Talking Tunes: Gear Up for Madlib, or Thee Oh Sees

Big night tonight; if you're reading this slightly-later-than-usual Talking Tunes, either you don't know you're about to miss the two biggest shows we've had in Beijing for a wee while, or you have a fancy smartphone and are reading this in the cab on your way to the gig. They are the only two explanations as far as I see it.

Madlib touches down at Yugong Yishan tonight. We've been waiting a while for this show and we're thrilled it's finally arrived. Otis Jackson Jr. (as him mam calls him) is rumored to be taking the stage pretty late on, so don't bank on being in bed before midnight. We spoke to one half of Madvillain earlier this week. Turns out he's pretty good at our slightly skewed version of Madlibs. Who'd have thought? There's an alternative option tonight as Thee Oh Sees play a JUE Festival preview show at MAO Livehouse.

If the rumors about Madlib are to be believed, you could catch both. But don't blame me if the scuttlebutt about Madlib's late show is wrong.

Talking of JUE, tickets are now on sale. There's a bunch of great stuff to catch at this year's edition so it's best to get your tickets quick for the shows that interest you. Check out what shows you might wanna catch here.

Away from tonight, we were disappointed to receive word earlier this week that This Will Destroy You, won't be destroying anything round here any time soon, as they pulled the plug on their planned show in March. No word on why from the organizers, but might they have fallen foul of the government's stringent new rules for foreign artists making China? Either way, they claim it's merely a postponement and they will rearrange the show soon.

To the immediate future:

• Nova Heart play Yugong Yishan tomorrow night (Feb 22). They'll be debuting some new material.
• The eagerly anticipated Re-TROS & Pet Conspiracy show goes ahead this Sunday at Yugong Yishan.
• Also on Friday, why not get along to Temple for some experimental dubstep?
• Also at Yugong Yishan, Saturday sees the 8th Spring Festival Gala for Guitar China show.

It was difficult to see any further than a Madvillain track to play us out tonight. The video above is for their track "All Caps."

Enjoy the show(s) if you get along tonight. If they're not your bag, check out our Events section for a bunch of other options.