Sound of the Youth - a new indoor festival spearheaded by Maybe Mars - looks to capture some of the hottest indie sounds - both here and abroad - over three days in Bandai Namco. It’s a pretty crazy lineup - the perfect deep dive into some of the pioneering indie sounds in China, the freshest new acts catching like wildfire across the country, and some choice cuts from Thailand, Taiwan, Switzerland, and Singapore. Each of the four showcases is worth a look - so no matter what day or venue you pick you’ll surely be content - and likely surprised to discover your new favorite band. Day one has a stellar spread with special guests Soft Pine from Bangkok - a band I caught twice last winter because of how damn good they were - hitting that sweet spot between 90s alt-rock and breezy sun-bleached psych pop - with a rhythmic charge filled with an infectious vitality. Rounding out the evening are krautrock pleasers Backspace from Beijing (another favorite of mine) as well as three-piece psych rock outfit Sweet Sister Session, out of Wuhan - a cesspool of 1960s acid rock filtered through the likes of 13th Floor Elevators, Suicide, and Spacemen3. Rounding out the fun are up-and-coming noise rockers Blue Liquid, out of Nantong, and Incentive Dry - a fever dream of brooding alt-rock, experimental electronica, bookish post-punk, theatrical cold wave, and then some. And this is just night one.

• Live Music
• Nightlife