2015 School Bar Awards and School Bar Version 3.0 Grand Opening

Kipp Whittaker | Jan 29, 2016 10:00 am | Add a comment | 1017 reads

School Bar is throwing down this weekend in a big way. Not only are they celebrating the imminent arrival of the monkey year, but also the expansion of their legendary digs into the restaurant in the adjacent space.

In Beijing, it feels like we discard live music venues faster than iPhones. This venue, in particular, has stayed relevant throughout, evolving to the needs of music lovers. School began as a space for Beijing’s punk elite to congregate and share in the tradition of public inebriation. It was at this time that the space had a reputation for brawls, and stories of beat downs on annoying foreigners may or may not have been commonplace (read some harrowing testimonies from the old days here). Though we’ve never witnessed such mayhem, we can’t help but say that this fueled our curiosity a bit.

School initially held a proto-Dada kind of reputation where emerging DJs could drop in and hone their skills behind the decks, but this changed about three years ago when it transitioned into the live music-focused venue it is today.

This Saturday (Jan 30) they will kick off with version 3.0 of School Bar. The renovations will allow for more lounging and even includes a kitchen so they can serve up some punk inspired eats. School dinners, anyone? While the actual show space will remain the same size, the added areas will hopefully free the room from those chatty Kathy’s, indifferent to the musical magic on stage.

During the reopening they will also have an awards ceremony (best show of the past year, best band, biggest disaster, etc.) celebrating the bands, musicians, and personalities that have helped make this place great, along with live performances from Diders, Gate to Otherside, Heat Mark, Hotline, and The Twenties.

We’re happy that these guys are continuing the good fight of providing a “somewhat” safe space for music lovers to congregate and exult in the joys of raucous tunes. Go to their event listing here for more info on Saturday night or read about the venue overhaul (in Chinese) via School's official WeChat post here, from these sneak peaks were sourced: