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Well, there's a lot of music to get into this week. More Japanese post-rock, local hip hop, disco birthday parties, Duck Fight Goose, etc, etc. Really no lack of options, skim the listings for yourself here. This Monday afternoon coffee break I'll devote to two DIY additions to this weekend's live music offerings that might otherwise fly under your radar.
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First along is French nomadic turbine folk duo Vialka. This is Vialka's thirtieth time in Beijing or something. Merely the latest stop on their "seemingly permanent world tour", which started in 2002. Vialka is guitarist Eric Boros and percussionist Marylise Frecheville, plus whoever gets caught up in their whirlwind, I suppose. There they are above with Xiao He; they've also done collaborations with Dawanggang and a host of other local musicians in the course of their decade+ touring China. It's a memorable gig every time they blow through Beijing. This is an excerpt from the press release for a collaborative opera / theater piece they recently did, but I feel it's an adequate description of the band as a standalone phenomenon as well:
During a fallacious dinner Away from prying eyes, a couple attempts to discuss their evils: palaver, cuisine and sex are melted into sounds, rhythms, and a particular transnational sense of humour. Under the multilayered coat of a breathless, ridiculous and nasty duel, a premeditated murder is slowly exposed. Contains some adult content.
Here are some examples of the Vialka experience, as well as its constituent components:
XP is the last stop in a thirteen-city tour, then they're likely off to Timbuktu. I guess they'll come back around this time next year, but don't take any chances: catch Vialka on Saturday, October 25 @ XP if you're a fan of self-detonating folk punk performance art. 50rmb at the door, 9:30pm start.
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The other DIY gig worth a look this weekend is Beijing Drunk Fest, an all-day punk gig on Saturday out at Tongzhou watering hole DMC. This one's the pet project of Shanzhai Laowai, an itinerant documentarian and freak-flag-flying bandleader who's been documenting various corners of the Mainland punk scene for over seven years. Drunk Fest is Shanzhai Laowai's rally against corporate encroachment into the local punk scene, most obviously exemplified by Beijing Punk Festival and their budding romance with Doc Martens, who've sponsored the last two years' editions. SL laid the hammer down on the most recent episode of CRI public radio show The Sound Stage, mixing his unique perspective and unfiltered vitriol with a generous dose of Chinese punk rock, past and present, Beijing and 外. Throw this on in the background for quality rippers from Found Amber, vintage New Pants, Pumpkins, The Flyx, Demerit, et al:
Drunk Fest is a free, all-day rager with eleven bands thrashing through ten hours. No entry fee and super cheap drinks (read: Beijing Draft). Live sets from The Flyx, The Diders, Shochu Legion, Fallen Amber, Guiguisuisui, Diseased Fruit, The Bedstars, End of the World, DMC owners Demerit, and Shanzhai Laowai's own outfit, Bastards of Imperialism. Here are some live cuts from some of the Drunk Fest all-stars, from S.L.'s own archive:
BEDSTARS @ Punk It Spring, day 2 04-11-2014 @ SCHOOL Bar, Beijing from Shanzhai Laowai on Vimeo.
THE FLYX @ SCHOOL Bar, Beijing 03-07-2014 from Shanzhai Laowai on Vimeo.
烧酒军团-面具-MV SHOCHU LEGION - "Mask" (official music video, 2014) from Shanzhai Laowai on Vimeo.
END OF THE WORLD @ THE GARAGE, Beijing, RHINOSTOCK 05-10-2014 from Shanzhai Laowai on Vimeo.
THE DIDERS @ OLD WHAT? Beijing 03-01-2014 from Shanzhai Laowai on Vimeo.
BASTARDS OF IMPERIALISM - "Gates of Steel" @ SCHOOL Bar, 07-18-2014 from Shanzhai Laowai on Vimeo.
So, yeah. DIY, non-profit, free, all-day punk show at a live music oasis away from the hustle and bustle of inner-2nd-ring Beijing. Full info here. *** Recap: Vialka = Saturday, October 25 @ XP Beijing Drunk Fest = Saturday, October 25 @ DMC
