Noise Pollution: Glow Curve, Tang Huabin, Foster Parents, Eric Allen, The White Tulips, Boss Cuts

I’ve yet to put on my A/C. Not sure if it’s stubbornness, laziness, or plain ol' hoboness. But since I can’t go 20 meters without turning into a sweaty mess, I figured what’s the point. Might as well bask in my liquids instead of wallowing in resistance. And there’s no better place in Beijing to find solace in the perspiring madness then at any of the hot wire gigs across town, particularly School Bar where they go out of their way to make sure you’re shedding some kilos. Divine. Here’s your weekend roundup.
 

Friday, June 30

Glow Curve, Sparrow, Residence A, Penicillin at Mao Livehouse
Heat up your summer with four riotous groups at Yugong Yishan – indie dance group Residence A, who reportedly are back in fine form, Britpop outfit Penicillin, post-rock luminaries Glow Curve and instrumental rockers Sparrow, who are prepped to release their new EP and hit the European circuit this summer. 150 RMB

Slud, Four Five, Nuclear Fusion G, Ice Moon, Life Awaits, Collision Dreamer at Modernsky Lab
The label Beisanerli celebrates their second anniversary with a label showcase featuring multiple DJs and bands stretched out across two days – night one goes heavy with Mongolian folk metal group Suld, hardcore emo outfit Life Awaits (fresh off their sexy debut release), seminal melodic core group Four Five, and more. 150 RMB

Phuture Vulture and the Absolute, Mimik Banka, The Peppercorns at DDC
Phuture Vulture and the Absolute is a new group fronted by Daniel Taylor from the art rock band The Harridans. This new project takes a melancholic approach to songwriting, incorporating a string section, piano, and electric guitar to create songs that are richly melodic and sad. They debut tonight alongside alt rock groovers Mimik Banka (formerly 16 mins) and The Peppercorns. 60 RMB

Never Before, Swingin Barbarellas, Kuso Eyes at Temple
Stoner doom metal outfit Never Before bring their steamy intense performance to Temple bar alongside punk ruffians Swingin Barbarellas and up and coming melodic punk band Kuso Eyes. Free

Cyclops, Crabox, Plateau, The Opposite Side at School
Henan pop punk band Cyclops bombard School Bar in support of their latest album Defend The Sicilian, full of catchy hooks and sugar rush gusto. They’ll be joined by easycore outfit Crabox, Plateau, and more for some high-octane fun. 70 RMB

Samaga at Fruityspace
Finding roots in Indian, Middle East and worldwide musical influences with a joyful dash of modern harmonies, Samaga’s music happily marries different musical traditions as the band melts modern compositions into Indian ambiances, delivering their own interpretation of traditional Arabic Maqam and Indian Raga, constantly reinventing the soundscapes painted by the Indian sitar, Middle Eastern percussion, and the oud. 50 RMB

Silent Speech, Getting Better and Better, Before Sunrise at Mars Club
Mars Club hosts three unhappy rock acts to play you sad songs including alternative rockers Silent Speech, and emo, punk and pop groups Before Sunrise and Getting Better and Better. Sad face. 60 RMB

Liu Dongming at Yue Space
Folk rock singer-songwriter Liu Dongming releases his latest album at Yue Space tonight. The singer has been a prominent figure in the folk world for years, and even recently was awarded the Best Folk Album Prize from Douban’s Abilu Music Awards. 100 RMB

The Plum Trees at 69 Café
The Plum Trees, made up of Australian siblings Shannon (vocals, acoustic guitar and ukulele) and Clancy (electric bass) and American electric guitarist Scott bring their expansive sound which has evolved from lighthearted folk to relaxed but still upbeat folk-rock and experimental rock. 66 RMB

Jiang Jian, YangYiNan, Wolf at Hot Cat Club
Rock and folk collide at Hot Cat Club as these ruffians duke it out on the stage, including Jiang Jian, Wolf, and more. Free

Lu Bin at Mogu Space
Guitarist Lu Bin, who has supported some big bands such as Muma and The Third Party, returns to his folk roots for a special outing at Mogu Space. 60 RMB

Lucky Roots, Maomao, HeiHei at Soi Baochao
Reggae love, jam sessions galore, and electronic music thrown in for good measure – looks Soi Baochao is throwing their name into the game with their first live event since ever. Color me intrigued. Free

Liu Donghong at ROCKLAND
Bluesy folk rock singer-songwriter Liu Donghong a staple of the folk scene brings out his band mates for an intimate unplugged showcase at the cozy record store. 150 RMB

Croma at Jianghu Bar
The Hebei-based rock group Croma pays tribute to Hong Kong pop-rock great Wong Ka Kui, who died in 1993. Beyond was a major influence on the group, so expect to hear several of their songs as well as original works by the five-piece rock act. 80 RMB

Tang Huabin, Han Yongjian at Snail Hostel
Tang Huabin, the lead singer of the rock band Aquarius and singer-songwriter Han Yongjian pay tribute to Hong Kong great Wong Ka Kui of Beyond. 60 RMB
 

Saturday, July 1

Foster Parents, Backspace, SNSOS, Boiled Hippo at School
Live Beijing Music returns to School Bar for another round of Schoolhouse Rock – four bands with diverse sounds and backgrounds looking to cut loose and throw down including guest of honor, the nimble math rock duo Foster Parents (read my interview with them here), out of Shanghai, who’ll join indie rock scrappers, Backspace, one of this year’s runaway successes, as well as instrumental rock favorites SNSOS, and the return of slowdive noise rockers Boiled Hippo. 50/70 RMB

