Friday night and it was time to make a return to the city's North-East, where the North-East scene is itself making a return. The venue was D-club and here was the line up:
Both bands play Rock with a big R. Androsace play quiet-loud grunge with subtle infusions of Chinese trad music. Guitarist Sasha and vocalist Lenz both come from minority areas. Bi Gong Bi Jing play punk with a hardcore element that is taken from metal style riffing into full out thrash metal sections. Both bands played great and the sound was excellent.
That's brings me to D-club. It's in Yangpu, 15 mins walk from line 4 Dalian Road Station. It's a basement rock bar with a stage, in the mold of a Logo, but everything is slightly better. The stage is a little better organised, the equipment is a little better, the bar is a little bigger and nicer. The guy doing sound actually cared and made good adjustments. It seems like a great place to put on a bar show. But the surrounding area is a bit sparse and weird. It's tobacco central, pay attention to the buildings as you walk there and see what I mean.
The scene used to be in Yangpu, before the move downtown and when most students were up there. It dipped but there were always bands who'd make a point of saying they were Yangpu bands or something. Now they have new Live Bar, 696 and D-club ... and the Left Rock rehearsal space. And it follows that the number of bands is starting to go up. Bi Gong Bi Jing met while hanging out at Live Bar, as usual, and were part of a definite sub-scene / crowd there. The emphasis is on playing and having fun. They are keeping that torch alive for sure.
