Noise Pollution: Robedoor, Wu Tiao Ren, Still Corners, WWWW Prairie, 330 Metal Fest

Will Griffith | Apr 4, 2019 5:05 pm | Add a comment | 989 reads

Considering venturing out to a cemetery isn’t at the top of anyone’s holiday ‘to-do list,’ why not pay tribute to the dead by honoring our musical ancestors from all around the globe and the sounds that sent forth into the world. So my recommendation: grab your dust broom and head over to your closest music venue. Sweep up some cigarette butts, leave some baijiu for fallen music patrons (who passed out too early the previous night), and burn some paper Fenders in hopes that the guitar spirits will reciprocate the love.

Thursday, Apr 4

Robedoor, Zhang Shouwang, Zaliva-D, Pretty Cold at Zhao Dai
LA deep-dream doomsayers Robedoor embark on their inaugural China tour this holiday weekend. The prodigious drone duo of Britt Brown (founder of seminal American DIY weirdo network Not Not Fun Records) and Alex Brown have received the smelted metal feedback loops pool and congeal on their latest full-length release, New Age Sewage. The two have a penchant for Satanic ritual-esque performances and know how to shake the rafters with their aggressive music, which makes their Zhao Dai outing even the more tempting, especially with guest sets from Carsick Cars frontman Zhang Shouwang, one half of Zaliva-D, and Pretty Cold. Read our recent interview with them here. RMB 80

Simo Laihonen (Finland), Li Er Yang, Jukka, Jue Zhe at Jianghu Bar
Maverick improvisational percussionist Simo Laihonen brings his wonderful of spontaneous music to Beijing this week kicking off with a transcendent set at Jianghu alongside some of the avant-garde and improv scene’s most sought after characters. With credit on over 50 albums and movie soundtracks under his belt, and stints with groups like Black Motor, Sound & Fury (formerly known as Edward Vesala Sound & Fury), and reedman Jorma Tapio’s groups, he has collaborated with a veritable who's who of international jazz and noise performers. Tonight he’ll add guitarist Li Eryang, Jukka, and Jue Zhe (of The Peppercorns) to that list. RMB 80

Hind Brain, Heart Shaped Butts, The Pace of Time, Party Hater, Miao, Wacky Tobacco at Yue Space
Catch a bunch of bands sweep down the tomb of Kurt Cobain as they pay tribute to the genre-defining musician. And gotta say, the grunge scene is stronger than ever these days with newcomers like Hind Brain settling in nicely with favorites like Miao, plus a whole bunch of new names. RMB 100

Emily Burns (UK) at DDC
With hit songs "Friends Don't Kiss Friends" and "Girlfriend at the Time," Emily Burns has garnered millions of streams and support around the world. Following the release of her LP Seven Scenes from the Same Summer last year, Burns, who is often compared to artists like Tove Lo, Kehlani Sigrid, and Banks, seems unstoppable. RMB 80

Fancy Wall X Ciele, The Superhero Died in Vain, HouLai De Diaoyu at School Bar
A release gig and an album listening party all at once – what have indie rockers Fancy Wall and folk artist Ciele cooked up over in School Bar? The two up and comers are throwing quite the party over at Wudaoying and for the occasion, they’ve got math rock outfit Houlai de Diaoyu and rockers The Superhero Died in Vain opening up for them. RMB 60, RMB 80 (for two tickets)

Fareed Haque and the Flat Earth Ensemble feat. Paul Wertico at Blue Note
Fareed Haque is a modern guitar virtuoso. Steeped in classical and jazz traditions, his unique command of the guitar and its various musical styles inspire his picking adventures with tradition and fearless innovation. He appears at Blue Note with the Flat Earth Ensemble, featuring Paul Wertico on drums. RMB 160-360

The Hot Club of Beijing at The Bricks
Multi-national gypsy jazz ensemble brings their 1930s swinging jazz, hot Latin rhythms, and gypsy waltzes to Sanlitun, so best bring your dancing shoes. RMB 60