Macondo, Hotline, By Dream, Death Narcissist at Temple
Besides the riotous tricfecta lineup of power rockers Macondo, electro rock boppers Hotline and post-rock mooders By Dream, this evening will mark the last outing for old favorites Death Narcissist, who’ll give a special 1pm (!) farewell performance before Carlo bids Beijing adieu. Free

WHAI, Next Door Band, december3am, Residence A, The Fallacy, at Modernsky Lab
The label Beisanerli celebrates their second anniversary with a label showcase featuring multiple DJs and bands stretched out across two days – night two brings the alternative tunes as post kruat duo december3am, art rock vets WHAI, post-punks The Fallacy and more bring the noise. 150 RMB

NZT, Hard Candy Revolution, Jokers Belief, The Peppercorns, Better Off Alive, and Disaster Chat at Yue Space
Substrainian – a ”mockumentary“ created to showcase the amazing Beijing live music scene, debuts its pilot episode tonight at Yue Space with an array of bands including NZT, Hard Candy Revolution, Jokers Belief, The Peppercorns, Better Off Alive, and Disaster Chat. 80 RMB

Abstracts, Collision Dreamer, The Skin I Live In at Yugong Yishan
Keep it emo, keep it post hardcore, keep it fast and loose with Hotpot Music invites Japanese avant-garde metal outfit Abstracts who’ll join some of Beijing’s most melodically inclined core bands. Scream your heart out. 120 RMB

Liron Man (IS) at La Plantation
Handpan maestro Liron, the fastest handpan player in the world has worked with legends everywhere – Zohar Fresco, one of world's leading percussionists (Israel), Badi Assad, famous singer/guitarist songwriter (Brazil), Jorge Pardo, awardwinning Flamenco/Jazz flautist (Spain), Govinda Goswami, sitar master (India). He brings his skills and culturally rich and diverse sounds to La Plantation. 200 RMB

The Lake, Bye Bye Noise, Sophia’s Garden, Locomotive Gentlemen at Mao Livehouse
Pumpkin Head – the newest promotion team bring their latest showcase to Mao Livehouse with an indie pop ensemble featuring The Lake, Sophia’s Garden and more bands looking to tap those soft spots while rocking out. 120 RMB

Nower, Empty Eyes, Skyfire, Three Quarters Dead at 13 Club
Rock it hard and steady with this aggressive and mean lineup at Wudaokou’s premier haunts, 13 Club. 80 RMB

Wootacc, Murukao, Fake at Fruityspace
Digging the eclectic diversity of Fruityspace more and more as it gives the hip-hop scene a home away from home – catch producers and DJs Murukao, Fake, and Wootacc take turns spinning at the latrest Fruity Groove party. Free

Zhang Shouwang at Rockland
Carsick Cars and White+ frontman Zhang Shouwang goes solo this evening for a special showcase at the NLGX record store. 66 RMB

Stevie Mac and The Mac Daddies at DDC
Inspired by all things classic, pop, and big band, Stevie Mac and The Mac Daddies bring ‘a vintage approach to contemporary music.' Enjoy classic reimaginings from the ever-expanding trope at DDC. Free

Eric Allen, Nick Parsons, ClusterCuss at 69 Café
No strangers to the cozy 69 Café on NLGX, Eric Allen, Nick Parsons, and more bring an evening of acoustic folk. 60 RMB

Nightcrawlers at Soi Baochao
Hey – looks like Soi Baochao is getting back into the live music game. Good for them. For this particular evening they’ve tapped Chicago blues outfit the Nightcrawlers. Free
 

Sunday, July 2

The White Tulips, The Cheers Cheers, School Girl Bye Bye, Default at Yugong Yishan
Hot damn – this crazy good lineup snuck in last minute. Some of the newest contenders in indie rock across China who dabble in what many have coined ‘slacker rock’ – a mix of shoegaze, dream pop, and noise rock – lay it down at Yugong Yishan including Xiamen’s The White Tulips, Shanghai’s Schoolgirl Byebye, Shaoxing’s The Cheer Cheers, and Beijing’s own Default. It’s not often we get the opportunity to check out budding talent from elsewhere China so jump on it. 100 RMB

The Sino Hearts, Free Sex Shop, The Flyx, Xiao Wang at Temple
A special No Future tribute to the great Sex Pistols with a out of control Sunday punk evening at Temple with some of the scene’s newest firestarters, power pop trio Sino Hearts and riot girl outfit Xiao Wang, as well as two of the scene’s beloved punk bands, The Flyx and Free Sex Shop. Best be prepared to mosh it up all night long and into Monday. Free

Djang San, WHAI, Macondo, Su & The Paramecia, Coupla Cups at Yue Space
Mr. Djang San – the flyest guy in the neighbor and rockers of many colors presents The Beijing Underground’s Sweet Summer Music Days – a three-part gathering of some of the coolest entertainers in the music scene. Part three finishes off at Yue Space with WHAI, Macondo, Su & The Paramecia, Coupla Cups, and of course, Djang San. 60 RMB

Boss Cuts, Ghetto Blaster at School
Surf rock inspired tunes and bluesy spaced out rock jams courtesy of Boss Cuts and Ghetto Blaster at Sunday this frantic evening. 30 RMB

Rudra’s Sage at ROCKLAND
Philippines born sitar player Rudra’s Sage, a scene regular since the heydays of River Bar in Sanlitun, brings his sitar for an intimate performance at record store Rockland. 150 RMB

Lucifier at 69 Café
The Guzzlers frontman (as well as Rustic from yesteryears) goes solo at the cozy 69 Café. 60 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