Noise Pollution: Ice Nova, Los Amigos, Lydmor, Nocturnes, Scattered Purgatory, and Future Orients

As per usual during the first couple weeks of November, it’s frigid. And while some of our centralized heating has popped on in the more affluent neighborhoods, most of us are stuck in our homes bundled up like its January. So the notion of hunkering down at home over the weekend is ludicrous. But I’ve got just the cure – an IV of pure unfiltered live music pumping through your veins. And with a side order of booze to ease the tension between your shoulders, you would even be able to tell what season it is anymore.
 

Friday, Nov 9

Guiguisuisui, Rudi Botes, Wei Qi, Yin at Aotu Studio
Shining Soundscape – the new multi-media series taking the scene by storm - an artistic performance that combines both digital painting and music, live in a way in which the two mediums feedback to one another – makes its way to Aotu Studio. The team behind the concept, the ambient spiritual punk doom duo Guiguisuisui will be performing alongside special guests Rudi Botes on cello, Wei Qi on pipa, and tattoo artist Yin on visuals. Read all about what Shining Soundscapes are up to here. RMB 60

Lydmor (Denmark), PREP (UK) at DDC
Danish singer, songwriter and producer Jenny Rossander aka Lydmor. who has been working Denmark’s underground scene for years collaborating with artists such as Alle Farben, Amanda Palmer, Arsenal and most notably Bon Homme, presents her brand of ‘emotional electro-pop’ at DDC alongside London based four-person orchestra Prep composed of hip-hop musicians, classical musicians, house DJs and singers whose bubbly soft pop melodies spiced R&B, funk, and jazz has garnered them quite a bit of love. RMB 150

INXU, Nocturnes at Omni Space
The larger-than-life post-rock pile-drivers, whose soundtrack worthy music has been gracing Beijing stages for years, are back with their latest cinematic blast – Space Cowboy – and they’re looking to bring down the house at Omni Space with the help of indietronic duo Nocturnes (pictured at top). RMB 100

Larry’s Pizza, Brickleberry, Bobby’s Satellite, Friendly Tips at Laifu Livehouse
Shuangjing deep dives down the indie rock and pop punk hole with a lively lineup of some of Beijing’s most sought-after acts – from long-standing skateboard punk trio Larry’s Pizza, to the upbeat indie pop bombast of Brickleberry – it’s a solid gathering of rock and roll sounds intended above all else, to get your ass moving. RMB 100

Scotophilia, Atomic Prophecy, Stone Trooper, Dissipate, Blues Fairy, Mad Spirit at 13 Club
Things get appropriately heavy at 13 Club in Wudaokou with this madcap monster mash of hard roalckers and metalheads including Tianjin Nordic metal influenced Mad Spirit, avant-garde metalcore group Atomic Prophecy, death metal group Scotophilia and more. RMB 80

The Chinos at Yue Space
The Wuhan indie rock outfit – whose jangly Britpop influenced rock and rock has made them quite the catch over the past 10 years – are back in Beijing to promote their newest LP titled 1000 Worlds. RMB 150

Blackwater, The Beijing Beatles at School
The Irish take on the Fab Four in this epic battle pitting Blackwater, whose music draws from the rich traditional Irish repertoire, from beautiful ballads to frenzied reels, against the one and only Beijing Beatles. Expect a good old fashioned evening of rock 'n' roll, dancing, and of course drinking. RMB 80

Larry Carlton (US) at Blue Note
The American guitarist who has played with everyone – from Steely Dan to Joni Mitchell – and who has since then returned to his jazz roots with his bands The Crusaders and Fourplay, will be bringing the good vibes tonight at Blue Note. RMB 360-600

Ice Nova at Mao Livehouse
Upbeat, funk-filled and smooth as all hell, the Chinese born music producer and rapper who’s been cutting his teeth in New York City whilst maintaining and building his fanbase back home return with his latest release Cloud Temperature over in Wukesong. RMB 150

The Hunters at The Bricks
Beijing’s hottest crowd-pleasing outfit and one of Beijing’s best foreign cover bands The Hunters combine old school funk, soul, and rock classics with intoxicating delivery. FREE

