The end of Kunming Lu Live Bar

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4041764384_954d9dc326.jpgAfter more than a few ups and downs lately for Shanghai venues, it seems like another one is on its way out. Live Bar have published details of an event that they're calling 'The last live show on Kunming Lu'. No official reason is given for the closure of the old chemical factory on the event page, but word is that the building will be knocked down. Given the accelerating gentrification of the area in recent years, it's been clear for some time that the site's days were numbered. The plan is to move to a new venue, though no details of a new space have yet been released.

The last gig is scheduled for next Saturday 15 and will feature Runaway Snail, Ann, Five Pence and La La Ying, though more acts are expected to be added to the bill. It'll be 30 kuai and start at 9pm. If you've never been to the Kunming Lu Live Bar, this will be your last chance. 

Despite, or perhaps because of, its location out in Yangpu district, Live Bar has played an important role in the music scene here in the last few years. It has been one of the few venues that has allowed Torturing Nurse and the NOIShanghai collective to perform there on a regular basis, providing a space for their avant garde performances even when other venues turned them away. They have also been a good breaking ground for new bands, particularly student bands given its proximity to the old university district of the city.

I'll admit that my visits to Live Bar have been infrequent at best in the last couple of years, especially since Brad stopped working there and the better gigs dried up a bit, but I still hope that this is a move and not a closure. Live Bar might not be the most important space in Shanghai, but it still has a purpose and it'd be a shame to see them close down completely.

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2 Comments

Wow. That's huge. End of an era. I haven't been in a long time either, but Live Bar definitely had its moments... Roots for Shoots, Get in the Van... and they had the willingness to take a chance on a small up-and-coming band called...

Pirate Panties.

Goddamn those guys sucked.

Ain't that right, Ferguson?

What are you talking about, Morgan? Pirate Panties were awesome! I remember begging them to play at Shuffle, but they didn't want anything to do with the whole hipster laowai scene...they said they were trying to keep it real out in Yangpu. I ended up settling for some student band called the Wombats instead. With Live Bar closing, though, maybe we'll get more awesome Yangpu bands coming down to the 'ning.

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