday at School with hard glam rockers Hard Candy Revolution, pop punks All Unknown and more female-heavy rock bands. 60 RMB

IvanBird at Mao Livehouse
IvanBird release their debut album Tethered, which spans a wide variety of music genres, including post-rock, experimental rock, new age, jazz musical, psychedelic pop, and garage rock – at Mao Livehouse. 80 RMB

Anda Union at Tiantiao Music Center
Drawing from all the Mongol tribes that Genghis Khan unified - Anda Union are part of a musical movement that is finding inspiration in old and forgotten songs. Hailing from differing ethnic nomadic cultures the nine strong band unite tribal and music traditions from all over Inner Mongolia. Catch them at the Temple of Heaven Theater. 100-550 RMB (7.30pm start)

Convulsif (Switzerland) at Fruityspace
Swiss black metal band bring their sinister soundscapes to Fruityspace – ‘a quartet of mad experimental extremists, Convulsif hunts down the perfect delirium made from doom, noise and drone, nightmarish, repetitive, ritualized. Relentlessly they take possession of your cortex and brand it with their monolithic sound.’ Dope. 40 RMB

Gear Slutz – Rock N’ Roll Flea Market at Temple
‘Bring out your pedals, guitars, cymbals, other instruments and your cash to buy, sell, and trade gear - use Temple's stage for you to test out your potentially new, upgraded battle stations, axes and effects chains’ – it's the first Rock N’ Roll Flea Market at Temple where between 2pm and 8pm, you can try out new gear to add to your musical arsenal. Free

Lobby, Vegetable Zoo, Meridien, Free&Enjoy, Cloud Street at Modernsky Lab
The W&M Music Union hosts five of their favorite bands, all telling their own story. The upbeat rock group Lobby appears with Vegetable Zoo, a five-piece anti-utopian indie rock group, Free&Enjoy, a spiritual indie group, rockers Meridien, and pop-punk act Cloud Street. 80 RMB 

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