Cynthia Sayer and Her Joyride Band at La Plantation
Cynthia Sayer & Her Joyride Band bring the traditional sounds of the USA – a musical journey that includes the hot-swinging sounds of big city speakeasies and jazz joints, foot-stomping barn dances, lonely cowboys on the range, and rockin' southern swamp parties with Hot Jazz, Western Swing, Bluegrass, Blues, and more. RMB 200

Los Amigos at Jianghu Bar
Beijing’s first homegrown band to focus on Latin American jazz – Los Amigos, whose members are all lecturers and professors at the Beijing Conservatory of Modern Music take the stage at the stage at Jianghu Bar. RMB 70

Xian, Steve Blaque at Pink Moon
Instrumental composer and performer String AKA Xian, who combines "world music, Chinese traditional melodies, and spiritual/religious themes," joins singer-songwriter and producer Steve Blaque this evening. RMB 66

Stevie Mac & the Mac Daddies at Temple
The ever-expanding (10 members deep at the moment) jazz-pop troupe Stevie Mac and the Mac Daddies bring their vintage approach to contemporary music to Temple for some good times. FREE

Uighur Sama at Modernista
A mixture of traditional Arabic songs and lively Spanish rumba classics, with lyrics both in English and Uyghur, Uighur Sama continue bringing the energetic sounds of Xinjiang to China´s capital. FREE

Gao Jin Li, Li MuMu at Mogu Space
Folk singer-songwriter Gao Jinli performs alongside folk-pop outfit Li Mumu. RMB 66
 

Saturday, Nov 10

Nocturnes, Future Orients at School
The atmospheric, sultry, and immersive indietronica duo Nocturnes have been hitting the road in support of their soulful and intoxicating new single and music video "Any Kind of Mood". Catch the esteemed act at School alongside Maybe Mars dance punk favorites Future Orients for an emotional evening of music that hits you like a freight train. RMB 80

Alpaca, Never Before, Platypus, Electric Lady, Nous, Eternal Elysium at 13 Club
Dying Arts Productions – a safe haven for all things for brooding and heavy – hosts a killer lineup of metal acts off the beaten path – from the sludge metal prowess of Never Before and Shanghai’s Alpaca, to the stoner rock fun of Electric Lady, as well as the dark ambient tones of Nous and the funeral doom of Platypus, tonight’s for the folks who enjoy the intricacies and instrumental power of metal. RMB 120

The Playcat, Paths, Djang San at DDC
East-meets-West fusionist and veteran show stopper Djang San – a jack of trades include "zhongruan player, philosopher, poet, composer, guitar hero, DJ, one-man orchestra, and explorer of new sounds" joins shoegaze-tinted noise rockers The Playcat from Baoding as well as new ‘poetry-rock’ act Paths. RMB 60

Lonely Leary, Later Islands, The Beijing Beatles, special guest at Temple
The Wasted Laika boys kick off their new series ‘Parachutes’ which looks to match up some of Beijing’s most profound sounds in rock and roll – tonight finds post-punk favorites Lonely Leary squaring off with post-rock outfit Later Islands as well as The Beijing Beatles (?!) plus a very special guest. FREE

Hind Brain, Anti-Tune, Need A Name, Panda Eyes, Magic Mama, Pure at BSP Livehouse
Chaoyangmen’s BSP Livehouse is located to cut loose with a scrappy, rambunctious offering of bands tonight – including grunge pranksters Pure, old-school punk ruffians Hind Brain, Britpop rascals Magic Mama, and much more. 5.30pm. RMB 90

Panda Eyes, The Diagon Alley, Hard Candy Revolution, Wasted Laika at Yue Space
On the eve of Singles Day, Mercury Label under Taihe is looking to get down with a red-hot lineup of the pop rock and indie rock scene’s biggest up and comers – from the pop rock and Britpop love of Panda Eyes and The Diagon Alley; to the more edgy Hard Candy Revolution and Wasted Laika – there’s a bit of something for everyone tonight at Yue Space. RMB 100

