Shanghai Top Five 上海五强 (4.26-5.03)

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随着五一假期临近，我们即将迎来极为重要的一周——毕竟有多达五天的假期。对于有点儿闲钱的人来说，上海最盛大的活动自然是草莓音乐节；同样，还有在KeepItQuiet举办的雍福会花园艺术节——阵容包含一些前卫和即兴领域最厉害的人物。而对于其他留守上海、避开外面旅游高峰的人，依然有很多演出可以享受——从SYSTEM举办的电子乐盛会New Noise，到泥菩萨在育音堂一手包办的充满叛逆气息的独立摇滚阵容；从Neo Bar集合了新秀乐队的演出，到街声在育音堂公园的独立流行拼盘；让我们马上开始接下来八天的推荐吧！

ENG >

Big week ahead of us as we inch get closer to Labour Day holiday - which comes packaged with a whopping five days off. The big game in town for those who have cash to burn is of course Strawberry Festival returning to Shanghai over by the Shanghai Oriental Land. Likewise, there’s the YongFooElite Garden Art Festival at KeepItQuiet with some of the avant-garde and improvisational scene’s most renowned acts. For those sticking around the city (avoiding whatever dimension of tourist hell is out there) there’s a lot to dig into - from New Noise’s live electronic showcase at SYSTEM to Clay Bodhisattva泥菩萨’s latest topsy-turvy lineup of indie rock renegades at Yuyintang; from Neo Bar’s latest roundup of emerging acts talent to StreetVoice’s indie pop showcase at Yuyintang Park. Eight days of recommendations folks - so let’s get right into it! 

WEDNESDAY 4/26

IZ @ Yuyintang Park 育音堂音乐公园

Xinjiang Kazakh musical genius Mamer, whose thrumming voice and nerve-wracking layers of instrumentation has engulfed audiences for years – has been a part of six bands whose styles vary from ambient, industrial, noise, improvised, experimental to doom drone including Kunakar, 51-Rayon, Mekrop, TAT and Bande, and perhaps most prominently IZ. A beguiling haunting mix of Kazakh folk music, psychedelic ballads, and unique futuristic aesthetics no one is quite sure what to expect with this latest rendition of IZ - but promised is an ecstasy of guitar, dombra, chords and vocal reconstruction. Just don’t be surprised if my man pulls out something you’d find at Home Depot. 8:30PM. RMB 150

No Stops 无站停靠, RENE, GUJI, BAGEL! YUM:) @ Yuyintang 音堂音

‘New Face Underground’ - the series that has been giving a spotlight to new and emerging bands for over two years, with more than a few surprises in their arsenal, returns with their latest grab bag of aspiring acts. And we’ve got a particularly juicy lineup tonight with some dark horse surprises - including Guji, a four-piece synth-pop project knocked up in the chaos of Shanghai lockdown, moody bluesy indie rock outfit RENE, No Stops and the irresponsibly named BAGEL! YUM:) - who wins on audacity alone. 8:30PM. FREE 

THURSDAY 4/27

The Hunter and the Tree 猎人与树, Swim in Glow 游走晚霞, Ankh安卡 @ Yuyintang 育音堂

Unassuming rock and roll from a trio of bands looking to make a name for themselves. A bit of something for everyone from the grunge-infested up-and-comers ANKH (very curious about these cats), the bright-eyed and melodic indie pop outfit Swim in Glow, and The Hunter & the Tree, coming in hot with no singles or demos floating about. But hey, all part of the fun of discovering one’s favorite new act. 8:30PM. RMB 70/80/120 