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

Friday, Apr 5

Wu Tiao Ren at Yue Space
An ode to the nooks and crannies of southern China, from the sprawling urban villages of Guangzhou to the wandering careers in the Haifeng county, Wu Tiao Ren continues to explore the lives and stories that reside and interweave in the rapidly changing urbanscape. The Guangzhou-based outfit, bring their low-key rugged poetic charm and magical realism to Yue Space as they present their latest album which turns to China’s cinema past for inspiration – turning the genre inside out and infusing it with psychedelic playfulness, rugged and almost unhinged charm, and yes, a twisted yet very much honest sense of humor. RMB 150

Still Corners (UK) at Omni Space
With influences that span the spacey experiments of Vangelis, the expansive, cinematic sounds of Ennio Morricone, and glamorous '80s synth pop, and hushed '60s-style pop vocals, Still Corner, made up of Greg Hughes and Tessa Murray are one of a kind. The group released their fourth studio album Slow Air in 2018, which continues the band’s sound – meditative and washed all over with a haze that makes the songs sound like foggy memories, dreams that are hardly re-collectible. Read our recent interview with the British duo here. RMB 160

Robedoor, Mengqi, Simon Frank at School
LA deep-dream doomsayers Robedoor embark on their inaugural China tour this holiday weekend. The prodigious drone duo of Britt Brown (founder of seminal American DIY weirdo network Not Not Fun Records) and Alex Brown have received the smelted metal feedback loops pool & congeal on their latest full-length release, New Age Sewage. The two have a penchant for Satanic ritual-esque performances and know how to shake the rafters with their aggressive music, so expect School Bar to get darker and dingier than usual. Guest sets from electronic wizard Mengqi and Simon Frank (of Hot & Cold). Read our recent interview with Robedoor here. RMB 80

Simo Laihonen (Finland), Li Tieqiao, Wang Chenhuai at Fruityspace
Maverick improvisational percussionist Simo Laihonen brings his wonderful of spontaneous music to Beijing this week kicking off with a transcendent set at Fruityspace alongside some of the avant-garde and improv scene’s most sought after characters. With over 50 released albums and movie soundtracks under his belt, and stints with groups like Black Motor, Sound & Fury (formerly known as Edward Vesala Sound & Fury) and reedman Jorma Tapio’s groups, he has collaborated with a veritable who's who of international jazz and noise performers. Tonight he’ll add legendary saxophonist Lie Tieqiao and free jazz drummer Deng Boyu (of IZ) to that list. RMB 80

Violator (BRA), Toxic Waste, Tumour Boy, Juggernaut, Explosicum at Mao Livehouse
Thrashers unite! The Thrash Music Festival returns to Beijing with special guest Violator, who hail from Brazil's capital city of Brasilia, where they were conceived almost in tandem with the new millennium. Yet these younguns draw inspiration for their music from sources that originated nearly two decades earlier, in the fast and frenzied sounds of vintage '80s thrash metal. Joining them are China’s best including Explosicum, Tumour Boy, and many more. RMB 380

Eternal Power, Icremate, Steamaster, and Blood Feast at Temple
Before you join one of China’s heaviest festival, 330 Metal Fest at Tango on Saturday, head to Temple to warm up those idle bones as four local metal bands wreak havoc and unleash their brutal power and riffs upon hungry audiences including Eternal Power, Icremate, Steamaster, and Blood Feast. FREE

The Balcony, Zhang Ziwei x Yu Zijun at Caravan
Hailing from Derbyshire and London in the UK, The Balcony brings a mix of acoustic covers and originals to Caravan alongside Zhang Ziwei and Yu Zijun, the acoustic folk duo that has immersed audiences over the past year with their unique blend of indie pop and traditional folk. RMB 50

