Geek out and get your freak on over at Cedar Land as LiveChinaMusic invites a motley crew of sound explorers, noise makers, and rabble rousers to stir beautiful chaos in the subterranean oasis of Cedar Land. An excavation of the Shanghai underground scene at its most peculiar, most heedless, and most dangerously alluring - it’s a monster mash of harsh noise, techno grooves, looping sonic vistas, new wave punk, and audiovisual hijinks. Acts include rising synth punks GUJI, musical savant and mischief maker Aming Liang, and analog collector, manipulator, and ‘aggrandizer of disorganization’ Global Discount Centre aka GDC, known for utilizing an array of discarded electrical relics. Plus, French artist, sonic alchemist, and occasional plant whisperer, Laurent Lettrée, and the harbinger of harsh noise legend Torturing Nurse. Expect the unexpected.

Xinxiang punk mainstays Pumpkins have always followed their own arrow throughout their careers - slowly but steadily expanding their sound whilst retaining the grit, charisma, and sincerity that made them so endearing in the first place. A rip-roaring ode to rock and roll in all its mania, allure, and sweaty exuberance - the band is on the road with Taipei rock and roll stalwarts 88balaz - who have been active for 30 years. Punk rock that fuses elements of blues and jazz, the band has become renowned for their explosive live performances, having toured the world over a thousand shows. While they may consider themselves "the worst band in the entire universe," they are punk icons in their own right.

One of the indie scene’s finest new acts, Suzhou noise rockers Acid Room have been crafting evocative rock and roll over the past few years - leaning into their emo and shoegaze sensibilities with combustible rapture. Apt at blurring the lines within their sound, the band are able to weave in and out of different sonic tones - hitting one cathartic release after another whilst unspooling with raw theatricality. The band are on their first nationwide tour and will be hitting up Mosh Space with support from emerging math rock pop smiths Abstract Abstract.

Bay Area art-pop visionary Chrystia Cabral, aka SPELLLING, known for pushing the boundaries of genre and captivating audiences with her richly envisioned albums and enchanting live performances, swings through China with her three-piece band courtesy of promoters So Ready. Critically acclaimed for her ability to surprise and mesmerize, she has been on a hot streak since her 2017 debut, Pantheon of Me. Since then, her sound has evolved and woven in elements of avant-folk, dark synth pop, soul music, and even post-punk, building more expansive and hauntingly beautiful soundscapes that never lose their intimacy. She even claimed legendary music blog The Needle Drop's #1 album of the year in 2021. ‘From electronic dirges to orchestral masterpieces, from gothic balladry to mystical surrealism,’ she’s the real deal - a spiritual successor to acts like Björk or Kate Bush.

Nantong’s Blue Liquid has quietly become one of the hottest new acts in this region - tapping into a 90s alt sound with such riotous affinity whilst finding that sweet spot between noise and pop oh so well. There’s a melodic charge in their eclectic sound that’s infectious, jangly, and potent - a joyous rapture that rubs off on the listener. The band are fresh off their debut LP with Maybe Mars Records and are hitting the road. Their stopover at Yuyintown Basement will be supported by jam psych-pop trio pewf - one of this year’s hottest new acts.

‘Make emo great again’ has been the sentiment over the past couple of years, as a new generation of kids disillusioned by the world around them have found solace in screaming their guts out. And now the emo revival has come full circle with the release of King-Size China III - the long-awaited return of the emo compilation that first took shape in 2006 and was originally spearheaded by OG Beijing emo act TOOKOO. A robust, eclectic survey of the emo scene today - the organizers are throwing parties across China with a stop in Shanghai. On the bill, they’ve got veteran emo pop-punk favorites Twinkle Star, rising, refined Hefei emo rock slayers Diel-Alder, Beijing pop-punk emo outfit MissingWishes, and the OG emo team themselves - Tookoo - led by twin brothers Li Xiaochuan and Li Xiaoquan, who adhere to the genre’s more tender, heart-arching, and melodically driven acts.

Cold wave crossed with krautrock - Paris’s Vox Low are an electro outfit that’s been compared to the acid-house version of Jesus & Mary Chain. With a dark and romantic sound with an industrial sheen, monotone vocals that have all the ‘rock and roll attitude of an exhausted 90s raver’, and an intoxicating blend of funereal post-punk, hazy dub, and synth-heavy electro, Vox Low is a vibe and a very good one at that. The French act returns this time to Future House (formerly Bandai Namco).