Noise Pollution: Devendra Banhart, Underdog, DFA1989, Bye Bye Noise, Sleep Party People

It’s an inferno out there folks. Brain waves are drifting apart, and motor functions are on their way out. Meaning you’re susceptible to all the curiosities that Beijing has to offer, including it’s massive, sprawling music scene. So whether you’re looking to check out one of the psychedelic folk scene’s finest, Beijing’s premier ska punk band, or some doom drone (for those looking to go off the deep end) it’s there for the taking. So venture forth you amorphous blobs of sweat, hormones, and sandals.


Friday, Jun 8

Nocturnes x Mimik Banka feat. Fu Liwei, Tan Yingjie at Yue Space
There’s nothing better than a high concept gig – that sense of uncertainty and unexpected surprises that await you. Friday’s team up of Beijing alt-rockers Mimik Banka and indietronica duo Nocturnes has all the makings of being a gig folks will certainly be talking about afterwards – a interlocked duet between the two bands (one on stage the other on the floor), a dancer on hand, and an entirely one of a kind set design involving some cutting-edge strobe lights and sleights of the hand. I really have no idea what’s in store, but that’s part of the beauty. RMB 80

Underdog, Xiao Wang, Wasted Laika at DDC
The Beijing ska punk band Underdog, one of last year’s best new additions to the scene, delivered their debut LP earlier this year and it’s all kinds of good. Lyrically driven with a keen sense of structure, chops, and tender humor, they deliver one dusty horn-infused, harmonica pimping ska anthem after another. A class act of old-school ska punk, bluegrass swag and rockabilly charm that immediately wins you over. They’re rolling through DDC as apart of their tour, with riot grrrl outfit Xiao Wang and art punks Wasted Laika on board to help. RMB 80

Backhand Thrust, Accidental Collision, Shave N’ Shut, The Demonstrators, Discord, Hell City at School
It is going to get wild tonight as visiting noise punks Backhand Thrust and old-school ska punks Accidental Collision, from Chongqing, descend upon School for some dirty fun. Joining the fun are oi punks Shave n' Shut, street punks The Demonstrators, punk legends Discord, mohawked metal punks Hell City. Best your mosh face. RMB 80

Chiu Pi (TW) at Omni Space
Long exposed to music, painting, photography, theater, martial arts, dance and body movement training, Taiwanese artist Chiu-Pi is a versatile musician who has released tons of material, creating avant-garde music that has an ethereal and introspective style, changing the general perception of electronic music. Dude’s only been getting bigger and bigger and makes way for Omni Space this evening. RMB 180

Fake Taxi, Diving elephant, Reverse, Vodka Tricycle, FM.E, Lemon Plastics, Red Brick, 1 at AR Art Space
Wudaokou’s latest live music space continues making their presence known with another chock full weekend of rock 'n' rollers – with tonight’s offerings leading toward the pop-rock end of the spectrum with Fake Taxi, Diving Elephant (formerly Locomotive Gentlemen) and more. RMB 40

Eternal Wings, Awake Mountains, The Tek Dead, Ice Moon at Laifu Livehouse
Get medieval this weekend down in Shuangjing with this blood-curling black metal and death metal lineup featuring some of the more atmospheric shredders this side of Beijing including Ice Moon, Awake Mountains, and more. RMB 60

Maxi Priest (UK) at Blue Note
Only a handful of singers succeed in transcending their genre without losing the essence of who they are. Superstar Maxi Priest is one of those artists whose own unique vision has led him to tremendous international success, being the first reggae artist to have a No. 1 hit worldwide, including the US Billboard charts. RMB 420

Shitty Sister, Bang Bang Mary at Caravan
Shitty Sister is Beijing's premier (only) alt-rock ukulele-fronted family band. Coming into fruition for Rock Against Jams in 2018, it consists of Tyron and Rudi of Tydi Knots and Kaitlin of Bill – they join fellow alternative rockers Bang Bang Mary for some gnarly good times at Caravan. FREE

The Funky Monks at Temple
The Funky Monks – Beijing’s premier Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band are back! This time performing the hit album Californication in its entirety along with many of your other favorite Chili Peppers songs. There will be tons of surprises in wardrobe, props, and much more. Cock socks here we come! RMB 50

Jordan Darling at La Plantation
Songstress Jordan Darling whose style of melodic indie-folk music is both modern and refreshing, bring her array of influences, ranging from classic artists such as Joni Mitchell and The Cardigans to innovative performers like Rilo Kiley and Imogen Heap, to La Plantation. RMB 200

