The Rock n’ Roll Hallucination Music Festival returns with an uproarious lineup of rock and roll at its rawest and most volatile at Modernsky Lab. Leading the charge are art punk ruffians Dirty Fingers, who continue to lean into the bold, gruff, and neurotic chaos that kickstarted their careers - a swirl of rebellious garage rock, sweeping rhythmic highs, and aggressive, fast-paced rock and roll at its rawest. Joining them are Guangzhou’s Red Haired Teenage Murder Case, who meanwhile take a sledgehammer to the catchy, melancholic alternative rock that wormed its way into listeners' hearts in the '90s, bringing hardcore punk riffs, visceral walls of noise, and a taut, anxious vivacity to their sound. If that wasn’t enough, you’ve got Hangzhou-based musician Cai Lanbing - a classically trained pianist whose tastes have branched into jazz, electronica, and more avant-garde peculiarities over the years; Shanghai’s handycam has become one of the scene’s hottest new acts - art rock equal parts abrasive and beguiling - injected with experimental alt rock grit, jazzy prog rock finesse, and avant-pop charisma; and Suzhou’s blues-licking garage rockers Permanent Trio - whose rhythmically tight jams pay homage to the classics while forging their own path. Truly the only game in town - and one of the best lineups Shanghai has seen in some time.

For those of you keeping track, Yuyintown has three levels of showcases just about every week. You’ve got your YYT Channels series - which often invites out-of-town bands to perform and have their performances recorded. There’s the New Face series - which puts greater emphasis on the city's budding local talent - a chance to cut their teeth and gain some stage experience. And then there’s the No Stage series - which is a bit more loose in its structure - but essentially allows freshly-baked bands to perform in a more intimate setting (sans the stage). These are free of charge - the perfect excuse to pop over to C-Park without any pressure. Tonight the Open Stage unfolds in Basement - with The Verse - the funk groovers led by Huang Bo, who will be debuting their new six-piece, female-loaded lineup - ‘a soul train that never will stop’. Sounds like a good time.

Episode 35 of the Yuyintang Channel series continues to spotlight emerging (or unsung) bands over at their Basement space - and tonight’s got an eclectic spread of HEAVY rock and roll with three original bands. You’ve got Nanjing’s Lynching Sinner, Shanghai’s Lan Band, and Hangzhou’s The Dark Tide - a hard-hitting mix of hard rock, metalcore, and traditional Chinese-influenced heavy metal - a head-on collision ranging from blues-rooted old-school rock to ferocious, direct growls and heavy distortion. Righteous.

FREAK OUT returns to the experimental music hub with a truly ‘punk-cyber-cumbia’ from BRASIL and MEXICO. Special guests are ATAQUE TROPICAL - the combustible Brasil Latin American dancefloor, created by Sebastián Pilas. Born in Mexico and raised in Brazil, Sebastian’s set is a rhythmic ecosystem of cumbia, reggaeton, perreo, tecnomelody, ax, funk, ska, and more, creating a cathartic experience of dance and sweat - ‘the curation of a researcher applied to the maximum voltage of the dance floor’. Joining is Ella Wang Olsson aka xiexie3lla aka Haqin Almighty - a multidisciplinary artist from China and Sweden working with ritual, improv and presence within the club space. Rounding out the fun and audial mayhem is Xiao Wenyu, founder of a contemporary art project for social media - 冈昜Q音乐. For those who can’t swing a Sunday afternoon, ATAQUE TROPICAL will also be throwing down Friday, October 9th at OKOK.

Botanicas is a drone and ambient music artist based in Cape Town, South Africa, who works at the intersection of ecological systems and sound perception. Part of the Sonic Exploration Network South Africa, he will bring some musical instruments and make some ambient music using feedback from plants and creatures. Using real-time plant data, such as tiny fluctuations in biological rhythms and changes in conductivity, the artist designed customized musical instruments that transform these organic life processes into immersive and evolving soundscapes. Sounds like the perfect weekend comedown.