Results tagged “shanghai” from Andy Best

Note: regular readers will be familiar with my personal stance and words on advertising in music and all that. There are whole other discussions about movies and games too. This is just some news. I'm not connected with Shanda or any agency regarding stuff in this post.

Shanghai pop-punk band Pinkberry have just been up at the Zhangbei festival. Here's a video of them there. It's not the most intelligently shot vid I've seen with no crowd or indication they're at a festival but I'll take it. 

It's slow and hot and some people, not me, are taking the opportunity to write longer articles on more in depth topics. I have been doing a bunch of other stuff, check Indie Everything, but writing thoughtful pieces is not part of that. 

Sorry everyone. Youku user Laohutracy has put up three Pairs videos and this one is full length from the same show. Worth a watch. I dunno exactly how to describe it, low-fi noise-indie? Watch it and give it a go. 

This is a short clip from the end of Pairs' last Yuyintang set. Xiao Zhong (Rhys) invites someone else to play the drums and let's loose a bit. The song is the end of Yangpu Qu.

Chaotic Aeon: very influenced by Morbid Angel, but still incredibly exciting on their own right. Should be even better with a live drummer. Would desperately like to see them live in Shanghai sometime this year.

Here's a an excellent vid of Fearless playing their new track at Yuyintang last Friday. It's complete with vocals this time and at about 3.10 you can hear some awesome dual guitar work.

The venue is basically the meeting hall of the music scene. Music is the glue of everything that goes on there. You know, you meet up at the music hall, you're there for the bands, you find out where the next show is, that sort of thing. Without a good venue there is no music scene.

He is not talking about a large theatre where famous acts or international bands could be booked. He is talking about a community oriented space that is committed to letting younger locals have a space to express themselves and develop - and that's what makes a scene.

Lets kick off the month with some metal.

Rock In China Declares Independence, Puts the Smack Down on D-22Shanghai: Soon to be famous for experimental sounds?

Quick post here. By now we all know about the influx of international acts (thanks to the scene not the Expo) with big names playing YYT like Xiu Xiu on Sunday and Exile Parade on Wednesday. I also covered Alpine Decline's back door gig in Shanghai.

The Shelter, one of the city's most well-known bars in Changning District's Xinfu Road, was reported to be closed indefinitely over the weekend.

"We were told to close over safety concerns," Gary Wang, owner of The Shelter, said yesterday.

He was told it was an Expo issue and "we should be cooperative."

Officials with the Shanghai Industrial and Commercial Administrative Bureau said they were investigating illegal facilities as many pubs in the city were unlicensed.

Wang said he did not know the exact reason for the closure as all relevant paperwork was in order and the bar was not too noisy at night.

"We've been operating the bar for two years and I don't think that would be possible if we had been illegal," he said.

As Brad pointed out in the last article, the paper seems to see no problem with printing a glaring contradiction, in this case Wang's papers being in order, and an official counterpoint that does nothing to address it. 

Yet perhaps the best proof that the Chinese underground is still keeping it weird is Junkyy's rejection of alt-god Thurston Moore in 2008. Moore's still the go-to man for the "indie rock seal of approval", yet when he sang Torturing Nurse's praises following Sonic Youth's trip to China, this one-man whirlwind wasn't impressed. "I don't like him or his band. They are too rock'n'roll. I don't care if he's a fan. What we do is totally different," Junkky said in an interview with SH Magazine. Which pretty much sums up the project's entire ethos: "We don't care if you like us." Listen at your peril.

Here's the full article at the Guardian Unlimited music blog.

I know I shouldn't expect actual journalism from that propaganda rag, but that article is terrible. At least they use softer paper than China Daily...and the print doesn't smudge my ass cheeks.

"But now it's more difficult; officials are much stricter about artists, foreign especially, having the proper visas, and all the venues must have the required licenses, too."

Implication: China used to be the Wild West, but now there's Rule of Law.

"Yuyintang was temporarily closed by authorities in 2007 for failing to have the permit needed for a show by the Beijing-based band Brain Failure."

Implication: This raid was superficially similar to the shutdown of the previous incarnation (Longcao Lu) of Yuyintang three years ago, so they are likely at fault this time, too.