FRIDAY 4/28

Wu Zhuoling 吴卓玲 (live), Kaishandao (live), thruoutin (live), Jef @ SYSTEM 系统 3F

Seasoned promoters, New Noise, whose passion for music is only matched by their robust professionalism and proven track record, showcase a night of live electronica over at SYSTEM bringing friends over from Chengdu and Beijing. On the docket, you’ve got producer Wu Zhuoling, whose cosmic electronica sways between rich, delicate melodies and multi-layered dance rhythms whilst combining modular synth sounds with ethereal vocals; Kaishandao whose inviting and cozy grooves, tempo-rising BPMs, and eclectic and innovative sampling pays tribute to the wide-ranging musical influences woven into the fabric of the producer’s upbringing; and Beijing-based electronic producer and multi-instrumentalist, thruoutin - known for his dizzying and woozy ‘weaving of experimental and club music, with nods to ambient, gqom, field recordings, and drone’. Ambient, atmospheric, stimulating soundscapes to get lost in! Check out SYSTEM's weekly roundup - they have over 50 musicains performing over the holiday! 10PM. RMB 100

Lost Salt 失联盐分, ZhuYouHui 祝游会, Ouch! Doris 多丽丝星环 @ NEO Bar

Up and coming promoters Nearly Nothing has rounded up some of Yangpu’s brightest and most endearing new acts. It may be too late to call Lost Salt fresh out of the pan but the four-piece indie pop outfit have been riding high since their EPP debut from last year - finding dreamy recourse in the synth-filtered walls of sound and its jangly guitars that aren’t afraid to dig into the reverb. Emerging math rock outfit ZhuYouHui meanwhile has slowly been building a cult following up north - first with their expert covers of acts like toe but more and more for their original compositions. Finally, Ouch! Doris are can of poppy, punchy melodic dream pop complete with wispy vocals and the perfect amount of jangle. 8:30PM. RMB 58/78/168

Ankh安卡, White Monkeys白猴, Clams Getaway 蛤蜊大逃亡, Weekend Project 周末搞事情 @ The Boxx

Get ready to rock out this Friday as Raydio invites four bands looking to kickstart your holiday and get those feet moving. An eclectic lineup that covers a variety of sounds and genres - from the grunge-infested up-and-comers ANKH to the Radiohead-esque alt rockers Clams Getaway; from the light-on-their-feet jazzy funk troupe Weekend Project to multi-national rockers White Monkeys. 8PM. RMB 60/80/100 

SATURDAY 4/29

DirtLeft 污甩, One Flower 一枝花, Zilu 子路, Stranded Strawberry 搁浅的草莓 @ Yuyintang 育音堂

Promoters 泥菩萨Clay Bodhisattva have been busy bees this past month with a string of showcases across the province. They close out their whirlwind month with a killer showcase over at Yuyintang with some of the year’s most exciting acts. Hangzhou’s One Flower dig for raw poetry in the futile soil of rock and roll - a tipsy volatile bedrock of punk, indie and art rock. Meanwhile, DIY genre-smashers Zilu, fresh off their new LP - are a rollicking volatile swirl of yaogun, punk, Britpop, ska, and ballad tomfoolery that’s sincere, unruly, fun, vulnerable, deranged and twisted in all the right ways. A hotchpotch of post rock, post punk, new wave, and more - Dirt Left, who hail from Ningbo, jam-pack their sound with just about everything. And last, evocative indie rock that goes for both those soaring instrumental rock breakdowns and for those softer-edged lyrical interludes, Stranded Strawberry are young, spry with the kind of visceral punch you like to see in a new band. Sleeper gig of the week right here. 8:30PM. RMB 88/108/156

Peace & Wave 和平和浪, Me and My Sandcastle, HD5H 高清五马, RingAgain回环 @ Yuyintang Park 育音堂音乐公园

Funk, city pop, hip hop, and indie pop - it’s a bubbly eclectic lineup over at Yuyintang Park tonight as Streetvoice rounds up some of the hottest acts in the indie pop world. Funk-driven rockers Peace and Wave whose retro 90s flavored city pop sound will have audiences buzzing in delight, while HD5M - the indescribable hip hop pop duo who caught the attention of many with their sonically inventive, ramshackle, and lyrically rich debut album this past winter, make their mark. Also, Me & My Sandcastle - the rising young lo-fi pop outfit that’s been making waves over the past couple of years with their cough syrup guitar tones and woozy synths alongside newly formed indie pop soothsayers Ring Again. 8PM. RMB 100/120

