Results tagged “triple smash” from Andy Best

Triple Smash and FAF live @ Yuyintang

By
Andy Best
on January 10, 2010 12:21 AM |
faf dingding
Pictured: FAF singer Ding Ding 小丁丁

So, tonight was the first night of a three night run of great gigs at Yuyintang, starting with the last show of Triple Smash's China tour, continuing with Beijing sensation Bigger Bang (plus veterans TooKoo) and ending with Candian indie-folk act Great Lake Swimmers.

Phew.

So, reasonable turn out for Triple Smash, whose members are well known on the scene and well liked too. But, mingling before the show I heard that people were also there to see support act Forget and Forgive. 

The night started with J-pop cover band Wildcat who, errm, played some J-pop covers.

Next up was Forget and Forgive whose excellent catchy emo songs Escape and Parasite are rocketing about Douban right now and earning big buzz. The songs sounded good live and there were enough people ... and they finally got the reaction they deserved with the crowd going for it for the first time. Nice.

Triple Smash are are post-rock band with emphasis on the rock. They played tight and with energy but this is listen-to music rather than pogo music. Their instrumental songs follow the post rock template of lull, swell, crescendo and lull but guitarist Li Xing gives it bite. They have come back from their first mini tour of southern Chinese cities a much more honed live act and everyone enjoyed the set. Try to pick up their excellent EP, When The Light Goes Off.

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Indiechina showcase @ Yuyintang

By
Andy Best
on July 5, 2009 9:02 PM |
indiechina
July the 4th. One of the most high profile sick-inducing nationalist events in the world but luckily I managed to find a place where it was not mentioned even once by venue, staff, patrons or bands. Hooray. 

So tonight was an intriguing showcase night hosted by the website indiechina.com. I was quite confused at first as it features post-rock and experimental acts and we had that excellent Miniless showcase just a few days back. The main local bands on the bill played the previous show and the whole thing seemed like a cut-price repeat of the Miniless gig ... except it was 50 RMB to get in. 

The main attractions for the night were going to  be a first proper full set from Triple Smash (not on the flyer there) and the chance to check out the Australian carnival tunes/alternative rock act Grace Before Meals.

I turned up as early as I could with my evil late schedule and couldn't see Boojii or Duck Fight Goose. I was, however, in time to see Triple Smash. Guitarist Jerry Li Xing leads the band and the tracks are all instrumental. Although they bill themselves as post-rock the music is a familiar blend of Li Xing's modern rock style that he first showcased with The Crazy Mushroom Brigade. They played a tight set but without any kind of significant atmospherics it comes across like rock without the singer. The bottom line is that anything Li Xing does has a  guarantee of quality and the crowd liked them a lot.

A great feature of the night was the use of Tian Shan Park out back of the venue, which they have now supplemented with a BBQ guy and seating. We chose to sprawl out on the grass and mosey on in to check out Grace Before Meals. Grace Before Meals are a surreal act who took a few songs to get going, mainly due to the average-indifferent sound that plagued the whole night. Not my thing but readers could follow the link and listen for themselves. 

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Zhong Chi's entire first album online

By
Andy Best
on June 17, 2009 8:03 PM |

zhong chi easyworldBefore Soma started their Indietop label and got into venue management they had Zhong Chi.

Sarah Zhong Chi is a protege of Soma head honcho Lao Yao and months before signing the new bands he wrote and produced her debut album Easyworld. Of course, they then were faced with the fact of there being no industry for the album to go into.

It is pop music that is inspired by ambient and trip-hop sounds with lyrics that focus on the environment. It's quite good, especially the title track. And now, it's available in its entirety on her Douban page - for listening, not downloading.

Check it out

Since forming Indietop, Soma have been promoting Zhong Chi again. When doing shows, she is backed by the rock trio Triple Smash. This band feature ex-Mushrooms guitarist Li Xing (Jerry Li) and David Chiang of Six Shot. This is a bit of a strange reversal for Soma as Lao Yao has taken most of their acts in a more commercial direction.

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Boojii live @ Yuyintang

By
Andy Best
on February 28, 2009 12:19 AM |
shan shan
Experimental night tonight at Yuyintang that featured several artists. Here was the line up:

Boojii
Triple Smash
Zhong Chi
Wildcat

Boojii, along with Muscle Snog, are at the forefront of Shanghai's experimental indie rock scene. They are the current band of '33' san san (pictured), who also fronted 33 Island. In a parallel universe China these people would be the centre of an infamous Warhol-esque avant garde scene and all of you who bang on about liking bands who are more unique and expressive should be down at the shows.

Boojii are soon, but not yet, to record. In the mean time try these:


Boojii played a great set and by the time the show was rolling there was a good turnout. I've got a clip, watch this space. Triple Smash are Zhong Chi's backing band and they split the set. At first they played three of their new post-rock instrumentals and then Zhong Chi came on to sing three more tracks. The music is recognizable to people who know guitarist Li Xing's earlier work with The Mushrooms. Finally, Wildcat came on to extend the night in a more conventional way, playing J-rock. 

Dan Shapiro was down to check out the bands and put out flyers for Rogue Transmission's upcoming show where they'll be playing new material. Also, the cat is out of the bag for the Hard Queen CD. Posters are up for an upcoming release party at YYT, more info very soon.

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