Dull and Drawn-Out or Lush and Life-Affirming? You Decide at Beijing's Biggest Post-Rock Festival

Most people tend to assume they know what they’re getting when they hear the words post and rock. Adjectives like lush and beautiful – and on the other end of the spectrum – pretentious and meandering get tossed when talking about the genre, and we start to envision cinematic soundscapes full of nothing but crescendo, tremolo picking, and delay pedals out the wazoo. While you wouldn't necessarily be wrong (every genre has its stereotypes) the idea of what post-rock is has been shifting over the past decade, pulling in outside influencers and subverting everything we thought we knew about the genre.

Take, for instance, Chinese black metal pioneers Zuriaake whose haunting wraithlike screams blanket the melancholic calm and beauty of its atmospheric long-winded compositions, or Qinghai’s Tation, who draw inspiration from Buddhism and Tibetan culture, turning their 20-minute songs into a musical pilgrimage. Then there's the emo-inflicted pinings of Beijing’s own Wonder Sea, who use the sprawling emotional builds of post-rock to elevate their indie rock sound to new heights.

From these few examples, we can see how post-rock is finding its way into the nooks and crannies of the city's disparate music scene, a movement that Wang Chong documents and explores in his annual Sparrow Music Festival. Now in its third year, the festival returns to Tango on Saturday, Dec 14 and Sunday, Dec 15 with a heavy roster of bands pushing the genre in new and exciting directions. They include Zhaoze, Whale Circus, Xiantong, Wonder Sea, and Tiansheng on the first day, and Zuriaake (pictured at top), Fayzz, The 16th Floor, Shanghai Qiutian, Prune Deer, and Sun of Morning on the second.

We chatted with Wang about the festival’s beginnings and how he intends to support a new generation of post-rockers.

What’s the goal of the festival? What do you hope to accomplish?
The idea was to create an instrumental rock festival with a through-line of post-rock. At the moment, festivals with that kind of bent are rare in China – I hope it can help do something for this genre and I hope that established bands can help to push younger, newer bands forward. So every year, I will invite two to three relatively new acts that have been getting good reviews by word of mouth. With more and more influential acts, post-rock can only grow stronger, so it’s our obligation to promote new blood each year.

We also hope that not only is this a performance but a party for people both on and off the stage. Whether it be band-to-band, or bands-to-fans, we want everyone to communicate. Although it's indoors and the scale is a bit on the small side, we're treating it just like an outdoor festival, with the utmost care considered in the smallest of details. All the equipment is being brought in specifically for the bands – from the PA and monitors to the lighting equipment, even the beer and thermostats – everything down to the paper cups is customized for the event. There will be a live broadcasting team doing a multi-cam shoot and a market for all fans to find their favorite merch.

We hope we’ll have the opportunity to invite quality international bands in the future. We also hope that we can make the event bigger and better and perhaps one day, take it outdoors. We improve a little bit every year and everything is slowly coming to fruition.

How has the post-rock scene changed or evolved over the last ten years here in China?
I’m not sure I’m qualified to comment on the development of the post-rock scene here in China. Before me, there were many people and labels that have made huge contributions to the development of post-rock in China. My opinions on post-rock are still pretty basic. When I began working with Sparrow (the band), I became invested in the post-rock scene. From 2017, I became the agent for Sparrow and we started a music studio together and I began understanding the state of affairs of the genre as a whole here in China. At the time, the band also wanted to put together a post-rock compilation, which eventually came out under the name Nine Ears Nine Bands. From there we held the first post-rock music festival. These past two years, I’ve seen the Draw-Sound (an East Asian post-rock showcase), After Hours (in Tokyo), and a Post Sky stage (at Strawberry Festival) all pushing post-rock to a wider audience. That's a sign that it's not enough to just have Sparrow Festival.

The festival sold out in the last two years. What is it about post-rock that appeals to audiences? 
Since its launch in 2017, the festival has indeed sold out – early, too. It was really flattering. Since I started doing this, there hasn’t been any festival like this. Each year, the lineup has been made up of some truly amazing acts and musicians. From a ticket standpoint, that's six bands a day. It’s not party platter, it’s a full meal.

What are some of the best memories from the previous festivals? 
Only wonderful memories so far. From booking the venue to inviting artists, to designing the material, and seeing it to its full realization, it’s been incredibly satisfying. Coming in and installing the equipment, and watching the fans buying merch and getting it signed – it’s all gratifying. When the performance ends, all the bands and organizers will celebrate over dinner and drinks. That’s the happiest moment for us all and a bonding experience for everyone involved.  

What’s different about this year’s lineup musically?  
This year’s lineup is still, of course, post-rock-oriented. Some of the bands, like Tation and Zhaoze, have more Chinese elements embedded in their music. I’m looking forward to seeing them. Another band I’m looking forward to is Whale Circus. They’re quite special, as frontman Lin Xingyu is such an amazing composer and film scorer.

On the second day, there’s a bit more math rock on hand. The most distinctly different band we’ve got is Zuriaake. This is probably the most controversial band of the festival, with many people likely asking how black metal can feature at a post-rock festival? But trust me, if you see them live, you’ll like them. In the future, people may see more and more soundtrack composers and world music artists at our festival. We’re committed to bringing better and better acts to audiences.

Sparrow Festival returns on Saturday and Sunday, Dec 14-15 to Tango. Tickets are RMB 260-280 on the door or RMB 220 advance.

READ: Events That Won't Leave You Hungover, Dec 10-15

Images: Linc, courtesy of the organizers