Three Kings, Power Milk, Monkey Legion, Awaken, 4U, Tang, Mint Green, The Sweet Escape at Tango
Xiami returns with their latest battle of the bands – a competition behind an array of original bands who’ll each be strutting their stuff on stage – on the bill are funk-pop outfit Power Milk, Taiyuan old-school rockers Three Kings, female-led pop-rock group Tang, Britpoppers Mint Green, hardcore hip-hop troupe Monkey Legion and more. 3.30pm start. FREE

Jukka, Li Er Yang, Endless Square, echoloop, Zhou Caodi at Soi Baochao
Dubbed a free art organization and a common artistic concept, Kaleidoscope returns for another evening of impromptu performances and six chord action from an array of talented folks including Jukka, Li Er Yang, echoloop, and more. FREE

Indigo Children, Deformed Boi at Laifu Livehouse
The alternative hip-hop outfit Indigo Children, whose music is full of abstract theories and figurative metaphors bring their game to Shuangjing as part of their tour – they’ll be joining hard-hitting rapcore group Deformed Boi, known for donning masks during their performances. RMB 180

Oleg Kireyev Quartet at The Bricks
Oleg Kireyev is the first Russian musician, who combined ethnic jazz motifs with amazing Bashkir folk instruments and incredible throat singing. Oleg is one of the few jazz musicians on the modern Russian scene who is brilliantly versed in the variety of jazz styles, genres, and directions. FREE

Basia (US) at Blue Note
The buoyant melodies, joyful rhythms, and unmistakable voice of Basia shines this weekend at Blue Note as the singer returns with her new album ‘Butterflies’ in tow. Chock full of breezy samba, speedy Brazilian ‘66 style samba, early ‘60s rock with a catchy, soul-flavored chorus, there’s no one like her out there. RMB 160-400

Mili (JP) at Mao Livehouse
Mili is a classical Japanese indie music group founded in 2012, consisting of momocashew, Yamato Kasai, Yukihito Mitomo, Shoto Yoshida, Ame Yamaguchi, and Ao Fujimori. A mix of contemporary classics, electronic, and post-classical that feels right at home in Japan, the group has gotten big in recent years due to their work on video games and imaginative and story-rich songs. 2.30pm start. RMB 480

Tavey Lean and The Solid Gold Dream Machine at Modernista
Audience favorites, Tavey Lean and The Solid Gold Dream Machine bring their impressive repertoire of classic soul, RnB, 3-piece horn section, rock and roll fun to Modernista. The band will be helping the venue celebrate their seven-year anniversary. FREE

Wang Sanqi at Omni Space
The Golden Melody Award-nominated singer with six full-length albums under his belt touches on everything in his music – black metal, neoclassical, bluesy folk, new age and even electronica – these elements along with his unique voice have made him an unstoppable force. RMB 240

Cocklebur at FM Live
Indie pop outfit Cocklebur, who have been grinding away at the scene for nearly a decade bring their smooth, melodic tunes to FM Live this evening. RMB 66

Wang Yingtian at DDC
Singer-songwriter heavyweight Wang Yingtian brings his soulful folk tunes to DDC this afternoon. 3pm start. RMB 60

Lin Qide at Pink Moon
Get weepy and heart-broken with Fujian folk singer Lin Qide, who captures the fleeting emotions of the youth. He’s on tour and will be swinging through Pink Moon tonight. RMB 60
 

Sunday, Nov 11

Scattered Purgatory, Ruo Tan, Wang Ziheng, Zaliva-D at Yue Space
Get your fill of ambient, krautrock and drone music this evening as these three mysterious and atmospheric acts take the stage including France based, Nanjing raised Ruo Tan, whose Northern Asian shamanism is sliced with distorted tribal drone synth ambient soundscapes. Also on the bill is Taipei krautrock and metal drone duo Scattered Purgatory who blend club worthy ambient-heavy electronica and psych-folk krautrock with ease. Finally, catch madman saxophonist Wang Ziheng and a set from ‘oriental dark tribal’ electronic duo Zaliva-D. Dark vibes for a Sunday evening – my kind of jam. RMB 100

