Australian hardcore crew Speed have been making waves in their scene for years - but 2024 saw them break through in a big way. Their debut album, Only One Mode, sent the band spinning around the globe with nonstop touring and earned them an ARIA Award (essentially the Australian equivalent of a Grammy). They then followed that up with headlining gigs as well as supporting Turnstile on a massive, genre-spanning tour. Waving the Sydney hardcore flag proudly, the band makes their China debut with some of our own, including Shanghai hardcore torchbearers No More Harm, adhering more closely to bands of the edge metal variety. Charting how humans have decimated the world around them, their music is set to raw, almost somber hardcore riffs and throat-throttling vocals that cut deep. Rounding out the evening are Shanghai sludge metal purveyors Conch, known for their grueling righteous soundscapes.
Punk rock finds a new home over at Yangpu’s Mosh Space tonight as a trio of riotous punk rockers takes the stage, including The Stirrers - Shanghai’s premier street punks. Decked out in Mohawks and patched-up denim, they are exactly what you’d expect - no frills, unadulterated punk that’s in it for the thrill. Joining them are Old Dolls - out of Nanjing - who make crisp, satisfying punk made with old school relish and righteous conviction; and Jiangwei old school ska-sniffing, reggae-teasing punk outfit A KISS.
The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band - the Thai act known for their furiously entertaining blend of traditional Thai music with modern influences make their way over to Shanghai tonight. Inspired by late-night jam sessions and collaborations with local and international artists, their unique fusion of Molam, a traditional music style from Isan (the northeastern part of Thailand), as well as funk, rock, electronic, and psychedelic music has garnered them international acclaim - pioneering an exciting musical landscape on their home turf in Bangkok as well as performing around the world. Led by DJ Maft Sai and featuring skilled instrumentalists, the band takes listeners on a sonic journey filled with infectious rhythms, soulful melodies, and electrifying stage presence - featuring a wide array of instruments including the phin (a kind of lute) and khaen (a mouth organ), giving the band its special flavour. Should make for a heck of a party.
The Summer Shape Music Festival - a ten-day-long indie music festival hosted by SJ Records -continues to roll out the red carpet for some of the indie scene’s finest, with tonight giving the spotlight to the country’s shoegaze and dream pop scene, with some truly captivating acts. You’ve got Guangzhou noise pop outfit Xiangxiang - full of spunk, musical chops, and power chords - whose wistful, fizzy exuberance in their brand of noise pop is infectious, brimming with a wide-eyed grin and an intrepid spirit. Also on the bill are the wonderful Milkguard from Nanjing - fresh off their debut LP - whose lush, transporting shoegaze sound is fine art; fellow Guangzhou shoegaze act Love Letter Lost, who find lush new details within its bittersweet melancholy; Beijing’s 2D Foil, not afraid to bring in traces of electronica; and Shanghai stalwarts RUBUR - happy in jumping headfirst into its turbulent walls of sound.
Let the bodies hit the floor over at C’s Bar - with an all-too-rare rock and roll rally happening there - featuring some of the metal and hardcore scene’s most visceral characters. On the menu, you’ve got hardcore ruffians HEADIVE, whose music is full of ferocious riffs and grooves that don’t let up. Also on hand, up-and-comers The Long Rain, and Soulitude, the metalcore outfit that will sadly be saying farewell at the end of the month. Mosh pit the night away in the catacombs of one of Shanghai’s gnarliest bars.
The Summer Shape continues to roll out the red carpet for some of the indie scene’s finest - with tonight giving the spotlight to the country’s resurging emo and noise rock scene - with special guests Midnight Ping-Pong, from Taiwan, whose upbeat, emotionally charged tunes relish in sun-soaked city pop ditties and guitar-heavy melodies with effortless enthusiasm. Joining the fun will be Zhengzhou’s wishtoday - torch bearers of the emo resurgence in China - whose jarring, sorrowful, reckless, sincere, naive, and exhilarating sets - a swirl of tones, emotions, and stylistic choices - have made them overnight sensations. Also - you’ve got Qingdao’s EmoCloud - who take a sledgehammer to our notion of emo, smashing it to smithereens, before tossing in synthesizers, breakbeat, hyperpop, lo-fi aesthetics, and screamo vocals, as well as Changsha’s More, who wear their Midwest emo with its heart on its sleeve, and Suzhou’s rawly theatrical and emotionally combustible Acid Room. Like a lot of Summer Shape’s showcases, this one is split between Yuyintown’s Cube and Basement.
Percussionist/multi-instrumentalist Howie Z and wind instrumentalist Titan Choi make up the HT Duo - two young musicians from the New School in New York, who gained wider recognition through their collaboration with Daniel Carter. They’ll bring a cutting-edge American improvisational style to trigger this afternoon with the help of some of the local experimental scene - Zhu Songjie and Mai Mai. Two duets and one quartet - different voices, different ways of thinking - expect improvisational music of the highest caliber.
