15 great things to do this week in Shanghai

Photograph: Medusa x House of Kawakubo (Club KID Ball)

Stay wherever the AC is when you go out this week – a heat stroke is definitely the last thing you want in this weather. As usual, Shanghai has plenty of activities for you to let off some steam. This week, we've got a footie champions cup, a voguing party and a new exhibition at the Power Station of Art. Read on for our picks of the best things to do.

Things to Do

Photograph: courtesy 247tickets

International Champions Cup: Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur

The 2019 International Champions Cup comes to Shanghai for the first time. Reigning champion Tottenham faces Premier League rival Manchester United at Hongkou Football Stadium – the first time these titans of the English game have played each other in the tournament.

📍Hongkou Football Stadium, 444 Dong Jiangwan Lu, near Sichuan Bei Lu. Thu 25. 7.30-9.30pm. 2,399RMB.

Atomic Sketch

Elevate's monthly live art event returns. Seven artists, each with their own table, will be live painting, drawing and sculpting in the bar. Every time a work is completed, it's pinned up on a wall with an affordable price tag. There’s also a lucky draw – every time someone buys a drink, they get a raffle ticket, and one piece of artwork is raffled off at 10pm.

📍1900LOFT, 465 Dingxi Lu, near Xinhua Lu. Sat 27. 7.30-10.30pm. Free entry.

Music & Nightlife

Photograph: courtesy 247tickets (ORPHAN™ x 2.0 Music Festival: Jonas Blue)

Girls and Boys Britpop Night

Complementing the ever-popular Dirty Boots indie night and bowing to the constant Pulp requests, Specters goes full-on Britpop for the last Saturday in July. Shake it to the likes of Suede, Menswear, Blur, Pulp, Elastica and Republica.

📍Specters, Bldg D, 753 Yuyuan Lu, near Zhenning Lu. Sat 27. 9pm-5am. Free entry.

Bruno Mars and Maroon 5 tribute at The Pearl

What does it feel like when smooth romance is mixed with uptown funky rock? This week The Pearl finds out with a comprehensive tribute to Maroon 5 and Bruno Mars.

📍The Pearl, 471 Zhapu Lu, near Haining Lu. Sat 27. 9-11pm. 200RMB; 150RMB (presale). Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

BARBARISM Vol 14

The monthly club night for civilised barbarians. BARBARISM is an escape for those who work hard all week and need to experience rawness and real emotions. Expect dance floor-filling and boundary-pushing new hip hop, club trax, forgotten classics, familiar vocals in strange new contexts and songs you never knew you needed. Expect resident DJs Heatwolves (Love Band, Hologram Dreams) on deck.

📍Le Baron, Seventh Floor, 20 Donghu Lu, near Huaihai Zhong Lu. Fri 26. 10pm-4am. Free entry.

ORPHAN™ x 2.0 Music Festival

ORPHAN™️ X is taking bass house to a whole new level with two whole days full of summer beats, head banging and dancing through the crowd. Expect less dubstep, more house, more drum n bass, more trap. The line-up includes Jonas Blue, Jordy van Egmond professionally known by his stage name Dyro, ASUKA, Louie Louie, 2R, EU and more.

📍FIRST-X Shanghai, 118 Square, 1685 Jinshajiang Lu, near Zhonghuan Lu. Fri 26-Sat 27. 9-11pm. 350RMB; 320RMB (two-day presale); 280RMB (one-day presale). Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

Deniro Farrar / DonMonique / Trent the HOOLiGAN

ALL Club presents a line-up of three artists in a night that includes Cult Rapper Deniro Farrar from Charlotte, North Carolina; DonMonique, whose song 'Pilates' became the anthem for the summer of 2015; and Trent The HOOLiGAN, a hip hop artist from Wilmington, North Carolina.

📍ALL Club, Second Floor, 17 Xiangyang Bei Lu, near Changle Lu. Thu 25. 10pm-midnight. 120RMB; 100RMB (presale). Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

SHFT pres Noizu

Los Angeles-based Noizu is quickly climbing through the ranks of house music, making his debut on the Chris Lake and Skrillex curated ‘HOWSLA’ in 2017 with ‘Lasers’ before catching the eyes and ears of French label boss, Tchami. His follow-up release saw the Jungle EP, an instant live anthem supported by Diplo, Oliver Heldens, A-Trak, Jauz and Malaa.