Does Yuyintang currently have the "required licenses" and "proper permits"? I guess the "relevant department" couldn't be reached for comment.

"officials told the roughly 50 patrons that they were pulling the plug on the music due to capacity issues."

"They told me that the bar could not hold more than 100 people during the Expo because it's too small."

There were roughly 50 patrons, which is about half the 100 people the officials say the place can hold. Did the reporter think to ask why, if both statements are true, did the they actually shut the place down?

"They just said they were concerned that the venue would become overcrowded and unsafe."

That doesn't sound like a very good reason.

Putting aside the irony that on the same day, the Expo grounds were overcrowded and chaotic, and that the subways are dangerously overcrowded every morning and evening, and that every tourist attraction in Shanghai is overcrowded...the commerce officials didn't say, "Don't let any more people in," or "Ten people have to leave for this place to be safe." They went in, demanded identification from patrons of the bar, and confiscated equipment essential to the operation of the bar.

If Yuyintang didn't have the correct permits, why weren't they cited?
If the place was overcrowded, why did the officials confiscate equipment?

Do officials from the Shanghai Administration of Industry and Commerce have the authority to demand identification?

Do officials from the Shanghai Administration of Industry and Commerce have the authority to confiscate private property?

I'm not a scholar of Chinese law (if there is such a thing), and I don't know all the facts of this case (how could I, given such shoddy reporting?) but it seems that the Shanghai Administration of Industry and Commerce acted illegally. If the government is now requiring businesses to obtain proper permits and licenses and adhere to the law, then at the very least, the government branch in charge of enforcing those laws should be held to the same standard.

The city's most iconic spot for live underground music in Changning district remained shut last night for the fourth day after officials barged in suddenly on Friday evening, shutting down the popular entertainment venue that has been giving artists a voice in the city for the past six years.

Yes. In the Global Times. So come on. Let's have some more.

Rather than inviting the likes of Them Crooked Vultures, The Raveonettes, The Hives, HIM, Turbonegro and Rush to Shanghai, pavilion organizers have settled for a rather dull program of events, ignoring their obvious political guanxi and ability to book cutting-edge artists, instead blandly appeasing local censors.

Beginning with the country that invented rock 'n roll, punk and country, the U.S. has decided to abandon its musical roots, opting for a number of choirs and orchestras to represent the land of Chuck Berry, CBGB and the Grand Ole Opry. The U.S. State Department is hosting Herbie Hancock on May 13 and Ozomatli on May 20, but it's still unclear whether Herbie will play "Rockit" or if Ozo will take it to the streets.

Exactly. In fact, as many people are now pointing out, there has been a recent influx of great international acts - playing local venues by themselves or as offshoots of domestic festival dates. Many of them are still to play. The fact of the matter is that the Expo is an annoying business and PR event and that organizers on the local scenes are already doing a much better job at putting on cultural events without any funding or extra motivation.

This was a good moment. That's all I have to say. This band are worth the hype. I was there up front, as should you have been.

Thu May 6 - Nanjing, Castle Bar 

Beijing based pop-punk band Reflector are coming back to Yuyintang on April 3rd. Here's the event page at Douban. Talking of Yuyintang you can see their complete March line up in poster form right here - you'll need to read Chinese to get most bands though.

Jake wrote up the show here.

Finally got my Friday footage uploaded. This is from the Playful Warrior show at Yuyintang.

My own footage of Six Shot, and the busiest crowd of the night, won't upload because of the GFW and Shanghai Online's pathetic service some connection problems I'm having. 

First of all, this is the funniest photo ever and somehow a perfect fit for the band (Rustic). It's from their Hong Kong trip during their run in the Global Battle of the Bands comp. The red suit, shades and half-turn, the hostesses taken by surprise, one covering the face, one leaning out of shot and one with the stern look, the mama-san coming forward with the no-photo gesture, Rikki Sixx's snakeskin pants-clad backside poking in the side. It's pure gold.

But anyway. This Friday, January 22nd 2010 has the first clash I just can't decide since the scene got big enough to have more than one must-see show on in one evening. Let's kick off with the two shows.

