We here at the Beijinger are pleased to present Live Beijing Music‘s weekend gig guide, written by head honcho Mr. Will Griffith. Will has been running around Beijing for over four years, documenting the city’s shows and the requisite onlooking drunkards with various cameras/sound recorder setups, losing plenty of equipment along the away in his attempt to capture Beijing’s aural spirit. You’ll occasionally catch him pogoing like a madman when he’s not got a camera in hand. Take it away, Will …

Hear those megaphones in the distance. Notice the 10-year-old who lives below you not practicing his organ piano every friggin’ afternoon (kudos on your instrument of choice though!). It’s the school year again, and that means a fresh crop of students, bands, and shows waiting to ignite your weekend including two gigs your editor here will be hosting at School Bar on Friday and DDC on Saturday, showcasing some of the new talent that needs to be reckon with. Whatever your poison of choice, get out their and explore what the music scene has to offer!

Friday, Sep 2

Not in Catalog, Future Orients, WHAI, december3am, secret guest at School Bar
Live Beijing Music gives a schoolhouse rocking evening featuring some of this year’s most talked about acts including indie rock outfit Future Orients, days away from their debut release with Maybe Mars, post kraut rock duo december3am whose devilishly seductive sound has gained them acclaim, experimental free jazz collective Not in Catalog (read up on LBM’s interview with Zhu Wenbo), and everyone’s favorite electro rock group WHAI. Plus, a very special guest band headed by the wildly popular Muma (of Muma & the Third Party). Oops, guess the cat’s out of the bag. Gonna be a feverishly good time. RMB 60

Xu Jun at Yugong Yishan
Xu Jun, lead singer of the popular Hangzhou folk rock group, Tree, releases his first solo album Wan Song Ling, to his massive legion of fans. The album uses both Hangzhou and Stockholm, where it was recorded, as inspiration in his latest work. Expect melodic robust contemporary folk that has no problem tugging at heart strings while soring high. RMB 150

16 mins, Shape Shifters at Hot Cat Club
Psychedelic sounds run amuck at the Hot Cat Club as Shape Shifters, the new band that combines ancient Persian, classical Indian, and free jazz elements in their sound join the cabaret alt rock stylings of 16 mins, a band that manages to get better and better whilst becoming harder and harder to categorize. Free

Twinkle Star, The Diagon Alley, Time Street, MetU at DDC
It’s a indie pop buffet at DDC as emo rock sumpreme champs Twinkle Star join britpoppers The Diagon Alley, retro emo rock outfit Time Street and all girl group MetU. Expect endearing melodies and bubblegum pop that’s oh so sweet. RMB 80

First Medal, The ProzaX, Lost in Space, Fomalhaut at 13 Club
13 Club, reigning champs of Wudaokou (where the freshmen are slowly creeping in) look to get down and dirty with this assortment of hard rock – from emocore to good ol’ fashion hardcore – it’s a young man’s game tonight – are you game? RMB 60

Looming Mountain, Feng Jiangbo and Jiang Shaofeng, Christian Huepe (USA) at Fruityspace
Bash in ambient soundscapes and other offbeat electronica with this intriguing billing at basement venue Fruityspace where me:mo (the venue’s founder) presents his newest project Looming Mountain alongside American artist Christian Huepe as well as Feng Jiangbo (of Glow Curve) and foot tapping maniac Jiang Shaofeng, always a pleasure. RMB 40

Residence A, Macondo, Perpetual Motion Machine, Windsor Forest, Jokers Belief at Mao Livehouse
Never Sat Never! Yup, Mao Livehouse is finally acknowledging that they ain’t going no way for the time being and they wanna throw down hard to let all you kids know with a rocking lineup of indie rock favorites, including Residence A, Perpetual Motion Machine, and more. RMB 100

Wu & The Side Effects, Click #15 at Temple
Acid blues rock courtesy of long standing shredders Wu & the Side Effects and Prince-esque funk disco rock from Click #15, led by the one and only Ricky Sixx. Free

Zhou Ziyan, Badun, Majintao at Jianghu Bar
A new semester rolls in and these young and passionate singers, including Tibetan artist Badun, want to impart their knowledge as well as their stories through the only way they know how – music. RMB 100

Moliseng at Mogu Space
Part of the prominent folk label Dashazi, singer-songwriter Moliseng looks to give an intimate performance at the Mogu Space in Xizhimen. RMB 80

The Felling Tree at 69 Café
Blues and country outfit bring their bluegrass sound to the cozy 69 Café. RMB 60

Zhangjianyu at Snail Club
Folk singer-songwriter from Gansu brings his mountain-flavored new album to the cozy Snail Club. RMB 80
 

