Dirty Deeds: Done. Dirt. Cheap.
By Morgan Short, Nov 18th, 2008 | In Nightlife
Shanghai is knee-deep in awesome for good muzzak this weekend and you better get out there and enjoy it while you can. If previous years have been any indication, December and January is a big slowdown -- musicians take breaks, promoters go on vacation, venues slow down for the dead season, and bands "start working on the new album, man."
But this weekend! Whoa man! Fast times! All systems go!
Friday, Nov. 21
S.T.D. pres. Casino Demon + The Fire Balloon + The Rogue Transmission @ YYT
This will probably be the most straight ahead RnR show of the weekend, with two British-ey garage revivalist acts (read: The Arctic Monkeys) from Beijing playing along side local nipple erectors, The Rogue Transmission. Casino Demon are headlining the bill and are big-time enough to have an honest to god music video which you can check out right here. And here is their MySpace. And here is the MySpace for opening act The Fire Balloon, a newer band freshly signed to the BJ label Maybe Mars. Click here for the MySpace of locals The Rogue Transmission, who are heading to Nanjing next week for some more touring. You should go with them to show Nanjing people how Shanghai people floss. Read an older interview with The RT here.
Cover: 40rmb. Starts 9pm.
Saturday, Nov. 22
S.T.D. pres. New Pants + BCR + The Fire Balloon @ Zhijiang Dream Factory
China's answer to our lord Jesus Christ the New Pants (MySpace) are returning to Shanghai this Saturday for phase two of local promoters S.T.D.'s two-day extravaganza. New Pants are touring a new album, releasing a new music video, and debuting a short movie directed by the singer guy of the band. Whoa. Triple threat. Do they do sculpture as well? And that's all happening on Saturday. And then a free bus takes you to LOgO bar for a little after party Reggie worship.
Cover: 60rmb. Starts 8:30pm.
V Day + Hard Queen + Hanging Garden @ YYT
Two local acts join Nanjing's V Day for a night of Brit pop/indie rock this Saturday at Yuyintang. Check out V Day's MySpace page here. Hanging Garden is a local soft rock/indie rock act. They look a little despondent and forlorn in their press photos but are nonetheless very handsome. Local awesomeness Hard Queen (MySpace) rounds out the bill.
Where's this album Hard Queen? WTF.
Cover: 30rmb. Starts 9pm.
Moses Hazy + Arrows Made of Desire @ Live Bar
Moses Hazy (Finland) are described on their MySpace page as Rock/Funk/Roots, have white dudes with dreadlocks in the band, and list Pink Floyd as their key influence. That's three deal breakers for me, and if I didn't listen to any of their audio samples I'd think we were in for a night of this: *makes masturbation gesture*, instead of this: *makes rock n roll devil horns gesture*.
As luck would have it, they're also down with bands like the MC5, and do that 70's rock bounce kind of thing a la Thin Lizzy... and Foghat (sort of). So it's good times and should be real great to see live. They even won an award in Finland for best live band beating out other great Finish acts like... I don't know... Santa Claus?
Just kidding, Finland. They're joined on their China tour by Tag Team records band Arrows Made of Desire (MySpace), who do a bit more of a slow burn.
Cover: 40rmb. Starts 9:30pm.
Sunday, Nov 23
Moses Hazy (Finland)+ Arrows Made of Desire (BJ) @ YYT
If you missed them at Live Bar, Moses Hazy and Arrows Made of Desire are doing a Sunday night show at Yuyintang. That's real nice of them because there's a lot going on for Saturday. MySpace links are in the paragraph above.
It's Sunday yeah, but whatever, just go anyways. Hang out, listen to some music, have a few beers... good times.
Cover: 40rmb. Starts 9pm.
Upcoming:
Keep your ear to the ground for the return of the SUBS, Hedgehog, Hawaiian thrash band Corrupt Absolute (formerly 8mm Overdose), and The Molds ¨C lots of buzz about this last one because they remind anyone in their right mind of the Jesus and Mary Chain.
TONIGHT (Wednesday, Nov 18), Cold Fairyland is playing at the new Melting Pot on Hengshan. Go see them if you like things numinous and supernatural.
Seeing Cold Fairyland live reminds me of that bit in H.G. Wells' The Time Machine, where the time machine goes forward like 9 million years in 10 minutes and the earth erodes and changes and ten ice ages pass by. Just thought I'd share that.
Also, Anar Bar has a Wednesday night band called Magnetic, who do live dub and electronic stuff. Sounds interesting.
And last but not least, if you haven't heard by now, adorable Swede Jens Lekman will be in town performing his wistful tunes about break ups and drive-ins and stuff. It promises to be very precious. Here's the dates: Jens Lekman & Viktor Sjöberg China Tour 2008: December 3 @ JZ Club (Cover: 60 rmb); December 4 @ Glamour Bar (Cover: 100rmb + 1 free drink).
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