LIVERSE – the new live house located by Line 15’s Guilin Park Station in Xuhui – becomes a refuge for those itching for live music ad DJs during the holidays with the Shanghai Independent Music Week. Unfolding across seven nights and totally free entry each night, the festival brings together bands, musicians, DJs and sound artists from different scenes and musical backgrounds, with each night carrying its own taste - a deep dive into Shanghai’s diverse and rich independent music scene. From indie rock, psychedelia, funk pop, emo rock, post-punk and more experimental sounds to reggae, dub, dancehall, bass and beyond - expect a grab bag of musical stylings - with live bands kicking things off at 9PM every night, before some of the city’s finest in the club scene take over the decks. Best of all, it’s free - the perfect excuse to discover the dangerously alluring sounds this city has to offer. 9PM.

Sincere, seasoned instrumental rock chock full of epic, atmospheric arrangements, there’s a defiant nature to Summer Fades Away’s soaring sound that’s both taut and intimate. Much like the changing seasons, each song is a journey - akin to watching flowers bloom and wither through thick and thin. The Changsha band, who just returned with a new LP after 13 years, joins Nashville, Tennessee duo Vaudlow, who prove that it only takes two to produce post-rock that feels vibrant, organic, and lived-in. Made up of drummer Josh Parra and guitarist/producer Matt Bolton, they make cinematic post-rock that roars with ‘rhythm, passion and thunder’.

'A melting pot of West Coast psychedelia and Southeast Asian aesthetics' - Holland’s psych grooves master Yīn Yīn return to China for a nationwide tour in support of their latest album Yatta! Over the last six years, the quartet has built a powerful reputation for balancing an eclectic range of disparate influences and using them to forge something that is both affectionately retro and, at the same time, fresh and forward-facing. Sticking to pentatonic scales, the band’s largely instrumental sound – created with a unique set of instruments including vintage synthesizers and a guzheng – features big jumps between notes with melodies that are easy to love as they draw the listener into unfamiliar territories. Cosmic disco to soothe the soul.

A far cry from the brooding vacuum of cold wave duo Cephalosis, Kunming singer and producer Hu Jie turns to electro pop under her moniker Starstar. Never tied down to any genre, her latest release, Five Little Pigs, is loose, seductive, and bright-eyed - an ‘experimental wanderlust through cool-toned pop and modern rhythmic movements’. With endless ideas and stylish swerves up her sleeve - with a voice that’s equal parts ethereal and intimate- the budding alternative pop star will be giving a special showcase at C-Park’s Cedar Land.

A night of pummeling metal of the more extreme variety - Coven by Cave turns into a den of the scene’s most nefarious metalheads. On the menu, you’ve got Civilstrive - thrash metal out of Hangzhou - who look to ‘blast through rationality’ over razor-sharp instrumentation - with hefty doses of hardcore vocals, sardonic humor, and violent intensity. Also on hand: Nanjing’s Destroy the Redemption, and Xiamen grindcore act Heterogeneousrectalecho, who you definitely should not take medical advice from. Brutal death metal act Dissolution, and crossover thrash renegades KAP aka Kill All Posers - both from Shanghai. Pace yourself out there, mosh pit connoisseurs.

Russian electronic producer Long Arm, who has been enveloping listeners in his vividly realized aural world and emotionally fraught beat-scapes for over ten years, utilizes elements of hip hop, jazz, house, and funk to great effect and often experiments with recording piano, other acoustic instruments, and old synthesizers for their nostalgic ambiance. It’s a bewitching sound - ‘brimming with both humanity and musical depth’. They join Cat Swimming - based out of Xi’an and made up of Liu Peng and Jia Xuan of the post-punk outfit Fazi - who run amuck in the sandbox of hardwired electronica, fuzzy ambient-laced soundscapes, and more propulsive looped endeavors.

DARK HAZE, a dark art experimental label from Shanghai, takes over metal bar FENRIR for a bout of noise, hard techno, and other dark sounds with a motley crew of DJs, sound masochists, and performers. For the occasion, they have invited Shanghai harsh noise stalwarts Torturing Nurse and Shu Ride, plus Dung Beetle Rolling Dung, featuring thrash and grindcore members Chymel, LEE, LU, and Dark Haze founder Extreme John. On top of that, expect more black magic courtesy of producers and DJs like Extreme John, XDISTR, SCAR, KEIII, ArchBus, UmiNoOku, and TripleWood.

Ningbo instrumental rock outfit Sweet Tie hits the road in support of their newest LP Ananke. A stark departure from their more tender previous releases, the young band looks to up their game here - leaning into the distortion and destruction of post rock at its most grandiose and intimidating (think Wang Wen or Zhaoze) as they draw inspiration from the ‘myths of diverse origins and half-real, half-fictional tales' to convey the theme of fate’. Thrusting listeners across these larger-than-life compositions, its power-to-the-metal musicality, and spinning threads of destiny, Sweet Tie are a thrilling act.

Berlin trio Brandt Brauer Frick is a live ‘acoustic techno’ act in the purest sense. Classically trained musicians drawing on their skills to craft organic, groove-ready dance numbers using not only analog synths but also strings, piano, horns, and bass. A rousing, rhythmically pleasing soundtrack made with precision and propulsion - or as the BBC put it, "concert hall compositions for the clubbing generation". The three-piece act returns after wowing audiences last year - this time taking over the C-Park electronic club REACTOR.