The Agenda takes a sweeping look at the next month in Shanghai and selects the big events in the respective categories of dining, music, art, and more, more, more. Here’s your socio-culture calendar for the next month in Shanghai.




Last month, we announced that Brad Turley was opening Hai. Well, here we are at the cusp of October and still no word. Our guess, once again, is that it'll open "in the next few weeks." Bear with him. It'll happen... eventually. Rumors have been floating around that Paul Pairet's new project Ultra Violet might open in the coming month too. But, at the same time, we've heard from a reliable source that Pairet and Co. have been suffering some setbacks, mainly having to hire a new design firm for the dining room. So, maybe don’t hold your breath on that one…

One opening we are pretty sure about, though, is X Bistro. This is ye olde pirate ship Rhumerie Bounty charting a different course with a restaurant upstairs from Chicha in the Sinan Mansions. This was about all we could wheedle out of the employee we were having beers with in a nearby bar. Apparently, they don't want us to know much more at the moment either because their PR officer stonewalled us when we asked too many questions. Anyway, they seemed pretty confident of a mid month opening.

And also: Everyone likes a good deal. Here’s two to watch out for in October: Pelham's restaurant in the Waldorf Astoria (pictured) is doing 'shrooms for the entire month of October. Fall is prime season and they've created a tasting menu featuring various funghi like porcinis, autumn morels, chantrelles, and more. That'll set you back 1,058rmb plus the requisite hotel 15 percent per person. If you can't commit to all that, a la carte options are available too.

October also marks the third year in a row that Napa Wine Bar & Kitchen has received Wine Spectator Magazine's "Award of Excellence." To celebrate, they're serving a tasting menu all month long with dishes like "braised veal shank with black truffle, pommes puree, sweet beans, bone marrow and merlot reduction" and "pigeon breast with artichoke and pumpkin puree." Sounds pretty tasty. Dinner is 520rmb per person. Pair each course with 90+ rated wine and it's 990rmb.




From its humble beginnings in Fuxing Park seven years ago to its sprawling, expansive, multi-stage, multi-venue manifestation this October, the JZ International Music Festival is a yearly highlight of Shanghai’s musical calendar because… well, music, fun, food, drink, jazz hands, hanging out -- all very plentiful at this thing.

This year, JZ International Music Festival is a week of nightly concerts at the Shanghai Center Theater, topped off by two full days of outdoor music running from 12pm to 11pm on Saturday, October 15 and Sunday, October 16. Music starts at jazz but spins out to include blues, rock, folk, international traditional genres, and electronic DJ dancey, dance stuff. Highlight artists include Roy Ayers (pictured), Tower of Power, Jojo Mayer, and McCoy Tyner.

A family-friendly event, the JZ Festival is a very home-grown, celebration of Shanghai sort of thing, with your favorite local jazz acts sharing the big stage with the aforementioned international performers. All in all, it’s more than 100 bands performing on 6 stages, comprising the largest musical event for the year in Shanghai, and drawing the biggest crowds in attendance. Everybody goes to this thing.

So yeah, there are two components to the 2011 JZ Music Festival Shanghai, with separate ticketing for each: a weekend-long, multi-stage outdoor festival concert at the Expo Garden Park (again, that's on Saturday, October 15 and Sunday, October 16), and a nightly in-door series of concerts at Shanghai Center Theater from October 15 to October 23. Click on those links to be redirected to the SmartTicket ordering page.

Please note: those two-day passes -- those sell out, so order sooner rather than later if you want both barrels of the JZ Festival.

And also: Oh yes, the Asia Metal Festival 2011 @ Mao Livehouse on October 15 -- fukin’ metal, brah, all day long from 2pm in the afternoon until 1am or so -- super sweet. One stage, twelve Chinese metal bands, 'nuff said. Three cheers for Satan. You need this.

Kill, kill, kill the poor: On October 29 is the yearly Halloween Tribute Show @ Yuyintang -- local bands dressing up and staging sets of Metallica, Dead Kennedys, and Velvet Underground. A full night of taking it way, way, too seriously on Halloween (sort of).




Coming in just about a year after he rammed out (the old) Mao Livehouse, German cronk and ooonse DJ/producer, Boys Noize returns to Shanghai on October 28. Specifically, he’s playing at this new place called “Shanhai”, which is a new live music venue managed by a former manager/booker at Mao Livehouse, Leizi (you may also know him from his bands, Pink Berry, Top Floor Circus, and Sonnet) and the S.T.D. local promoting junta. Yes, it’s called “Shanghai” without the g -- "Shanhai". We’ll have more awesome information about it later this week...

Anyways, if you bleed neon, and judging by the massive crowd in attendance at the show last year, quite a few of you do, don’t miss out on Boys Noize 2: Electric Boogaloo down at Shanhai. The three-years-in-a-row-Best-Electronic-Artist-on-Beatport has got a promotional video out hyping up his impending China shows -- click here for that. Story line for the video is basically, “hey wassup, I’m that dude Boys Noize and I rock the party.”

Pre-sales are 180rmb available on SmartTicket later on-ish. So. Convienient.

