Sonic Revolution - a festival highlighting some of the freshest, most combustible sounds from a new generation of indie rockers - beefs up for its third edition at Yangpu’s Mosh Space, rolling out the carpet over three nights for fifteen bands - a rollicking mix of emo, shoegaze, pop punk, grunge, and more - red-bloodied rock and roll at its most cathartic. Night one acts as premier with freshly minted jangly math rock emo kids lastwejust…, garage rockers Car Car Cars, and emo rock veterans 1000 Failures - all followed by a DJ after party courtesy of SpiceSoup. Day two brings the angst and cutthroat vitality with beloved Chengdu alt rock outfit RiotinSchool, local twinkle emo outfit dinner in haze, psych garage rock scrappers The Farmers, out of Hangzhou, recent Guangzhou emo torch bearers Midwest Mahjong Emo, evocative indie act falling nana, and Hangzhou’s yooha! making their Shanghai debut. Day three closes out nicely with acts like Wuhan emo rockers Silly Function and Nanjing shoegaze act MilkGuard, alongside up and coming acts like Used to be Sad and if we could stay, as well as pop punk favorites like Hello Franky from Zhengzhou and Tiny Time from Shanghai. If you’re at all curious about the new generation of rockers steering the underground music scene here in China - look no further.
Chengdu’s The Hormones’ robust blend of gritty dance punk and magnetic indietronica has a knack for tightly wound tunes that slap, taking cues from bands such as Savages, Foals, and Toe. Recently, they’ve been flouting a more stripped-down sound, one relying on the crunch and punch of its instruments rather than what’s going on in the rear - capturing the grit, heart, and pull of their earlier work, yet in turn allows its lyrics and vocals to shine more brightly. The band is on the road with their latest nationwide tour. Support comes in the form of rising indie electronic artist Shii.
Funk, R&B, J-pop, and jazz fusion - tonight’s offering at Yuyintown Basement is for those who are itching for unadulterated urban pop music with three of the best in the genre. Full on funk rock that’s both nerdy and effortlessly cool, XChome joins funk R&B hit makers Rose Island, and Shark CLUB - who concoct a bubbly brew of J-pop, funk, disco, R&B, and jazz fusion. Expect a woozy, playful good time.
An onslaught of the rock and metal scene’s most nefarious and defiant characters - head over to Cave Art Venue to check out a new generation of hard-hitting, mischievous noise makers - a sludgy swirl of grindcore, death metal, gore grind, and alternative idol music. Leading the way are Beijing’s landmark grindcore act Rectal Wench - always ready for a deplorable good time. Meanwhile, San Jose, California-based Houkago Grind Time – the solo mincecore/goregrind act of Andrew Lee brings the anime samples with super-fast Blast Beats alongside Taipei goregrind band Myxoma, fresh off their tours of the US and UK. Rounding out the night are alternative idol group X-EobiontX.
The 22nd episode of the Yuyintang Channel series continues to unearth new exciting sounds over at Yuyintown Basement with a special lineup leaning heavily into post-rock territory. On the docket you’ve got evocative Ningbo instrumental rock act crymeans, the lyrically-rich and tender A Deteriorating Stance, as well as the more gothic and baroque Farina - both out of Beijing. Always a great way to discover new sounds from across China, YYT Channel is one of the scene’s best.
Yuyintown is slowly unlocking its true potential - combining its two neighboring venues into a massive block party of sorts - Mighty Morphing Power Rangers style! With both Cube and Basement holding concurrent riotous parties - with killer lineups - hop from one spot back to the other, indulging in some of the underground scene’s most righteous characters. Henan noise rockers The Columbian Cola Ltd., one of the most fiercely original and unhinged acts, return to throw listeners into the deep end of delirium with their infectious cock-eyed swirl of surf rock, psychedelic, garage rock, shoegaze, and lo-fi noise pop. They essentially weaponize noise pop (and to a degree shoegaze) against listeners - turning a catchy, jangle-filled melody into an assault on the ears. They’ll join roguish Hangzhou punk rock favorites Strike Xiaoming Again and Again, and alt-rockers Nemassle from Hefei, who sway between anthemic dance punk and tender emo-laced jams. Meanwhile, Basement will host Nanjing dream pop outfit Soft Pink, woozy Shanghai indie pop bangers Palette, and one of my favorite new acts this year - Handycam - with their rustic, nervy art rock sound. This is Yuyintown firing on all cylinders. Bask in it.