Round Eye, Trash Panda, Fulcrum @ C’s Bar

No better way to celebrate Labour Day then a bit of rabble-rousing down at C’s! To hear the cavernous walls of the legendary venue ring with guitars and drums - a glorious calling! To celebrate the venue has invited three of the most ravenous acts out there including the one and only Round Eye, back from the dead and prepping for their forthcoming US tour. Joining will be Fulcrum, headed by former Blue Magpie singer, scratching that Britpop itch you didn’t know you had for some time now, and dumpster rock purveyors Trash Panda, whose ‘take no prisoners’ sets of riotous punk tunes has left countless ears ringing in the neon-coated corridors of C’s. Righteous. 8PM. FREE 

ReCharge充电 - ReO2重氧 w/ AOKI takamasa @ SYSTEM 系统 2F

Get transcendent this weekend over at SYSTEM as Recharge, the collective that blurs the lines between art, music, dance and participative performances takes over the warehouse with a very special guest on hand - Japanese sound explorer AOKI takamasa - whose wide-ranging and immersive ‘experiments’ in rhythm and sound have made him a sought after performer in almost every field. He’ll be gracing audiences with a special vinyl DJ set alongside the other curated acts - which includes everything from miracle healing lessons, modular sets galore, live techno synthesizer sets, and performance art galore - just a taste of the cosmic delights in store for the evening. Full performance schedule below. 8PM. RMB 120/150

表演 PERFORMANCES 

9:30 庄众 & Laurent Lettrée：ReOxygen

9:50 RHO 

9:50 JinJin Xu 徐今今

10:05 觉然 & Tārā 

10:40 Vasily Betin- Ringo - Laurent Lettrée 

10:50 Rusty Chuan 

11:30 Jared Mimm

11:40 AOKI takamasa 青木孝允

2:00 Yue 圆形科技局 

3:00 XIA 

SUNDAY 4/30

SmokingArea25 贰伍吸菸所, Sandwich Fail 打倒三明治, Earthworm Walking Mud Pattern 蚯蚓走泥纹 @ Mao Livehouse

Taiwanese bands are back on the menu - jumping in on platters like it’s nobody's job. A swirl of alt rock, folk rock, post rock, and psychedelic rock, Sandwich Fail, has been making waves via Taipei since being founded in 2019 (and even was a fixture during the early pandemic days). They join long-standing evocative Taipei post rock outfit Smoking Area 25 as well as newcomers Earthworm Walking, who bring a more rustic soul to their world-weary yet sprawling indie rock. 8PM. RMB 158/188

One Day 纪念日 @ Yuyintang 育音堂

One Day, formed from the remnants of vintage Xi’an band Nude Injection with Liang Dong and Li Yuan, used the confines of lockdown to sharpen their indie credentials - releasing two albums over two years whilst fortifying their live set. Rustic indie rock made with both soul and rock and roll exuberance - it’s as old school as they come and all the better for it. Catch them at Yuyintang as part of their nationwide tour. 8PM. RMB 80/120/180 

MONDAY 5/01

The Leg Signals 脚信号, HOWHY号外乐团 @ Yuyintang Park 育音堂音乐公园

From Dongguan and raised in countless blues jam sessions, The Leg Signals have emerged as one of the indie pop scene’s more accessible and more deft acts - loading their glossy city pop with ample amounts of funk and synth flavors whilst keeping those instruments sweating and those lyrics as sugary as can be. The sunny vibes are also reflected in their supporting act - Shanghai funk supergroup HOWHY. 8:30PM. RMB 100/120/180