At Mao, the Maybe Mars showcase with:

PK14
The Gar
24 hours
Rustic

At Yuyintang the "Puma Uncovered" I don't know what the f*ck it's about show with:

Ziyo
The Mushrooms

OK. So the Maybe Mars showcase speaks for itself. It's at Mao, the sound should be great and all the bands are great. It's PK14 headlining ... PK14.

The other show is called Puma Uncovered, with the 'Puma' taking headlining position in the promo material and the tag line also refers to a DJ ipod battle ... and then the bands are in there. It's annoying as a big bag of annoying things and I'm sorry if I get this wrong or something. But anyway - it's The f*cking Mushrooms and Ziyo (Helen from Pet Conspiracy's other band) at Yuyintang!   

Ah, my head hurts ... this one or this one?

But look again at which six bands are all playing in Shanghai on Friday night. If that doesn't get you out to a indie/rock show then there's no hope for you.

The Mushrooms played Yuyintang on New Year's Eve. Here was the report. The show was delayed from a police raid but it finally went ahead. As usual at their shows, it was packed, nuts and everyone sang all the words.

The video is of varying quality, but as it goes on you can hear all the fans singing and cheering the entire track. So, yeah, this is 为什么你爱他 (weishenme ni ai ta).

Not long back I wrote this post claiming that new Shanghai emo bands Double Control Where and Forget and Forgive were breaking through. I just want to say that this is not like two years ago when watching new bands was twenty people in the room and it felt a bit like hipster band spotting night.

Shanghai experimental band Boojii have recently released their first album on Modern Sky. Here's what Jake said. You can hear the track Detective M at their page here. I'm a big fan of 猫酱 too.

To help matters, The Mushroom's have posted up another excellent demo at their page. It's their newer track wangzi 网子 and you should listen now right here. Regulars at the shows will recognise it straight away.

So we recently had some year end articles and lists, but after that comes the predictions for the New Year. Oh, it never ends.

So, when you pick up That's Shanghai at the end of the month, the January issue will include a special music scene preview featuring 2010 predictions from me, Super Sophia (Yuyintang) and Alec Haavic (Jazz scene). Surprisingly, I saw that some Expo talk was kept in. Except that certain people's views on it, like their music, seem to be confined to an elevator-like space. Zing!

Ok, so there was a photo shoot too. Freud says that some narcissism is healthy. Honest.

 

Photo and upcoming article courtesy of Nicky Almasy.

Gay Witch Abortion
Happy Mother's Day, I Can't Read
The Asbestos Tampons
Statutory Grape
Slut Barf

With a RMB1m prize purse (including cash, equipment, a national concert tour and recording time in LA), and "up to 5,000 concert auditions", Pepsi have made a commitment to the "real" Chinese underground music scene by announcing a new reality TV program to air over 7 months on the Zhejiang satellite network.

This was April 3rd 2009. I commented at Shanghaiist on the post and chose not to blog it directly.Why, I thought, would local rock and underground bands be interested in a talent show put on by a company that markets junk food to kids. CMR's post date of April 1st seemed more relevant to me.

Apart from the in your face branding that made us dizzy, we were also shocked by their serious lack of taste. In the back were a few skinny models in hot pants and a halter-tops also adorned with said logo stretched tight against none existent boobs selling the soda at the bar. Even the people working there had to have said logo painted on their face.

Having never done a battle of the bands before, said soda company had forgotten that unlike other talent contests, bands don't usually come with a back-up tape in hand so had allocated no time for stage changes. In between the bands, the MC (namely me) was suppose to interview the lead singer. This was a bit ridiculous as the lead singer was usually down on the floor plugging in equipment. When I expressed this to the sponsor, the responded by saying "well just tell them to hurry up."

Still with one minute allocated for stage changes, even the speediest of musicians could not get their equipment plugged in on-time. The head of said Soda company came charging backstage screaming at the staff saying things like "tell these kids if they don't get their equipment plugged in less then three minutes they will have points deducted from their total score."

But was this short lived anger or would it live on and turn into a new level of awareness around brands and branding. Well, it certainly was angry and one kickback was the minor scandal that followed involving the band Pinkberry.

