Raw hardcore music out of Georgia - HAND is the latest act in the genre to make waves - evoking the lean and aggressive stylings of classic New York hardcore and modern heavy acts like Terror and Backtrack. No frills, no over-polishing - hardcore music at its most pure - catch the band close out their China tour at Coven with support from Shanghai’s local HC scene - HEADIVE and No More Harm.
Only a couple more weeks left at the underappreciated Cream Club out in Pudong - a punk safe haven situated alongside the Huangpu River. They host a spread of punk and metal from some of the city’s most ravenous acts, including hardcore pursuers HEADIVE, newly formed Swedish death metal outfit Dossuary, featuring several familiar faces from the community, and O.V.E aka On The Verge of Extermination, who tap into both nu-metal and old school metal with ample amounts of riffage. Righteous.
Some of the black metal scene’s most legendary acts join forces for an epic evening of soul-shattering music. Tai'an black metal pioneers Dark Fount lean more into the riff-heavy elements of Norwegian black metal, painting its sweeping passages in a turbulence of ‘coldness and fury’. Meanwhile, Jiangxi suicidal black metal act Be Persecuted takes on an unruly, desolate vibe that ‘faces certain death with a smile’. There’s also Holy Arrow, from Amoy, who play fast black metal with a lot of epic and melodic influences akin to artists like Drudkh and Graveland. And rounding out the night are Guangzhou black folk metal Humanoid Puppet and Beijing post black metal act Barren Mirage.
Abrasive hardcore rap that feels dangerous in the best possible way - Li Wenjun shot like a rocket outta hell last year with his hard-hitting and visceral release, The Vigil of Oriental Youth That Never Ends. Rapping through gritted teeth over pummeling beats that sound like they’re being played through an amp way past its expiration date, Wenjun tears across a terrain of restlessness, anger, and confusion with uncompromising conviction. In a time where both punk and rap have become more and more sterile, Li Wenjun seems to have found the perfect outlet for his angst, recalling the work of Nascar Aloe and Death Grips. Exhilarating stuff that’s sure to strike a chord - the performer looks to tear it up at OKOK this Sunday with support from Shanghai punk act Moya.
Vol. 32 of the Yuyintang Channel series continues to spotlight emerging (or unsung) bands over at their Basement space - and it's got an eclectic spread of indie tunes for you. They’ve put together quite the lineup this Sunday for those - including B.L.D.W. - the boisterous synth-filled post-punk act from Ningbo; Beijing shoegaze project HANA FUKI, known for excavating the hazardous, volatile emotions of adolescence; and emerging Shanghai dance punk outfit Left Blue.
