A few bits of news for people who care about the (sub / counter) culture music and clubbing scenes in Shanghai and beyond. We told you a little while back about the new On Stage. LOFAS ("Life of Fun and Sustainability") opened last weekend with some local bands performing. They're back this weekend with... some trap DJs. Hmmm. Meanwhile, the new Yuyintang Park is opening on Friday.

*** Opening this Friday, Yuyintang Park is right at the entrance to Zhongshan Park (hence the name) at 1398 Yuyuan Lu. It's one floor below ground level in a mall-ish building that is also housing a new Homeslice, a new gym, a co-working space, and a few coffee shops and things. Said building used to be the Best Buy retail electronic chain back in the day. Which is amusing that it now houses a Yuyintang. This is not usually the direction these things go. In terms of size, it's bigger than the old Yuyintang, and long and rectangular in shape. Overall capacity is 70-100 people or so more than original recipe Yuyintang. They've gone all out on sound system and stage, which are both massive. Should be a great place for bands to play. Huge stage with a fancy LED screen backdrop. They've got two shows this month, and then they're going to shut it back up again and finish the fine details on it. They might be back open for World Cup screenings on the LED screen they've got, but more concerts are unlikely until August or so. Hit up one or both of these if you want a preview before YYT Park launches in earnest at the end of the summer. * New Noise is very proud to present a China tour for Sin Fang, Sóley and Örvar Smárason of múm and FM Belfast presenting their collaborative album “Team Dreams”. These three acclaimed Icelandic musicians will play special solo sets and end these shows together by playing the Team Dreams album, which combines their individual strengths, blends folk sensibilities with futuristic pop beats. It’s an emotive ocean of sound, melodies and miniature stories that gently washes over you. And it’s easily one of the best albums the three Reykjavík artists have been involved in. 120rmb at the door. 100rmb pre-sales. “Bold, unsympathetic and brutally effective.” – NME “One of the best …a punishing, noisy, exhilarating thing” – The New Yorker “They sound pissed off, which I fuckin’ like” – Liam Gallagher. METZ are punk rock incarnate, as those who were there for their last China shows know too well. They are an empathic but artful hammer swing to the status quo. Pure yet intricately arranged redline chaos. Their music is uninhibited and urgent, a kind of sonic venting, a truculent social commentary that bludgeons and provokes, excites and unsettles. It’s important noise. They're playing he new Yuyintang Park w/ Ugly Girls on support. 120rmb pre-sale; 140rmb door. 9pm. *** From the makers of LEGENDARY underground dance club The Shelter -- "legendary" like it's immortalized in lute songs and tales of its valor are passed down generations -- comes to us ALL, celebrating their one-year anniversary this Saturday night. It's been a bit of a winding road for the alt club, which was dealing with noise issues for much of it's run, resulting in a compacted dance floor area. (Which I think is actually quite a bit neater than the original.) As a champion for emerging electronic music coming from Shanghai producers, not to mention as a space for local and international queer artists to perform, the club is more RLVNT than ever. Saturday night sees basically all their regular DJs doing back-to-back sets. If you're a regular you know already. If you're new and looking for the cutting edge shiz in Shanghai, it's only there. Saturday night. ALL. Side note, I'm going to do a coffee table book of photography featuring the club kidz that hang out at ALL and all their zany fashions called wALLflowers -- NOBODY STEAL THIS IDEA. * Local superstars on decks for All's one-year anniversary. Live performances from 33EMBYW and Osheyack, and B@B sets from Downstate versus Khemist; Illsee versus Hymn; MIIN versus Howell; Scinti versus Gouachi; and Swimful versus Zean. 80rmb at the door. Starts 10pm. *** Record label news from Beijing. After, what, like several years now of talking about it, Maybe Noise, the experimental / electronica offshoot label from indie label Maybe Mars is finally launching. They say:

Though the label has existed for several years as a work in progress among its two co-founders, Zhang Shouwang (Carsick Cars, White+) and Yan Yulong (Chui Wan), Maybe Noise will officially launch on the afternoon of Saturday May 26, 2018 at Magnet Theater with a performance supporting its first vinyl release: Píng Zè, a duo composition by Zhang and Yan. Maybe Noise’s second vinyl release, Chui Wan at the Museum, will be available next month.

Interesting activity then, from our nation's capital. Which is a cheerful and happy place, and should inspire lots of soothing and serene noise releases on this label for years to come. Some new music to look out for if you're into it. ***