Does Upstream Gaze Fest Have the Best Beijing Lineup This Fall?

On paper, Modern Sky isn’t exactly known for its cutting-edge artists – ones who revel in the unapologetic genres of psychedelic, shoegaze, and noise. Of course that’s not entirely true, but for the most part (and for argument’s sake), the longstanding independent label, one of China’s first, has played it safe, counting on bands and audiences with more easily compartmentalized tastes. So when Neptune, one of the company’s promoters and organizers, noticed a lull in the now extinct Modern Sky Lab’s calendar last summer, he and his workmate jumped on the opportunity to make the most of it and fill it with the kind of music he loved. Thus was born Beijing’s first Noise & Shoegaze & Psychedelic Festival (噪盯迷). And it was a blast – a perfect diorama of Beijing’s more offbeat indie scene and an opportunity for folks to indulge in sounds that aren’t as easily defined. As Neptune recalls, audiences, including myself were stricken – “they all found surprises within.” 

This Saturday and Sunday, Sep 22-23, Beijing’s Noise & Shoegaze & Psychedelic Festival returns – under the more ear-pleasing name of Upstream Gaze Festival – to Omni Space, providing audiences with an opportunity to catch some of the country’s most exciting and dangerously alluring indie rocks bands. 

After the success of the first edition of the festival, called then Legal Vitamin (named after the movie Trainspotting), Neptune waited for other big gigs with similar aspirations to pop up. And with Shanghai’s own Shoegaze Festival already going strong for five years, he was certain Beijing would follow suit. Nevertheless, Beijing didn’t make a peep. "Someone needed to do it, so why not me,” explains Neptune and the sweet aftertaste of the first edition was enough to persuade him to chase that high again and for the second edition. This time around, he has reached out even further, tapping bands from across China to participate in the event. 

That upgraded bill includes the renewed post-punk band Fazi from Xi’an (pictured at top), whose bubbly frenzied melodic take on the genre has made them festival favorites; Hangzhou’s Gatsby in a Daze is another band that’s been gaining traction over the years – employing an endearing lo-fi jangly psych-rock sound that coasts on tons of charm. Earlier this summer Neptune put together the Shanghai edition of the event, and through that came the addition of Mirrors, a band that’s been pummeling audiences with their whiplash-inducing brand of psychedelic mayhem and trance-like grooves. 

While Neptune modestly doesn’t pick favorites (“They’re all highlights in my heart”) the band that I’m most excited for is The 尺口MP who hail from the coastal city of Fuzhou, Fujian province. Self-described as a ‘leisure-pop trio’ they released their lo-fi pop gem of an EP last year and have been riding high since. A bit of sun-soaked surf rock jangle, some shoegaze riff-raff, and plenty of dream pop reverb, their sound is the perfect way to say farewell to the summer. It’s a lineup that Beijing doesn’t get too much of, and with the addition of local bands Birdstriking, Default (fresh off of their Beijing opening for Slowdive last weekend), Baihu, and Boiled Hippo, it’s by far the most stacked lineup of the fall season. 

Upstream Gaze takes place on Sep 22-23 at Omni Space. Tickets are RMB 100 advance per day and can be bought here.
 

Never miss a gig: click here for a huge list of live shows in the city, updated daily.
 

Photos courtesy of the organizers, Live Beijing Music