Uncle Bad, Foreskin Ring, Labour Glory, Cheery Mor, Cypher T at School
Set to make their return after almost six months of no gigging around are the female-fronted oi-ska punks Uncle Bad, making the trek in from Ningbo are reunited old school punk dudes Foreskin Ring (name of the month), Beijing ultras punk ensemble Labor Glory, pop-punk fivesome Cherry Mor, and newly formed young punk with a hip-hop twist troublemakers Cypher T. RMB 80

I Kong (Jamaica) at Soi Baochao
Chinese/Jamaican roots singer I Kong aka Ricky Storm – nephew to the late producer extraordinaire Leslie Kong and formerly a member of vocal harmony group The Jamaicans – is simply put a legend in the reggae world. The Kingston old-school reggae icon now aged 71, will be making a rare appearance this evening in Beijing. RMB 80

Wu Shi San, Rasrankin at Temple
The jazz low-key hip-hop artist Wu Shi San brings through to Temple Bar as part of his nationwide tour to promote his new album Schema, full of soulful, ambient-laced beats and freewheeling icy cool lyrics. RMB 100

Radical Spinz, Pinky Cherry, No Name Band, Hard Shell, No Knight at BSP Livehouse
BSP Livehouse continues the rock and roll mayhem into Sunday with a pop rock and indie pop themed night of tunes featuring Hard Shell, Radical Spinz, and more. RMB 80

Summer Warz, Diamond Dogs, Cigar Cut at Mogu Space
This late afternoon Xizhimen’s Mogu Space cuts loose with a trio of rock and roll bands taking the small stage including reggae-inflicted Cigar Cut, pop-punk outfit Summer Warz, and more. 4.30pm start. RMB 60

Later Islands, By Dream at DDC
Post-rock night at DDC as two of this year’s hardest working post-rock outfits take the stage – the atmospheric By Dream and the math rock-tinted and ambient-swaying Later Islands. RMB 60

X-Trio at DDC
X Trio is a jazz trio composed of three new generations of musicians. The music style is dominated by traditional jazz but updated according to the musicians’ temperament. For the occasion, the trio will invite alto sax player Song Huanxing. 3pm start. RMB 60

Vast & Hazy (TW) at Omni Space
Taiwanese indie pop outfit Vast & Hazy bring their electronically-flourished, percussion-ready, bombastic indie pop sound to Omni Space as the band continues their nation-wide tour. RMB 150

Ensemble Brasssonanz at La Plantation
A first-class 12-person brass music ensemble – the Ensemble Brasssonanz is a collective of master musicians from different orchestras, such as Berliner Philharmonic, the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra of Niedersachsen (JPON), the National Youth Orchestra of Germany (BJO) and the German Youth Philharmonic. 4.30pm start. RMB 200

LOFTTHESTAR, Saber, XiSoul, h3R3, Hong Shuang Xi at T-House
Hey – it’s T-House – the venue that’s been sneaking around our Noise Pollution columns for some time. Well – looks like the Tuanjiehu joint is back hosting a hip-hop feast. RMB 100

Jeannie Gagné at The Bricks
Jeannie Gagné is a world-class vocalist, she has sung with Philip Glass, George Duke, opened for Bare Naked Ladies, performed for NBC-TV with comedians Penn and Teller, toured with reggae legend Frankie Paul, and sings on soundtracks such as for the feature film Anima Mundi. Her four-octave range and unique vocal style go from strong blues-influenced soul singing, to lyrical, beautiful and sometimes haunting reflective singing. RMB 120

The Mantras at Modernista
It's time for one more relaxing Sunday of jazz goodness featuring the always-reliable The Mantras. FREE

Zhou Zhou & Shangyi, Hex at FM Live
Independent folk duo Zhou Zhou & Shangyi, consisting of singer Xue Yuzhou and producer Xiao Shangyi joins He Xiang AKA Hex for some warm-hearting tunes at FM Live. RMB 66

Eric Allen Woodshed at Laifu Livehouse
Eric Allen and his band Woodshed bring the sounds of Americana to Shuangjing with a performance at Laifu Livehouse. RMB 60

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

Photos: Will Griffith, courtesy of the promoters