On Friday we were at the Mao grand opening where we saw a great Mushrooms performance and had much fun throwing ourselves about. Photos have started filtering through. These are from this gallery here.

Who knows how it will or won't work in practice but this is a good step and will hopefully spread a bit of awareness at least. I have to add that my own views are way past what is represented here but Lisa has joined in the debate taken all sides into account and actually organised something at the venue - so fair play there.

Great Friday night at Yuyintang and Candy Shop's first time to officially headline the venue on a weekend.

Check out their Douban page here and listen to the fourth track called 我们

So here was the line up for the night:

Candy Shop
Forget And Forgive
Lei Ren
Black Luna

The turn out was great and, as predicted, mainly local. There were a lot of students down and they were equally up to see Forget And Forgive, who are emo. You see, local students like their metal and their emo. Trust me.

I only caught the end of Black Luna's set. They are an all-girl pop rock group whose singer and band leader recently joined Candy Shop to replace Melody Li. The first thing I noticed was that they have a new lead singer, signalling that Sammi's move is final. Next up was Lei Ren who, by their standards, played a fairly restrained set of TV Theme covers and parody songs.

The first band that people got excited about were Forget And Forgive. They played a four song set of emo-tastic material. They switched between thrashy riffs and screaming and catchy sung choruses, all in the emo style. They are a new band and were quite good, but not good enough yet to ignite the crowd which was big enough to break into a mosh.

Candy Shop have come on miles and miles. They have a full set of good material and an energetic show. For whatever reason, they really appeal to the local crowd and from the get go people were up for the show. After a bit of teething with the sound in the opening track, they ripped into their set and the audience went for it. The band were well prepared for the night with badges and stickers to give out as well as a couple of signed posters. They really gave the student crowd a taste of an energetic gig with jumping and dancing and I'm sure they won many new fans.

Also, after calling him out on the podcast, blogger Swiss James did in fact come down. Nice one mate. To be fair, if you follow his blog you'll know that James likes his rock.

Most countries with music scenes have one or two industry centres or a defined main scene. Here it has to be Beijing with the most bands, the most developed bands and the labels.

Smaller city scenes that break out or get fame tend to be associated with a type of music. Take the Manchester or Liverpool sounds or the classic example of Seattle. Say "the Seattle scene" with no other context and people will think of the Grunge style. I'm sure there were other good bands playing but that's what people associate it with.

Of course, within the grunge scene and the Seattle gold rush there were diverse sounds, but that's how it played out.

So what I was thinking is: What about Shanghai?

There have been brief sparks that died again or have yet to really ignite. At one point Banana Monkey were going to lead the modern Brit-rock charge. Top Floor Circus are inspirational but they haven't inspired. Fans of legendary track Karaoke Forever (a local dialect play on words that means never go to karaoke) still go to KTV, they just think the song is funny. The Jiaoban bands signed with Indietop and haven't released a significant album between them 18 months later. There are many more examples.

So who is getting it together in Shanghai as poised to take advantage of a potential scene elevation?

I think it has to be the Miniless collective.

The reason: these groups have kept their eyes on their music and followed through. Now we have top quality albums, in both material and production, out from Fading Horizon, Lava Ox Sea, Muscle Snog and Eight Eye Spy - with Boojii not far behind. All these acts are different in their own way but they share organisation, images and philosophy. Most importantly they now have top quality recordings that can be accessed outside of the scene. After all, when a scene gets noticed or named it is by definition done so from outside and usually by the main hub.

If you were based in Beijing and were asked to comment on the Shanghai scene what would you say - as a kind of defining soundbite? Well, now they have those five CDs to get excited about and here's the thing. Muscle Snog, Eight Eye Spy and Boojii all went to Beijing to record - these are the bands getting signed up by the main hub. So think about it.

Perhaps this time next year Self Party and LOS may sell out a show at Yugong Yishan, full of fans eager to see a 'Shanghai sound' Miniless act.

So, with the Pet Conspiracy gig tomorrow at Mao all eyes were on their daring new back to nature photo shoot - as reported by our man Jake here. I then followed up by reporting on previous avant garde antics by Shanghai's own Torturing Nurse here.