📍Arkham, Found 158, 168 Julu Lu, near Chengdu Nan Lu. Fri 26. 10pm-late. 160RMB; 120RMB (presale). Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

Mija

Based out of downtown Los Angeles, Mija has established herself as an innovative and fresh new DJ/producer of this era. Her genre-defying mix tapes and bass line productions led to a breakthrough performance at Kalliope, a Burning Man art car within Bonnaroo Music Festival, where she met Skrillex. Support from GG Magree.

📍Linx, First-Second Floors, 98 Huaihai Zhong Lu, near Xizang Nan Lu. Fri 26. 10.30pm-late. 180RMB.

The White Rabbit Funk Committee

Get down with The White Rabbit Funk Committee – veterans DJ BO and Captain Batty – as they return to C's basement space for a sticky 'n' sweet all-vinyl set. The two dish out rockabilly-funk, northern soul and snappy disco with a gleeful vengeance – all smashed up with a block party sensibility.

📍C's, B1, 685 Dingxi Lu, near Fahuazhen Lu. Sat 27. 10pm-late. Free entry.

Medusa x House of Kawakubo pres Club KID Ball 2019

Medusa and House of Kawakubo have officially Kai Kai’d... and gurl a Vogue Ball is born. To celebrate your inner party monster, the theme of the evening will be Club Kid Fantasy. There will be categories for all the legendary children to stomp the runway, kiki and snatch trophies in the fiercest gender-bending creations. The categories begin at 10.30pm sharp and voguing music from all dimensions will begin afterwards. Prizes will be awarded for the following: face, runway, vogue OTA, lip sync and more.

📍Elevator, B1, 265 Nandan Dong Lu, near Caoxi Lu. Sat 27. 10pm-5am. 80RMB; 50RMB (before 11pm).

Art

Photograph: courtesy Power Station of Art (Junya Ishigami: Freeing Architecture)

Junya Ishigami: Freeing Architecture

Shanghai’s Power Station of Art and the Fondation Cartier pour L’Art Contemporain presents the first solo exhibition in China of Japanese architect Junya Ishigami. Originally exhibited in Paris in 2018 and redesigned for PSA, this exhibition showcases 20 of the artist’s groups of architectural projects from around the globe. Junya Ishigami was born in 1974 in Kanagawa Prefecture and is famous for his unwillingness to succumb to traditional architectural forms and methods of expression.

📍Power Station of Art, 200 Huayuangang Lu, near Miaojiang Lu. Until Sun 6 Oct (Tue-Sun). 60RMB.

An Opera for Animals

Rockbound Art Museum, in collaboration with Shanghai and Para Site, Hong Kong presents An Opera for Animals, a show that explores the Euro-centrism of Western opera and draws a parallel between acts of staging in opera to the construction of the ‘alternative truths' in the world of technology. Think the world of fake news, selfies and Internet trolls.

📍Rockbund Art Musuem, 20 Huiqiu Lu, near Beijing Dong Lu. Until Sun 25 Aug (Tue-Sun). 50RMB.

Stage

Photograph: courtesy 247tickets (Moscow State LM Lavrovsky Ballet: Gala)

Moscow State LM Lavrovsky Ballet: Gala

Founded in 1993, the non-profit Moscow State LM Lavrovsky Ballet has taught and graduated over 250 ballerinas. It'll be performing a slew of short ballet pieces as part of its gala event. The programme line-up includes more iconic pieces such as the Swan Lake Selection Single Dance Siegfried, Giselle and the opera Eugene Onegin among others.

📍Daning Theatre, 1222 Pingxingguan Lu, near Lingshi Lu. Fri 26. 7.30-9.30pm. 180RMB-380RMB. Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

Kneehigh Theatre: Dead Dog in a Suitcase

Based on the Beggar’s Opera, John Gay’s classic musical satire, Dead Dog in a Suitcase tells a story in which Mayor Goodman has been assassinated and so has his dog while the killer got away. Bursting with wit, wonder and weirdness, Kneehigh’s cast of actor-musicians shoot, hoot and shimmy their way through this twisted morality tale for our times.

📍Great Theatre of China, 704 Niuzhuang Lu, near Zhejiang Zhong Lu. Fri 26-Sun 28. 7.30-9.30pm. 180RMB-680RMB. Extract the QR code above to purchase tickets.

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