TUESDAY 5/02

Modern Cinema Master 当代电影大师, SuicideChaos 溯潮, SanRen 散人 @ Bandai Namco万代南梦宫

Catch three acts making major waves here and across the strait including Taipei indie rockers Modern Cinema Master - whose soaring music recalls that of Touming Magazine - filled with ironic and passionate trades against capitalism, idol culture, are more - dynamic, melodic and full of raw energy, they’re one of the most exciting acts to come through in some time. Meanwhile, San Ren is a rustic and wild-eyed Sichuan flavoring of rock and roll - who have been garnering a hefty fanbase over the post year with their spirited, unruly, and fierce sound - a guitar-driven stadium-ready fusion of folk, psychedelic, and alternative rock that calls to mind bands like Omnipotent Youth Society, No Party for Caodong, and Buyi. Rounding out the lineup are Chengdu’s SuicideChaos, bringing more of a grungy garage rock veneer to their soaring anthems - they quietly released one of last year’s most fierce debuts last year. 7:30PM. RMB 260 

WEDNESDAY 5/03

Urizen Society 由理生社, Resurrection 復活 @ Yuyintang Park 育音堂音乐公园

What better way to bid adieu to the holiday than with the guttural roar of some of Shanghai’s most fierce metal acts - Urizen Society who fuse black metal and symphonic metal with a literary’s ear, offering soliloquies before breaking out into a blood-curling scream. Imagine if Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas went full-on metal and centered around a Greek-esque heroic epic - that’s just an inkling of what Shanghai symphonic metal outfit Urizen Society. They’re joined by long-standing Nanjing extreme black metal band Resurrection, who are all kinds of riotous. 8:30PM. RMB 100/120 

4/30-5/02

Strawberry Festival 草莓音乐节 @ Shanghai Oriental Land 上海东方绿舟

Strawberry Festival is back! I feel like it’s been ages since I’ve had a proper Strawberry experience - smuggling in wine bottles, running from one stage to another, and getting lost in a sea of excited gig goers. So many good memories! This year Strawberry Festival is being held at the end of Line 17 at Oriental Land - not too bad. And while prices are certainly higher than usual, I can’t complain about the lineups which seem very nicely curated - not too sprawling, not too sparse - with a bit of something for everyone. Particularly like how finely tuned the electronic stage is to current flavors in trends in clubs across China. Highlights for Day One including dance rock legends Re-TROS alongside post punk renegades Mercader, hyperpop star Jiafeng, The Fallacy out of Xinxiang and Shanghai’s own Duck Fight Goose. Day two features more pop stars like A-Si and Dada, as well as some intriguing acts like Mongolian singer Bayan Dalai and Kunming electro riot girls South Acid Mini. Finally, Day Three goes fun on hip-hop with acts like APEX and Saber rubbing shoulders with pop singers like Huang Xu and PuShu. But yeah my money is definitely one day one! Full details in the link. 12PM. RMB 480 (per day) 

4/30-5/03

Eastablished/Non-Established: Yong Foo Elite Garden Art Festival 雍福会花园艺术节「既定/非既定」@YongFooElite

YongFooElite joins in with the festivities with its own festival. A whirlwind mix of improvisational music, performance art, film screenings, and more - it’s an eclectic offering of some of the art and avant-garde scene’s most cherished actors and characters. Each day is broken up into various segments - allowing visitors to immerse themselves in everything the space has to offer or just pop in to be mesmerized by a specific performer. Highlights include Li Daiguo, the avant-garde multi-instrumentalist and one of the experimental scene’s most prolific and accomplished characters whose work has been written up in everything from Pitchfork to Tiny Mix Tapes. Also, improvisational guru and wind instrumentalist Lao Dan – known for his innovative and defying integration of ancient and modern techniques; Hebei-born folk legend Xiao He – known for free-wielding genre-bending and acute avant-garde folk musings. The list goes on - so please dig into what each day holds and treat yourself to something transporting amongst the lush gardens of YongFooElite. 

Read More 近期内容

2022 BEST ALBUMS 年最佳唱片

Upcoming Tours 马上来袭的乐队巡演