Sugary sweet power pop with shiny synths, earworm guitar melodies, and silky featherlike vocals - Sobs have become one of the most sought after indie acts to emerge from Singapore since their formation in 2017. Led with bright guitars and full upbeat instrumentals, Sobs’ music teeters with the fizz of indie pop - perfectly calibrating ‘inventive pop hooks for the indie rock lover, instantly accessible yet intricately arranged… drawing a line through the history of pop stylistics from 80s new wave and 90s power-pop to 00s sk8er punk and radio pop. Potent stuff that’ll have you basking in its afterglow - the band is touring China for the first time.
Suzhou’s Yinmachi have been relying on their pastiche of post punk, cold wave, surf, and funk rock for years now, steadily building a diehard fanbase with their combustible live shows. The band isn’t afraid to spin the bottle sonically, relaying their vocal duties to its drummer, and throwing listeners into the deep end - but their true strength lies in how much raw visceral energy they’re able to wing from their instruments. Injecting their sound with propulsive allure, chugging guitars, infectious zeal, and an old school punk magnetism - the latter of which adds a bolt of riotous fun into the band’s taut instrumentation, not afraid to shift into surf rock overdrive should the mood strike. The band is fresh off their debut LP and is hitting the road - catch them at Yuyintown Cube.
Math rock seeped in a vat of bubblegum flavored indie pop, emo rock, future pop, and more - Guangdong’s YouCeHeLiu are one of the more distinctive acts to emerge in the indie scene. A foamy, fizzy soda pop of mesmerizing loops, expressive, dynamic, and sophisticated instrumentation - all anchored by Li Jiahong’s voice, which really does wonders - calm, collected, and delicately poised - adding an air of ethereality to the wanderlust. Wildly dexterous, richly intricate, and above all fun - the band is on tour in support of their elastic and endlessly delightful EP Spring is Late. Opening from them are Shanghai’s own emo songsmiths wish you could swim - who find tenderness and vitality in its rhythmically invigorating math rock instrumentation and twinkly emo aesthetics.
A celebration of our pagan spirits and heavy metal that’s unlikely to be forgotten - the Spring Folk Metal has it all! Elvenking - from Italy - who forge ‘a potent magic stronger than ever by evoking the essence of heavy metal, pagan metal, folk and melodic death metal’. Valhalore, a symphonic folk metal band from Brisbane, Australia - not afraid to lean into the beauty of their wind instruments. The Heathen Scÿthe, a revolutionary force in the Brazilian metal scene, invites listeners to immerse themselves in a world of occultism, paganism, and ancient traditions. And representing China will be old school metal act Dawn in Night and death metal act EmbersArise. You know you wanna.
Pop punk in all its glory tonight at Mosh Space in Yangpu with bands dedicated to bringing the goods, including Shanghai veterans Taco Tuesday, whose upbeat, frenzied pop punk keeps the energy high and the good times rolling. They’re joined by Never Say Never - the newly formed pop-rock emo act that’s not afraid to lean into the bombast, as well as Beijing-raised popcore ruffians Help Friends! - who blend the joyful and healing melodies of pop-punk with aggressive metal-core Breakdowns and hardcore screams. Should make for a fun one.
Five months later, Finnish composer and experimental musician Antti Tolvi returns to Shanghai. A sound artist, composer, and performer, Antti has been one of the most important names in the field of experimental music scene in Finland since 2002, with over 400 shows on three continents. Freedom, peace, gratitude, and minimalist aesthetics are often reflected in Antti’s works, which combine sound, light, wind, water, bodily sensations, and living visual elements. Having just completed a tour of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, he's heading to Wuhan for a residency, and then ending his trip at none other than the Ming Room. Support from fellow experimental sound artist Yu.
