Noise Pollution: Supermarket, Never Before, Pizza Face, thruoutin, Simplicity Lover, springiscoming

Welcome back live music! For a good while there it was touch and go. Shows being canceled, venues shuttering, and an air of uncertainty as the city teetered on the edge of lockdown and shifting regulations. But with spring comes life, and nowhere is that more true than deep inside the music scene which has once again opened the floodgates – with touring bands descending, mammoth platters materializing, and all your favorite stages finally getting a nice coating of sloshed beer and sweat. Oh, how we’ve missed you…

Friday, Mar 5

Supermarket 超级市场, Nocturnes 曳取, Dirty Moon, Aero-Boat 空气船, sourtower 酸塔 at WeSpace腾讯

As mentioned late in 2020, TenCent is getting into the concert infrastructure business and in nonsensical synergy fashion, they’ve named it WeSpace. Their new digs are conveniently located in 751 D-Park – which is a blessing compared to Wukesong or Tianqiao – and they’ve assembled a hell of a lineup tonight. Most notably, the inclusion of long-standing Beijing electronica outfit Supermarket, one of Modern Sky’s first signed acts, who returned this summer with their ninth album, finding the group digging into their deep bag of tricks, jumping back and forth between sprawling ambient-filled instrument-heavy soundscapes and headier condescend acid techno jams. Also on the bill is Aero Boat, the new trio featuring Zhan Pan (of The Gar) and Li Nan (of Da Bang) whose richly layered and atmospheric sound is propulsive in more ways than one. Indietronica duo Nocturnes, neo-rock outfit Dirty Moon, and psych cold wave indie electronic artist sourtower round out the bill. 8pm. RMB 160/200

Erfanmu 二番目, Lost Wave 失浪潮, Seagull 海鸥, Showhand 梭哈, Kenja Time, Null Radio 空心电台 at Mao Livehouse

Wukesong has been making out like a bandit this winter – if only because the powers-that-be are never going to notice that gigs are happening in the urban sticks of Beijing. They continue roping an array of acts including new wave poppers Lost Wave, tender indie rockers Seagull, pop-rock kids Showhand, and folk-tinged rock outfit Erfanmu. And in typical Mao Livehouse attitude, toss the venue another red Mao and you can try all you want, plus a second late-night concert featuring indie soundscapers Kenja Time (one of Maybe Mars’ most recent acquisitions) and Null Radio. 8pm/11.30pm. RMB 120/150 (RMB 70 drink ticket)

Never Before, SHA!, Deprive 剥夺 at UFO Space

UFO is looking more and more like a new haven for not only experimental acts here in Beijing but some of its most depraved and mischievous (the kind of bill that Temple would most definitely have). Leading the brigade is the capital’s premier sludge metal band Never Before, a band not afraid to lean into the fuzz and doom-riddled psychedelic swirl the genre is known for as they drag listeners across otherworldly riffs, incapacitating bass, and soul-crushing vocals. Joining them are the always eyebrow-raising and sonically stimulating prog-rock shakers SHA!, and power violence outfit Deprive. 9pm. RMB 70/90

The Power Powder 大粉, Whistling Chambers 花哨密室, Soft Acidic Juice 软酸汁, Degenerate Era 简并纪 at Omni Space 疆进酒

Big sounds in a big room – Omni Space gets back to basics and fills out their Temple of Heaven-adjacent space with some of Beijing’s finest sound weavers and noisemakers including upbeat and retro-fitted indie-pop trio The Power, as well as alternative psychedelic outfit Whistling Chambers, and up-and-coming post-punk band Degenerate Era. 8pm start. RMB 60 (RSVP at Omni Space’s Wechat, ID: jiangjinjiubar)

Juniper, Flynn Arrow at nugget café

nugget hunkers down and gets cozy with an acoustic-filled evening featuring the multi-national Juniper – an all-female, three-piece harmony group that was "born through a love of gin and singing." Joining them is Midwest-US raised folk singer-songwriter Flynn Arrow, whose tunes touch on "love/hate, heartbreak, and loss." 9pm. RMB 60/70

Saturday, Mar 6

Yaksa 夜叉, Los Crasher 不速之客, The Twenties, Dark Prison Massacre 暗獄戮屍, DirtyFingers 脏手指, Excuse Me 打扰一下乐团, Pizzaface披萨脸, Frozen Moon 冻结的月亮 at Tango

Speaking of mammoth showcases – Beijing’s beloved Tango is hosting the Purely Top Fest which is chock-full of top-notch acts spanning all genres. Seasoned metalcore veterans Yaksa are still going strong after 25 years of turning festivals across the country into mosh-pit carnivals, while acts like proto-punks Dirty Fingers have amassed their own frenzied fanbase since busting out of the joint. Meanwhile, you’ve got indie rock favorites The Twenties alongside Molotov cocktail renegades PizzaFace, plus tight-jeaned cowboy hat donning Los Crasher, who received their own burst from last summer’s The Big Band. Rounding out the evening is death metal outfit Dark Prison Massacre, black metal soulscapers Frozen Moon, and electro pop duo Excuse Me. Best pace yourself out there folks – this a marathon of live music. 3.30pm. RMB 230/280