Gao Ge, Li Xiaorui, Dan Zeng Zhou Ga at Mogu Space
The ladies take over Mogu Space this Friday evening including Lhasa musician Dan Zeng Zhou Ga, Lixiao Rui, and Gao Ge, the lead singer, and guitarist of the band Whistle. RMB 60

Yi San at Snail Club
Southern China-raised neo-folk duo Yi San combine shoegaze aesthetics with tender urban folk and now bring their newest release to Snail Club over in Pinganli. RMB 90

Zhang Sikun, Li Bashan, Zhang Ziwei, Gu Yuan at Jianghu Bar
The ladies take over Jianghu Bar to celebrate all the ladies out there – including Sichuan raised Zhang Sikun, fiancé student Gu Yuan, and more. Free for ladies, RMB 80 for men

Fernando, Sid Silwal, Joker’s Belief at Pink Moon
Brazilian singer-songwriter and lead vocalist of Three Mosquitos joins Redundant Seconds singer Sid Silwal and funk rock-driven outfit Joker’s Belief for an evening of unplugged delights. RMB 66

Ye Rou (TW), More Feel at 69 Café
Taiwanese female singer-songwriter Ye Roun brings her indie-pop stylings to Wudaokou alongside synth-pop duo More Feel. RMB 66

Justin Richardson, Better Off Alive, Christopher Perry, Eric Allen at Soi Baochao
Rock and outlaw blues make their way over to the Baochao survivor – including licks from Better Off Alive, Eric Allen, Christopher Perry, and Justin Richardson. FREE

J Kyle Quintet at The Bricks
The Berklee College graduate with an extensive resume that has brought him across the world brings his new band, Gratitude, is comprised of an international cast Beijing’s finest musicians, with Italian guitarist Simone Schirru, Chinese bassist Zhang Ke, and Americans Nathanial Gao and Anthony Vanacore on alto sax and drums. FREE

The Basement at Modernista
The Basement, the multi-national rock and soul outfit, ‘united through serendipity and the love of music’ get down with it over at Modernista. FREE


Saturday, Jun 9

Devendra Banhart (US), Noah Georgeson (US) at Yugong Yishan
Weird, but weirdly irresistible, the charming, witty, and whimsical work of singer-songwriter Devendra Banhart is one of a kind. Often classified as ‘freak folk’, his work brims infectious energy, hearty laughs, and bossa nova-laced grooves. With nine studio albums under his belt he’s been at the forefront of the alternative folk scene for over a decade – a true auteur whose music needs to be seen to be believed. He’ll be joined this special evening by Grammy winner and musician Noah Georgeson. RMB 180

DFA1989 at Magnet Theater
The infamous doom drone collective, with a constantly shifting line up of musicians with a diverse repertoire of instruments and talents, create an experience that does not revolve around songs or melodies, but rather an overwhelming audio-sensory dreamscape. Accompanied by original avant-garde horror films that pierce through darkness, the dirge drones will rise like mountains and haunting spoken words tell tales of nightmares, incubi, and other ghastly and grisly themes that invite you to explore the depths of your own imagination and design. 4pm start. RMB 80

Hugh Reed & The Electric Shadows, Holy Shit, Wasted Laika at School
Fall in Beer With You!!!!! Set to play this evening are all-star punk rock ensemble featuring members of Joyside, Bedstars, Sino Hearts, and Russian Roulette - Holy Shit! Joining them are artsy punk dudes Wasted Laika and the Scottish madman himself (and band), Hugh Reed who will have BBC Scotland on the scene filming the mayhem. FREE

Swarrm, Acid Accident, Sardine Is Back and the Wheel is Broken at Temple
Crunchy instrumental rock, sweeping post-rock vistas, and improvisational freakouts of the highest degree to get those legs moving – just another evening at Temple as they host up 2017’s newest additions to the scene, Acid Accident and Swarrm, as well as the seasoned mania that is Sardine Is Back and the Wheel is Broken. FREE

Bye Bye Noise, White Paper at Yue Space
Founded in 2013, Bye Bye Noise revel in modern retro melody, rebellious lyrics and engaging with their audience. Influenced by the revival of the garage, particularly The Strokes, they recently released their latest album last month and are finishing off their nationwide tour this evening. Support from post-punk thumpers The White Papers. RMB 100