Modern Day Babylon (Czech) at 13 Club
The first djent – groove – ambient Czech project, Modern Day Babylon, founded by Tomas Raclavsky in 2010, is an instrumental trio that has been stirring up the Czech progressive metal scene for almost a decade, receiving heaps of praise from not only their homeland but around the world. RMB 240

Ember Swift at Modernista
Known for her unique, jazz-influenced guitar playing, and elastic vocals, the Canadian-born Beijing-based singer-songwriter Ember Swift has been a fixture of the Beijing music scene for years releasing an array of LPs and melding Mandarin, English, and French into one intoxicating package. FREE

Prototype Quartet at The Bricks
Prototype, the new jazz supergroup with some of Beijing's most talented jazz musicians including Edward Barroetabena on drums, Pierre Pradat on keys, Daren Burns on bass, and Michal Ciesielski on the piano as well explore new sonic boundaries tonight. FREE

The Hunters at DDC
Beijing’s hottest crowd-pleasers and one of the capital’s best foreign cover bands, The Hunters combine old school funk, soul, and rock classics with rousing delivery. They say farewell to their keyboardist tonight they only way they know how – with a bang. RMB 60

Mofei Dinglu, Mystery at Mogu Space
Female singer-songwriter night in Xizhimen as Mystery and Mofei take the stage. FREE

Ghostnote+, Gun Er at Pink Moon
Indie electronic duo Ghostnote+ joins singer-songwriter and Xiamen-raised Gun Er for an evening of intimate storytelling at Pink Moon. FREE

Saturday, Apr 6

Prairie WWWW (TW) at Yue Space
The wildly ambitious Taiwanese psychedelic folk band Prairie WWWW don’t simply conjure up images of the grasslands of poppy seeds – they embed them into your noggin with their sprawling, instrumentally-rich, and scared-sounding compositions that entice and hypnotize. Fresh off the release of their acclaimed 2018 album Pan, which found the band diving down the rabbit hole further, electrifying their sound to terrifying degrees, and deepening their mystical lyricism and witch house vibes, the Taipei band, known for combining poetry, folk, ambient, and tribal elements, continues their nationwide tour. Simply put, you ain’t heard nothing like this. RMB 100

The Samans, Ritual Day, Suffocated, The Dark Prison Massacre, Los Crasher, Death Pact, Xue Chen, Nightengale, Yue Ye, Broken Halberd at Tango
Perhaps not the biggest metal festival to be held in China, but arguably one of the most prominent metal festival – 330 Metal Festival – returns with a vengeance! The longstanding indoor metal festival, with 18 years under its belt of bringing China’s best metal acts to the stage, is at it again with a hefty filling of all things metal. Besides established and respected acts like thrash metal veterans Suffocated, pagan metal outfit The Samans, and black metal band Ritual Day, there are other killer bands that have slowly climbed their way to the top like atmospheric black metal band Xue Chen, brutal metal outfit The Dark Prison Massacre, and many more looking to do the deed. 2.30pm start. RMB 230

Under Dog, Shave N' Shut, Uncle Bad, and The Last Choice at School Bar
Boot Party Volume 2 is here and you know what that means – time to partake in a little rock 'n' roll, revelry, and boozing as ska/punk supergroup (featuring members of SMZB, Casino Demon, and Human Centipede) Underdog headline with their infectious bluegrass swag and rockabilly charm. Along for the ride are oi punk rockers Shave N' Shut, female-fronted ska group Uncle Bad, and special guests from Changsha, old-school hardcore punks The Last Choice. RMB 100

Huang Yanren, Uncle Hu at fRUITYSPACE
An unsung hero in Hong Kong's independent music scene, folk singer-songwriter Huang Yanren is a rare gem – an independent musician who pays tribute to the genre while infusing it with real resonance and pathos. The ‘suspected folk singer’ may take the classic folk song structure (one person and one piano), but his songs contain so much more – from traditional Nanyin/Cantonese opera to literature, and critiques of urban society. Support from Beijing’s own Uncle Hu. RMB 100

