Transporting electronica over at Wigwam as they host the FVL. - a new experimental electronic project formed in 2024 by Hom Yu of Taiwanese psychedelic band Mong Tong and sound designer Chia-Yu. Fresh off their first album, Land of Siesta - immersed in ‘folk-inspired sci-fi electronica that moves between tribal ambient, 4th world melodic atmospheres, and bass-driven psychedelia’ it’s fittingly out there - a feverish blend of ECM jazz, retro-future exotica and more that places rhythm, texture, and atmosphere above all else - influenced by the likes of Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, Jon Hassell, and Brian Eno. Supporting acts include chameleon electronic collective Betelnut Kangaroo and saxophonist/sound explorer SiYuan. Dope.
We’re packing Yuyintown Basement to the gills - a bulging-at-the-seams cacophony of rock and roll at its most earnest, evocative, and explosive - each bringing a fresh angle to some of the indie scene’s most fruitful genres as of late, exploring the ways they collide and elevate one another. A full spread as they say - acts include hard-hitting instrumental rockers Shaoxing-based offering up their lean and mean brand of math rock; emogaze instrumental rockers Ordinary Nothing who oscillate between spry emo conviction and turbulent walls of guitars; indie rock trio pewf, indulging in their woozy funky blend of spry psych pop; and seasoned indie noise rock outfit 飞行游戏 - filling their irresistible melodies with dynamic instrumentation and angst-ridden emo aplomb. Wall-to-the-wall rock and roll over at Yuyintown as we say good riddance to summer!
While most of us have assumed Yuyintang Park - the Zhongshan Park adjacent bigger cousin to OG live house Yuyintang - closed last year, it actually has been moonlighting as an idol venue quietly since then. But now the axe has finally come once and for all for the famed venue - and they’re going out with an old school rock and roll bash. It’s a red-hot lineup of bands that know how to work the crowd, including renegade punk rock favorites Stick Xiaoming Again and Again, garage rock local legends Hey Lily!, known for their riotous performances, Britpop aficionados Burley Quay, and jangly indie rockers Fulcrum, who canvas across shoegaze, psych rock, and anthemic Britpop with conviction. Farewell Yuyintang Park - may you go down in one final blaze of glory.
Gaze heads don’t sleep on this one! Coven hosts three of Shanghai’s most radical acts in the shoegaze genre, including veteran shoegaze aficionados Pale Air, who bring hazy dreamlike allure to their walls of noise. Also on hand are slowgaze act Whatever - who are promising to be one of Shanghai’s coolest new acts - crafting bone-cutting, brooding shoegaze at its most primal, sparse, and patient - and surprisingly poignant - and the emerging emo-inflicted shoegaze act Gazella. Righteous.
A killer Beijing one-two combo of indie rock royalty over at ENCORE. Indie rock stalwarts Birdstriking have graced the scene for well over fifteen years now, elevating their sound from their scrappy noise punk roots to almost arena rock level while maintaining their sincerity and infectious energy throughout. A bottle rocket of vigor, vitality, and spirit - they’re one of my favorite live acts. Meanwhile, Wave - the long-dormant folk blues act of Bian Yuan of Joyside - are very much an act that taps into the famed singer's Leonard Cohen love, leaving behind the reckless rebellion of punk rock ragers Joyride for something more poetic.
Speaking of farewells - Cream Club - a venue that has gone very much underappreciated since opening last summer - is finally closing its doors this month. The rare Pudong venue - located in a sunken square old pool hall alongside the Huangpu River has put up a hell of a fight, endearing itself with its no-frills punk attitude that always rang true. While they officially have one more (high-scale) show in September, tonight is their proper goodbye with the venue’s various organizers, managers, and handlers taking the stage in the form of post rock favorites 21 Grams, punk rock shit starters The Stirrers, and one-man soundscaper sankin77. So let’s raise a glass to Cream Club - we hardly knew ya!
