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[Music Monday]: Shanghai Shoegaze

Recently reunited indie band Slowdive comes to Shanghai this Saturday and Music Monday has trax to get you in that dreampop mood.
Last updated: 2015-11-09
Music Monday is a weekly SmartShanghai column, serving up songs from bands living and making music in China (or coming to China, or thinking about coming to China, or whatever). Copyright holders: if you would like your song removed, please contact us here, and we'll honor your request promptly.



Greetings sweaty Shanghai. Hopefully everyone has dried off from all those pool parties over the weekend and is ready to get down to the business of rock. While you were taking poolside body shots off that study abroad student you met at Perry’s bar, I was crammed in a dark room watching the Pulp & Mac Demarco documentaries presented by Chinese music website Wooozy.cn. Over 100 local kids willfully chose to spend their sunny Saturday afternoon indoors in praise of indie rock star Jarvis Cocker and those other Pulp guys. The pale-skinned, Converse wearing music enthusiasts of China can rejoice, for this Saturday one of the biggest names in indie rock Slowdive is coming to the QSW Culture Centre. Slowdive are in the middle of a reunion tour and playing Japan’s famed Fuji Rock festival next week, and today I’m sharing songs from these dreampop pioneers to get you ready for Saturday’s big show.



America in the early 90’s was dominated by the grunge sounds of Nirvana and Pearl Jam slam dancing their way into the hearts of angst ridden teens, but in the UK one of the strongest scenes was dreampop, also known as shoegaze. Some say the term shoegaze comes from the fact that this new shy breed of rockers mostly stared down at their shoes while performing live. Slowdive was formed in ’89 and took influences from classic bands like My Bloody Valentine along with other 80’s acts like Cocteau Twins and the Cure.

Formed from the ashes of two high school bands in their home town of Reading, England friends Rachel Goswell and Neil Halstead started playing together in college. After just a couple shows the Creation Records head Alan McGee took notice of those fresh faces still in their teens. Creation was probably the most influential rock label of the late 80’s and early 90’s, with bands like Jesus and Mary Chain and Guided by Voices. Check out this sweet MTV 120 Minutes version of the Slowdive song "Allison" along with another mellow anthem "When the Sun Hits".

Slowdive – "Allison"


Slowdive - "When the Sun Hits"




Hailed as the "the scene that celebrates itself", shoegaze bands support each other at shows rather than feeding into rock rivalries. Slowdive could be found hanging out with other label mates like Curve, Ride, and Moose on a regular basis. After a couple well-received EP’s the band moved into a more atmospheric sound with their first full-length album and many critics abandoned the Creation indie darlings. The second album Souvlaki was helped out by synth legend Brian Eno and the band seemed to tighten up and won back many of the critics. However, the huge success of fellow label mates Oasis and their more conventional rock format took most of the spotlight away from shoegaze bands. Creation dropped them in 1995 and they disbanded shortly after.

When asked about the reunion almost 20 years later, founding member Neil Halstead said that the band might make a new record and thinks they should first play some live shows to get the creative juices going. They're currently playing large festivals in a different country almost every day, like Radar festival in Padua, Italy last Wednesday then Latitude festival in the UK on Thursday. Shanghai is lucky to see the kids back together in the more intimate environment of QSW this Saturday. Now let’s check out my favorite song "Souvlaki Space Station", which showcases the band's move into a more ambient sound.

Slowdive – "Souvlaki Space Station"


Slowdive - "Crazy for You"


While many times these reunion tours can tarnish the idealized vision we have of bands that were active more than 20 years ago, the subdued style of Slowdive should allow them to pick up were they left off without any loss. It’s not the cheapest show, with tickets going for 280RMB presale and 360RMB at the door, but it's a once in a lifetime gig so dig deep in those pockets Shanghai and let’s all stare at the floor together on Saturday night.

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This column is written by DJ Sacco, who runs Uptown Records, Shanghai's dedicated vinyl shop. Ironically, they don't sell Mp3s or dabble in anything digital, instead they have 7" and 12", EPs and LPs from rock to electronic, rare pressings, DJ equipment and band merchandise. Find them in an old bomb shelter at 115 Pingwu Lu.

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