Macondo, Nocturnes, The Glamour Manifesto at DDC
Catch some electrically charged acts this evening as soaring instrumental rockers (with touches of math rock and psychedelic grandeur) Macondo join indietronica duo sensations Nocturnes, and two-piece Italian industrial electro-rockers The Glamour Manifesto, who are rocking the circuit this month. RMB 60

Gentle Grapes, Ideal Garden, Time Capsule at AR Art Space
Some of the scene’s hardest working and more popular indie pop bands take the stage at the new Wudaokou joint including Ideal Garden, Gentle Grapes and Time Capsule. RMB 80

Chuan Zi, Li Dong, Zhang Jun, Li Bo, Old Cobbler at Mao Livehouse
Renowned folk singer-songwriter, Chuan Zi, who honed his guitar and lyrical grace whilst spending eight years in a Beijing prison, joins some of the nation’s most recognizable folk singers for some epic soothing tunes in Wukesong. RMB 100

Return to Sender at Omni Space
Post-hardcore outfit Return to Sender ‘speaking straight from your hearts, dreaming straight from your guts’. The Shanghai outfit has been igniting emotions left and right since 2013 and now they’re roaming the country to lay it all bare. RMB 120

The Radiance at La Plantation
Formed in Beijing by singer-songwriter Miranda Vukasovic in 2015, The Radiance creates music through a kaleidoscope of fragile emotions, including art and visual ideas. RMB 200

Lan Qianrou, Eric Allen, Steve Blaque at Pink Moon
Singer-songwriter Eric Allen brings the soulful sounds of America's heartland to Xizhimen alongside fellow American artist and producer Steve Blanque, who also plays in genre-bending rock band The Radiance, as well as Lan Qianrou. RMB 66

Gravitational Force, Re-Schedule, Hz, BanBand, Man Tuo Luo at 13 Club
Young and fit, that’s the name of the game at 13 Club this evening as the Wudaokou veteran venue hosts a team of rough and tough adolescent renegades. RMB 80

Parakeet, Kiwi Steve & The Bowtie Band at Caravan
Multi-national pop group Parakeet whose style is a mix of smooth jazz, funk and soul music perform tonight at Caravan alongside the terrifyingly named Kiwi Steve & The Bowtie Band. RMB 60

Zhang Sikun, Da Shu, Lei Feng Mao, Yan Bosen at Mogu Space
Female singer-songwriter from Sichuan, Zhang Sikun, joins 19-year-old Communications University student Lei Feng Mao and more this evening in Xizhimen. RMB 66

BlaiRy, Laurelin, Baihu Zu, Lobby, Xue Ji at Laifu Livehouse
Cosplay and music – you know deep down you want these two things in your life right now. How about a cosplay J-pop group consisting of 12 girls of questionable ages? In school uniforms. If you don’t feel a bit dirtier now then see you in Shuangjing this on Saturday afternoon. (Additionally, see our recent review of Laifu Livehoue here.) 2pm start. RMB 80

Jose Manuel Garcia Latin Jazz Trio at DDC
Dr. José Manuel Garcia is a Steinway Artist, award-winning jazz pianist, composer, arranger, orchestra and music educator, whose musicianship in the classical repertoire has been highly recognized as well as in the jazz and Latin genres. Catch his trio this afternoon at DDC. RMB 60

The Bill O’Connell Trio at Blue Note
After a 40-year-long career that has seen him excel as a leader, soloist, arranger, musical director, and accompanist for some of the most celebrated names in jazz and Latin music, Bill O’Connell can lay claim to a track record of challenging and artistic-diverse triumphs that few of his peers can match. RMB 360

The Basement at Blue Stream
The Basement, the multi-national rock and soul outfit, ‘united through serendipity and the love of music’ get down with it over at Blue Stream. FREE
 

Sunday, Jun 10

Sleep Party People (Denmark), SNSOS at Mao Livehouse
Sleep Party People’s wistful, brooding dream pop, the brainchild of Danish artist Brain Batz, is unlike anything you’ve heard of before. While a dense atmosphere, crisp drum machine, and thick synthetic sounds make it easy to point to acts like Animal Collective and Cocteau Twins, Sleep Party People is more paranoid in their sound, creating tightly wound melodies with ups and downs, with gentle piano lullabies matched with distorted signals – truly going down the rabbit hole. They finish off their tour with support from SNSOS. RMB 150