The Upside Down 完美倒立, Tidal Pool Blue 潮池蓝, Loft Beach, Long Travel 浪旅 at Omni Space

Tonight’s lineup at Omni Space dips its toes deeper into indie-pop territory with some of the scene’s most sought-after acts. Shanghai’s Loft Beach has been making waves since the release of their self-titled debut last year – a giddy piece of youthful indie-pop that rides charismatically between surf-pop nostalgia, sun-soaked city pop grooves, and good ol’ fashion Oasis-aping Britpop. They’ll join Chengdu’s LonTravel, another surf-rock teasing city-pop traversing indie rock outfit stirring up trouble. You’ve also got Hefei’s Tidal Pool Blue, who bring some washed-out synth-inflected city pop vibes to their music, and The Upside Down, an electro-pop band from Chongqing who traffic in dreamy disco-filled jams. 8pm. RMB 130/150

Juju踽踽, Uncle Hu, Bobby's Satellite 波比卫星 at Cloud Nine

MusicDish China is rounding up a trio of indie rock's finest for a spring-welcoming showcase filled with melodic charm. On the bill is Uncle Hu, whose keen appreciation of classic rock and lo-fi alt-rock can be heard in their tight arrangements full of instrumentation that’s both effortless and deft, and their bittersweet and sardonic lyricism that sneaks up on you with potency. Joining them are Juju, the indie act that resurfaced anew last year, with shades of improvisation and offbeat rhythms that are closer in structure to art and math rock. Rounding out the lineup is long-standing psych-rock band Bobby's Satellite who bring tender warmth to their sound. 8pm. RMB 80/110

thruoutin, Kaize at nugget café

American-born, Beijing-based electronic producer and multi-instrumentalist, thruoutin, utilizes everything from Chicago footwork to field recordings to create a dizzying genre-bending concoction that is both dance floor ripper and bedroom mixer. For the occasion, label and promoter Jingweir is reissuing his 2017 EP Contingent of Outlying Territory, as well as its follow-up featured artist EP (featuring the likes of j-fever, Diva Li, and more) on cassette – packaging that splendid release with a newly recorded narration of the album’s fictitious travel log and a lushly-illustrated zine. A fine addition to one’s budding collection. Besides a live performance from thruoutin himself, producer and DJ Kaize will be warming up audiences come Saturday night. 9pm. RMB 60/70    

Sunday, Mar 7

Gravitational Wave  引力波, Simplicity Lover 简约情人 at Cloud Nine

Women’s Day comes early this year with this female-centric showcase in Wangjing. Shi Xiaofei, a veteran of the indie-pop scene, fronts her latest band Simplicity Lover, which matches her pop sensibilities with a rustic charm by wisely scruffing up her lush lyricism with an indie country-rock veneer, with the help of producer and guitarist Gao Xiaofang. Joining them are trip-hop-infused indietronica duo Gravitational Wave, which features renowned electronic producer Demone and singer Xia Dong. Color me intrigued. 9pm. RMB 80/100

Next Door 隔壁团, Tang 汤, springiscoming 虎啸春 at Mao Livehouse

Mao Livehouse heads to the open sea with this sonically vast showcase featuring bands both old and new with a penchant for big sounds. My favorite is perhaps springiscoming – the young indie rock band that’s been stirring up a storm with audiences across China with their heavy mix of cathartic post-rock, downtrodden grunge, and rustic indie rock. Joining them will be seasoned pop-rock pros Next Door Band, a band that has nearly two decades under its belt, and female-led Mando-pop afflicted rockers Tang, out of Quanzhou. 8pm. RMB 150

Zero Gravity at fRUITYSPACE

The long-standing quaint basement space has been a haven for Beijing’s more esoteric musicians looking to stretch their arms – including the jazz scene, which over the past year has turned fRUITYSPACE into a true-blue fee jazz speakeasy. Tonight features seasoned drummer and composer Kevin Gao, teaming up with double bassist Wu Wenjun and Gaoyang Li – one of the city’s finest saxophonists. 8.30pm. RMB 80

Wang Juan 王娟, Wang Yiling 王忆灵, Jiang Jian 姜健at Jianghu Bar

Some of the folk scene’s most distinguished acts roll through Jianghu this Sunday including songstress Wang Juan, whose voice is rich and potent, tainted by melancholy yet never too revealing. Joining her will be Wang Yiling and Jiang Jian, with a special guest appearance by MC Dawei. 9pm.RMB 60/80

READ: New Maizadian Livehouse, Tokyo Lounge, is a Beacon of Timeless Charm and Elegance

Images: Loft Beach (via Instagram), courtesy of the venues