And also: Busy month at The Shelter as always but save the date for October 20, which is the return of Samiyam to Shanghai -- he of the Flying Lotus collabs, and Brainfeeder and Hyperdub releases. Expect more glitchy Rap Beats from his newest, “Sam Baker’s Album”. Catchy. Hosted by local DJ/producers Beat Conductorz (that’s Sig, Ceezy, and Hamacide these days), this one should be a highlight in October for the headz. Cover is only 40 beans, too. Nice 1.

At the other end of the spectrum, you've got the return of Above and Beyond to Shanghai at Richbaby on October 28. A perennial DJ Mag Top 100 trance group -- they’re at #5 this year, FYI -- A&B are back in town on the Asian leg of their Group Therapy World Tour. Sounds real good because remember, your favorite kind of music is trance and Richbaby is a great place to have a dance. We’re still waiting on ticket prices for A&B -- check back in a few weeks. Early estimate: anywhere from free to 4 million rmb.




Pretty excited for this one. Canadian novelist, writer, Roots Canada designer (what?), general opinion haver on modern society and things, Douglas Coupland -- author of “Generation X”, Life After God", Shampoo Planet”, “Microserfs”, “Eleanor Rigby” and more -- is showing work down at Art Labor 2.0 in a group exhibition running from October 16 to November 18. That’s one of his pieces there, entitled “Live Long and Prosper”. Looks like the famed writer is standing on the shoulders of both Mondrian and Spock there -- two worthy space aliens indeed.

Coupland is part of a group show, highlighting works from the “Vancouver School” -- a collection of west coast artists dealing with themes of contemporaneity, locality, self-consciousness in culture and art, and the modern flux of Van city living. It gets flux-y out there on the west coast.

The catch-all title is "By Sea, Land & Air, We Prosper - New Art from Vancouver, Canada”, curated by Germaine Koh and Ian Verchere. In addition to Coupland, also showing is Germaine Koh, Arabella Campbell, Kevin Schmidt, and Brendan Tang.

Yeah, “new art” but like… can anything TRULY be “new”?

Ka-boom. Don’t steal that line. I’m using it at the opening. Gang busters. You say something aggravating about Marshall McLuhan.

On Getting In: This exhibition is viewable by appointment only. Specifically -- or shall we say, legally -- this is a private event and you have to contact them in advance if you want to pay a visit. There’s no entry fee and anyone can go as long as you tell them first. Contact them at 3460 5331 or info@artlaborclub.com to let them know you’re coming.

Great start to year six in Shanghai for Art Labor, though. And yeah, until October 10, stop by and have a look at Art Labor’s current exhibition, which is them looking back on five years of slinging paint in Shanghai with pieces from Chen Hangfeng, Ren Zhitian, Davida Kidd, Ying Yefu, Vladimir Dubko, and more.

And also: Shanghai is still buzzing with post-coital glow from last month’s SHContemprary and exhibitions timed to coincide with that are still ongoing. October is a good month to wander around Moganshan up there and others to have a look at what’s what.




Stage highlight this month is local theatre group, East West Theatre putting on a two-for-one night of modernist works, showcasing two short pieces at Downstream Garage, between October 13 and 16: Edward Albee’s “The Zoo Story” and Harold Pinter’s “The Dumb Waiter”. Some famous and amusing works of “gah, modern life is so crushing and alienating” right there, as if ripped from a drama program syllabus, performed and staged by talents culled from the Shanghai community.

So there you go. A fine evening of two absurdist classics and Shanghai’s number one event to shoe-horn this opener into a conversation: “Well, as Eslin pointed out in his seminal Theatre of the Absurd…”

So that’s running at Downstream Garage from October 13 to 16. Legalities necessitate a by-donation-only entrance, but we’ll throw this number out there as a suggestion: 100rmb. Nice round sum.

Showtime is between 8pm. Contact them at east.west.info@gmail.com for more info.

Pictured there is Harold Pinter, FYI. Is he ruminating on the incurable disease of destiny or has stepped in something unpleasant? You decide!




Tennis fever! Contract it! The Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai returns, from October 8 to October 16 with the world’s bestest of the best singles and doubles players, getting together, playing some tennis, and figuring out who’s number one at it. All your favorite tennis stars vying for top honors -- Novak Djokovic, Rafeal Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, and the other top 100 players from around the world.

Well, actually, maybe not. Some bad news: Federer is out and it looks like Djokovic might not make it either. Bummer.

But Nadal definitely -- saw him in a taxi cab video looking like a pleasant and affable blank slate on which we ordinary people, the masses of humanity, might inscribe our own hopes, dreams, and personal visions of triumph. Sports!

And yes, of course, you know, this highlight event of the men's professional tournament season, which everyone seems to enjoy quite a bit, takes place at the state-of-the-art Qi Zhong Tennis Center, Asia's biggest tennis facility at 15,000-seats and… blah, blah, blah.

In our words: buttloads of tennis playing from October 8 to October 16. Getcher tickets here.

And also: Rugby World Cup is nearing crunch time -- finals are on Sunday, October 23. Check back on SmartShanghai later on in the month and we’ll have a nice little round-up of venues doing special deals and things.

It’s what the people demand: the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, cheap piss to wash it down.

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