Saturday, September 3

Last Goodbye, Spin Axis, Gum Bleed, Rhonda, JaJaTao at DDC
Live Beijing Music teams up with DDC to bring the freshest crop of bands this year has to offer (and some old favorites too). From the visceral post rock of Shijiazhuang outfit Spin Axis, the psych-drenched shoegaze pop of Last Goodbye, the otherworldly (and underworld) grunge doom of JaJaTao, the math rock whirlwind fun of Rhonda, and the wise, revolutionary punk of veterans Gum Bleed – this show has got it all. A healthy billing that will surprise, shock, and get you ready for the fall season. 8pm start. RMB 70

Die From Sorrow, Nower, Dark Haze at Modernsky Land
Metal heads rejoice as prominent metal band Die From Sorrow release their second full-length album Lord of the Alien Seas. Full of pure, unadulterated melodic death metal, it’s a must for metal fans and they’re gonna look to deliver a hell of a showcase with support from two other long standing metal outfits, Nower and Dark Haze. RMB 120

Hell City, D-Crash, Unregenerate Blood, The Demonstrators, Shave-n-Shut at School
Local hardcore promoters H.B.K. bring an evening of chaos with a punk/hardcore-filled billing with some of the scene’s most prominent characters including the mohawked metal punk of Hell City, the d-beat crustpunks D-Crash, hardcore torch bearers Unregenerate Blood and more. RMB 80

Collision Dreamer, The Sweet Escape at Yugong Yishan
Pop punk veterans, who have been giving kids the easycore jams they oh so demand, celebrate seven years of upbeat punk tunes by hitting the big stage at Yugong Yishan. RMB 100

An Art Show at 69 Café
NGLX hotspot presents a colorful array of art, music, poetry and story telling with audio-visual displays courtesy of A. Borealis and Liu Tianxu, as well as sets from local singer-songwriters Nathan Borofka and Jordan Darlings and poetry readings from Christina Romero, Jo Merritt, Anthony Tao, Sintia Amber, Robyn Strachan, Chris Warren and Chen Bo. That’s a whole lotta art crammed into a tiny space. RMB 60

Shixiaofei, Via, Gabrielle, HeJingxi, Moxiao Pi, Zhu Meimei, Shaoyibei at Wukesong Center
Some of indie folk’s biggest female personalities gather at the enormous Wukesong Stadium for an evening of storytelling and intimate singing before they hit the road on a national tour. RMB 180-880

The End of the World at Temple
Get down with one of the city’s longest standing ska outfits whose lively shows have brought Temple to its knees for years. Free

The Hot Club of Beijing at Jianghu Bar
Go back to 30’s era jazz with Beijing’s premier gypsy jazz outfit The Hot Club of Beijing who’ll kick up a swing dance storm over at Jianghu Bar. RMB 60

Chenmaiqi at Snail Club
Neo-folk singer-songwriter, fresh off the release of his latest EP, gets acoustic at the hostel and homey music venue Snail Club. RMB 50

Indian World Music Night at Hot Cat Club
A handful of masters playing sarod, tabla, and also tap dance, beatbox and more, for a night of world music fusion, with a focus on Indian music at the Fangjia Hutong venue. RMB 60

Sunday, Sep 4

Aberrated Star, By Dream, Reatmo (Japan) at School
Two local bands, up and coming avant grade noise rock outfit Aberrated Star and post rock sweeteners By Dream celebrate one year since forming with the help of Tokyo based hip-hop beatboxer. RMB 40

Children’s Cinema, Time Street, Hard Candy Revolution at Modernsky Lab
Female led bands on the rise including glam rockers Hard Candy Revolution and bubblegum popsters Children’s Cinema throw a late afternoon showcase at Modernsky Lab. 6pm start. RMB 65

Shtuby (Israel) at DDC
A wild global sound that mixes funk, jazz, and enticing electronic grooves Shtuby is a one man (in a full body suit to boot) music machine who utilizes every instrument and trick in the book to create an one of a kind show bound to keep your ears bumping. RMB 60

Outbreak at Mogu Space
Described as a mysterious force of nature from the East, Outbreak looks to give some old school hip-hop flavor to Mogu Space. RMB 60
 

Saturday, Sep 3-Sunday, Sep 4

MTA Festival at Sky Desert
The MTA Festival gets underway in Sky Desert located 90km area from Beijing and promises to be a “collection of trending music, the experience of emerging technology, multimedia art performances, installation art exhibitions and much more.” Featured artists include Alan Walker of The Prodigy, electro pop star Alina Baraz, rising British hip-hop star Example and as well as local artists such as Nova Heart, Nocturnes, and Howie Lee. Full details and lineup. RMB 750 (two-day pass)

Phew! Still hungry for more? For events, videos, and photos from Beijing’s thriving music scene, head over to Live Beijing Music or check out all of our live music listings here.

Images: Live Beijing Music, courtesy of the organizers