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Yuyintang Comes Home

New Digs for Shanghai Concert Promoters, Yuyintang - By Morgan, Aug 20, 07

The latest stop of the Yuyintang promoters' nomadic journey around Shanghai has them shacked up in a house at No. 1731 Ya’an Xi Lu. It's not a bar, it's not a factory, it's not even a warehouse - - the venue is literally a house sandwiched between the Ya'an Xi Lu station (Line 3) and Tian Shan Park. I rang the buzzer on a wooden gate and was let in by one of the spiky-haired sound guys. We walked up a short path through a little front yard and through a glass-walled foyer. Beyond the foyer in what should be the living room, the familiar staples of the old Yuyintang Warehouse had been installed: the blown up band photos circa 2005, the singed wall, the marshal amps, the beat up, maroon Pearl drums, the old logo and poster, a little stage and Zhang Hai Sheng behind the soundboard. The first thing that popped into my mind was, ‘including bands, they can fit maybe 17 people in here.' According to Zhang Hai Sheng, the actual capacity is "maybe one hundred." I didn't even bother asking if they had a performance license.

"We started out three years ago with a practice space for bands to come practice in. Then we got a bigger one [the Yuyintang Warehouse] and it was big enough to have people come see the bands. Now, three years later we are back to a practice space again."

The Yuyintang Warehouse at Longcao Lu was shut down last May in the midst of a concert by Beijing skate punk band Brain Failure. The Culture Bureau sees rock and punk music as threatening to a stable society, says Zhang Hai Sheng with a laugh. Brain Failure (who are apparently China's Marilyn Manson) were shut down again the very next night in Hongzhou. As for the polar opposite reception live music has in Beijing, Zhang Hai Sheng argues that the cultures of north and south China are very dissimilar and that rock music has been around for a long time in north China. He argues that many members of the police or local government may have been in college bands themselves at one time, and thus they are more open about live punk music. "And they've had Cui Jian," says Zhang Hai Sheng.

When asked about why large dance clubs with DJ performances are permitted in Shanghai, Zhang Hai Sheng mentions "guanxi" and argues that the authorities don't see the two in the same light. At dance clubs the kids are dancing rather than slam dancing, "and they don't have singers."

Touring the house with Zhang Hai Sheng, it's hard not to get excited about the place with him, despite that, due to its size (not to mention its illegality), the location is obviously less than ideal for live concerts. His optimism borders on pathological, and as he talked about turning a pair of rooms into a recording studio (currently the rooms are home to the YYT’s stage lighting equipment), knocking down two walls in the living room to make the performance area bigger, and installing a public computer so bands could come and download music, I couldn't help but be won over to the new concept that necessity has thrust upon Yuyintang.

Basically, with the Ya'an venue, Yuyintang is hoping to offer more of a salon for new local bands rather than a new live concert venue for established out of town acts. Zhang Hai Sheng mentions that the extent of the shows at this location would be limited to member-only affairs where new bands would come to practice and then play to their friends. He also talked about having BBQs in the park out back and even having bands over to play soccer. Apparently, the Mortal Fools, the singer from Chaos Mind and the Fuck n' Rolls were over last week for some footie. They also have a movie screen to show music DVDs. As of right now, all the Yuyintang's gear has been moved into the house and it looks like someone's parents went away for the weekend and they're planning for the high school party of the year. I kept looking out the window outside to see if anyone was dropping off beer kegs.

It was right then, whilst lazily dreaming about beer kegs, that I really began to look beyond the size of the place to its potential, thinking back to high school house parties from home where a shitty band would set up in the basement and someone with a fake ID would fill the house with as much beer as possible. The location right on the park is great for lounging around outside in the afternoon, playing soccer, having a BBQ, drinking a few beers and watching your friend's band. Zhang Hai Sheng says that in the next few months they'll do exactly that. The laid-back, local emphasis of the shows will be a welcome addition to Shanghai's live music options, great for live music fans and bands to just hang out and have a good time.

Apart from the new salon-type venue, YYT is also still doing the odd (legal) show at The Dream Factory and working on some larger festivals in the next few months. On September 6, they are bringing in Flare (from Norway), along with a few local bands at the Shanghai Zendai MoMA. On October 3rd, they are hosting a Metal concert at the Zhongshan Park with other Scandinavian (hair) Metal bands. As for the Ya'an venue, check back on the Yuyintang's new website for "concerts" (or BBQs or soccer matches) and for information about how to become a YYT member.

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