Edor (Belgium) at Soi Baochao
Producer, musician, and songwriter Edor (the moniker for Belgian solo artist Maxime Honhon) is a multi-instrumentalist from Brussels. With a slew of collaborations under his belt (Konoba, Time For T, Sonnjford, Black Mirrors, Electric Château, to name just a few), he's now decided to go it alone. FREE

Mademoiselle Et Son Orchestre at The Bricks
Mademoiselle et son Orchestre return to The Bricks for their first show of the new year. The premier gypsy jazz outfit has been igniting crowds left and right for endless years – a true joy to behold. FREE

Kazumi Watanabe Jazz Guitar Trio at Blue Note
The Mercedes-Benz Jazz Master Series at Blue Note Beijing brings Japanese guitarist Kazumi Watanabe to the stage. Watanabe is Japan’s top guitarist, bringing a meticulous performance technique and expressive power to each note to create his signature “Kazumi style.” RMB 260-460

Paths, C60, Great Buffalo Blues at Temple
Rising poetry rock supergroup Paths (featuring an array of familiar faces from Beijing's expat scene) whose genre-bending music and odd bites of poetry bites immersed within their set, join alt-rockers C60 (back from the dead!) and electric blues outfit Great Buffalo Blues – should make for an evening of rambunctious fun at the always dependable Temple. FREE

Brickleberry, Hind Brain, A Li Pu, Long Haul at DDC
Upbeat indie rockers Brickleberry bring their infectious brand of dance-ready tunes alongside grunge torch-bearers Hind Brain, handsome singer-songwriter A Li Pu, and old school rockers Long Haul (who haven’t surfaced in quite some time). RMB 80

Black Bone, Led Barons at Caravan
Old school Hebei exports Black Bone bring their metal stylings to Caravan alongside Led Zeppelin tribute band Led Barons, consisting of Beijing’s finest and most familiar rock and roll faces. RMB 60

Lei Feng at Mogu Space
Twenty-year-old independent music singer, a student at the Communication University of China, brings his synthpop stylings (inspired by Tama Impala and Beach House) and offbeat musicianship to Mogu Space. FREE

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

Meng Huiyuan at Tango
Mandarin pop singer Meng Huiyuan brings her bubble-gum flavored, kitschy pop songs to Tango to what I can only assume will be legions of fans. RMB 120

Latitude-30°N at Jianghu Bar
Roots hard rockers Latitude-30°N keep the good times rolling at the hutong spot. RMB 60

Li Yiwei, Mr. Xu at Pink Moon
Acoustics wonders at Pink Moon courtesy of Zibo-born Mr. Xu and ex-rocker and tender storyteller Li Yiwei. FREE|

Sunday, Apr 7

Husband Killers, The White Papers, Cosmic Adventure at DDC
A solid rock-filled evening of some of the scene’s most underrated acts including old school rockers with a Quyi twist, Husband Killers, bombastic and rollicking post-punk outfit The White Papers, and the electro-punk infused stylings of indie rockers Cosmic Adventure. RMB 60

Smoking Area 25 (TW), Houlai De Diaoyu at School
Formed only two years ago in Taiwan, indie rockers Smoking Area 25 have taken Taiwan by storm and are in the midst of building a big fan base in China as well. So yeah, that might explain why this show is already sold out. (Scale the rooftop?)

Shi Yuji Jazz Trio at Modernista
Join Modernista this Sunday as saxophonist Shi Yuji and his trio of talented players puts on an elegant performance. Playing with him this evening is bassist Xing Yifan and guitarist Xiaji. FREE

Meng Fanming (TW) at Yue Space
Folk-pop singer-songwriter Meng Fanming brings his pristine voice and clear, emotionally honest and tender melodies to Yue Space as the artists continues his nationwide tour. RMB 120