Swedish heavy metal band Opeth will be taking the stage Saturday, February 11 at Tango. If you are in any doubt as to their metal credentials, consider that their drummer is named Axe. Gosh. They will be exposing Beijingers to their unique sound, which blends metal with softer elements such as folk, blues and jazz. Before that happens, we got guitarist Fredrik Akesson to offer some insight on the band's influences, fake blood and loud fans.

Gothenburg may be known as the cradle of melodic death metal, but it also nurtured the much gentler indie sound of post-rockers Immanu El, whose atmospheric pluckings have been compared to Sigur Rós and Mogwai. In less than four years, the quintet has played almost 200 shows in over 25 countries. Before finally landing in China, frontman Claes Strängberg had some thoughts to share with us.

Maybe when tons of fireworks make the streets sound like a war zone, live music isn’t needed so much. Like it or not, there’s not much going on in Beijing around Chinese New Year. In the Gulou area, while most of the bars and restaurants will take a break, Jiangjinjiu and Temple will stay open. Too bad that the former one doesn’t have any shows scheduled and will be shut down forever soon after the Spring Festival. They said that last year too.

About one kilometer east from Wudaokou subway station, on the south side of Chengfu Lu, there’s a dark sign with an odd name on it – D-22. If you’ve never been inside, you could have easily missed it when you walked by. Now it will be forever missed. After supporting Beijing’s young music talents for almost six years, the tiny club has closed its doors for the last time. Lots of goodbyes were said at its last two shows: Zoomin’ Night last Tuesday and Mongolian punk band Mohanik’s gig on Friday.

Last Zoomin’ Night

This was not the last night that the bar stayed open, but to the those who made it their second home, this was the real last night.

JUE Festival has brought us lots of joy and good acts over the past three years. Next month, it's back with Death Cab For Cutie - probably the biggest indie pop band in the world. They will play the opening weekend of the Festival: first in Shanghai on March 9, then in Beijing at Tango 3F on March 10. Ticket information remains unrevealed (like the rest of lineup) but we'll have both for you as soon as we get them.

Aside from the JUE Festival, there are more exciting acts to looking forward to in coming months:

Breaking news. Death Cab For Cutie will play in Beijing this March. More details to follow.

The biggest annual migration on the planet officially started last weekend. Some of Beijing’s musicians have already left town. This weekend is likely your last chance to appreciate the loud and noisy music scene before it vanishes along with all the cars in the streets and people on the subways during the Spring Festival break. Interestingly, all the big acts still in town are setting the stage for some historical performances.

Who’d have thought that noise hypnotist Yan Jun, folk maverick Xiao He, academic guqin player Wu Na, underground multi-instrument nomad Li Daiguo and tea master Lao Gu would form a band together? They’ve played two shows in Bern and Basel, and their Beijing debut is scheduled for this month.

“Myth” by Beyond.
I especially like the band’s first and second albums. The feel of this song is like a fairy tale.

It’s fascinating how time flows. Exactly this time a year ago, there was a rumor that folk bar Jiangjinjiu, near the Drum Tower, was getting torn down; folk rockers Buyi thought they'd be playing their beloved bar for the last time. No one can guarantee that the bar will be there forever, but it's definitely still standing. You can catch Buyi there this Friday night.

They had to cancel concerts in Beijing and Shanghai last August due to their lead singer’s throat problem, but only five months later, they are fulfilling their promise to return. In the years since Simple Plan formed in 1999, many pop-punk bands have boomed, ruled, fallen and quit. How has this quintet stayed strong with the same lineup for 12 years? Let’s find out.