The Sign of Human (TW) at Yugong Yishan
The Sign of Human is a Taiwanese shoegazing band founded in 2011, Taipei. Inspired by 80’s Manchester and Glasgow, and Iceland rockers in the early oughts, their sound is characterized by the genres of experimental rock, shoegazing and noise. The mixture of the psychedelic, ethereal guitar sound, pulsing bass line and the dark, well-rounded drums create a trippy atmosphere like finding yourself in an immense, unexplored universe. RMB 80

Deformed Boi, N-Bomb, Saber, SiWeiTe, Odd Mido, Odd Pluton, SistaKilla.L, Rtsunami, Spam, C-Jam, DJ Quaver, Apw at Omni Space
Homies the latest platform to shine a light on the exploding hip-hop scene in Beijing and beyond, throw down at Omni Space with a hip-hop extravaganza featuring the Dungeon Beijing crew as well as guest of honor Deformed Boi – the hardcore rap group. RMB 180

Serrini (HK), Low Bow, New Workers Art Troupe at School
The 6th Inter-Asia Popular Music Studies Conference, being held at the Communications University of China, takes the after party to Gulou and ends the weekend on a high note with Hong Kong folk artist Serrini, Irish lo-fi bluesy garage rock dude Low Bow, and pop-folk ensemble New Norker Art Troupe. FREE

Jeremy Chenalier (Switzerland), Julie Semoroz (Switzerland) at fRUITYSPACE
Swiss artist Julie Semoroz and Jeremy Chevalier hit up fRUITYSPACE as part of their cross-China tour, bringing experimental techno/noise music that explores mournful themes, abstract poetics and intangible and untouched territories to audiences across the country. RMB 80

Pure, Miss Mix, Later Islands at DDC
A genre mashup gets underway at DDC as grunge prankster Pure look to stir up trouble alongside post-rock outfit Later Islands and all-girl pop-rock outfit Miss Mix. RMB 60

Zhang Gasong at DDC
Promoting the northwestern folk scene, Zhang Gasong brings the songs and temperament of the Shantou Village to DDC this Sunday afternoon. Catch the rising star bring heartwarming stories of his home. 3pm start. RMB 120

Self-Portrait, Mr. Freeman, Pisces at Yue Space
Hong Kong rockers Beyond got together in 1983 and became the most successful and influential Cantopop band of all time. After the tragic death of bandleader Wong Ka Kui in Tokyo in 1993, the group continued to make music together, finally disbanding in 2005. Hear a tribute to this legendary rock act tonight. RMB 100

The Jack Lecomber Band at Mogu Space
Jack Lecomber is an English bass player who lived in Beijing between 2012-2017. After returning to his home country to study jazz music, he’s back in China this summer with a group of Beijing local musicians who’ll be performing a set of jazz standards, giving their own interpretation of a traditional music style. RMB 66

Nathan Borofka, Jamie, Ma Ke Tu Zhou at Pink Moon
Avant-garde folk-rock singer Ma Ke Tu Zhou joins Nathan Borofka and Jamie for folk ramblings this Sunday night. RMB 66

Liu Xingke at 69 Cafe
The Liu Xingke band featuring jazz festival founder Huang Yong on bass, blues guitarist and session musician Feng Chong, and jazz drum instructor Wang Bin and leader Liu Xingke. The group mixes classic rock and blues to create their unique sound. RMB 80

The Room Jazz Band at Modernista
Join us for a laid-back Sunday evening while treating yourself with our newly launched summer tapas menu plus artisanal cocktails, and enjoying original Jazz tunes by the Italian master Simone Schirru and his crew. FREE

Nathaniel Gao Ensemble at Blue Note
Kenny Dorham played in New York with jazz legends like Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Eckstine, Lionel Hampton and Mercer Ellington. His lowkey trumpeting style earned him the name of ‘Quiet Kenny.’ Nathaniel Gao and a great backing band pay tribute to this jazz great at this month’s Jazz Brunch. RMB 328

The Bill O’Connell Trio at Blue Note
After a 40-year-long career that has seen him excel as a leader, soloist, arranger, musical director, and accompanist for some of the most celebrated names in jazz and Latin music, Bill O’Connell can lay claim to a track record of challenging and artistic-diverse triumphs that few of his peers can match. RMB 360

Want to cut a rug instead? Check out the best of this weekend's nightlife here.

Photos: Live Beijing Music, courtesy of the organizers