Noise Pollution: RUBUR, Pizzaface, Backspace, Velvet Highway, Mobby Kingdom

Thrash metal with a mischievous kick; shoegaze that’s not afraid to wallow in the depths of hysteria, and electronic music that strives to find new means of communication: Yes, we’re getting existential this weekend as the music scene gets in some last punches before the Golden Week comes to bring a swift end to all your autumn dreams. But what a way to go out, as bands from all wakes of life – punk, indie, folk, you name it – look to brighten up your weekend!

Friday, Sep 25 

RUBUR, Last Goodbye at Yue Space

A year after their gorgeous debut, seminal Shanghai shoegaze band RUBUR returned with an even stronger sophomore release, Persephone's Seasons last week, and they’re ready to share the goods. Let me tell you – this is how shoegaze ought to be done – dragged across the concrete, as reverb floods your earlobes and hushed omnivorous vocals lull you into walls of ethereal melodic noise. All the elements come together beautifully, tinged with just the right amount of intensity and emotional resonance, resulting in more than one sonic epiphany. Check them out tonight at Yue Space with support from Beijing’s own heady dream pop weavers Last Goodbye. 8.30pm. RMB 80/100

Unregenerate Blood 不复之血, B.B.Q, Labor Glory 劳动光荣, Early Bus, Shave N’ Shut at School

Volume 21 of Chaos Weekend! All you need to know is that you best be ready for a night of punk rock, hardcore, and booze galore as a host of kick-ass bands take charge including hardcore legends Unregenerate Blood, ultra punk band Labour Outfit, ska veterans Early Bus, Oi! punks Shave N’ Shut, and B.B.Q aka Bob Blockhead Quartet, a crazed crossover thrash metal outfit that’s gloriously unhinged. 9pm. RMB 100

Finger Family 指人儿, YouCeHeiLi 右侧合流, LionBoy狮童乐队 at Omni Space

Indie pop that truly pops – tonight’s offering at Omni Space promises a wildly diverse and musically robust lineup including Huizhou's own YouCeHeiLi (or Right Lane Convergence) whose fizzy math rock-pop sound isn't afraid to take more than one u-turn to their destination. Seriously, check out their debut EP on Wild Records, it’s a blast. Also on the bill is Chengdu city pop quartet Lion Boy, and representing Beijing is the always dependable pop-punk outfit Finger Family. 8pm. RMB 100/120

Titian 提香, Old Tea 老茶 at WISE Live

WISE Live, located just above Xicheng’s Rending Lake Park, continues to intrigue with their steady rotation of live acts including this evening’s pairing of Titian, known for their slick electro-rock that calls to mind everyone from Tama Impala to MGMT. Also on the bill are psych-infused instrumental rockers Old Tea. 8.30pm. RMB 50/60

Mengqi 孟奇, Arctic Ox at nugget café

Meng Qi is a man of many titles – musician, pioneering synthesizer designer, innovator, and lecturer. An electronic wizard in the highest sense, catch the endlessly fascinating electronic shapeshifter tonight at nugget café along with the debut of Arctic Ox, a fellow exploratory electronic artist who uses analog synthesizers and field recordings to craft his sound. 9pm. RMB 60/70

Execution 处决, Hawk Sally 萨利大盗 at Temple

Temple Bar gets back to basics – bone-crushing basics that is – with an evening of heavy heavy tunes that get you head-banging all night. On the roster is thrash metal outfit Execution and era-hopping old school rock and rollers Hawk Sally. 9.30pm. RMB 50

Professor He 何教授, Brother Zhao Xiaojia 劈叉哥赵晓佳 at Mao Livehouse 

Contemporary urban folk star Professor He, known for his northeast accent and tongue-in-cheek satirical stories joins fellow singer-songwriter and endearing friend Zhao Xiaojia, lead singer of the band MoJinShi, who has been an online sensation since 2015. 8pm. RMB 120/150

Guchao 古潮, Li Lu 李璐 at Jianghu Bar

Founded in 2015, Guchao combines Chinese traditional music and Western instruments, offering listeners an auditory feast as pipas, saxophones, and guitars collide on stage. Support from singer Li Lu. 9pm. RMB 60/80

Wang Fanrui 王梵瑞, Rhythm Traveler 节奏旅行家, Old Tea & Mr. Bear 茶小姐和熊先生 at Cloud Nine 

Wangjing vinyl club keeps it light tonight as they invite over Rhythm Traveler with their upbeat blend of urban folk and Britpop-infused rock, folk singer-songwriter Wang Fanrui, and folk-pop duo Old Tea & Mr. Bear. 8pm. RMB 60/80

Saturday, Sep 26 

Backspace 退格 at nugget café

Backspace, Beijing’s indie psych scrappers who have been preparing for their sophomore release this year, are heading to the cozy nugget café for a special impromptu performance that'll have the band following every mind-altering earworm into the void. Formed in Yulin, Guangxi province and now based in Beijing, the noise rockers Backspace are one of the most talented and sincere bands in our fair city – so it’ll be a treat to see them flex their muscles and jam out like there’s no tomorrow. 9pm. RMB 40

Dirty Moon 坏月亮，PACALOLO at School

Up and coming neo rock outfit Dirty Moon, out of Beijing, are a brazen, intoxicating mix of musical genres that really shouldn’t work – shamelessly blending in elements of indie rock, dubstep, breakbeat, hip-hop, blues, future bass, and then some. But I’ll be damned if I don’t get a kick out of their dizzying concoction – and their newly-released debut LP which pays as much respect to New Order as it does to Daft Punk. The band closes out their nationwide tour with support from Pacalolo. 9pm. RMB 80/100

Healing Hands 妙手回, Qianchuan Drugstore 浅川药店 at Temple

Alternative rockers Qianchuan Drugstore, whose madcap blend of post-punk attitude and the avant-garde electronica, end their nationwide tour in support of their dense and sprawling 2019 debut Fuzzy Century. Supporting the world-builders are the much more upbeat funk and blues-infused indie rockers Healing Hands. 9.30pm. RMB 50

Zelifu 泽立夫 & Mobby Kingdom 莫比帝国 at Mogu Space 

Nanjing Britpop rockers Mobby Kingdom are currently winding their way through China on a tour in support of their upcoming new LP, Every Chinese Is A Star. Catch them as they dock at none other than Mogu Space. 8.30PM. RMB 77/99

The Brownie Band at Cloud Nine

Originally formed in Los Angeles in 2018, multi-national Asian pop fusion band Brownie, whose members hail from China, Korea, and Japan bring their catalog of songs full of funk-driven, jazz-riffing indie-pop sensibilities that show off both the band’s innate melodic charm as well as their chops. 9pm. RMB 100/120

Langzhi 浪之, CamberX, Anohito, DancRan at RAM Brewery 

RAM Brewery in 798 throws an old school disco party with live music and DJs including some bittersweet romantic rhythms via Langzhi, plus future beats from CamberX, a bit of bass from DancRan, and funky nu-disco courtesy of Anohito. 9pm. RMB 50/60

Velvet Highway 丝绒公路, Black Mint 黑薄荷, Gentle Grapes葡萄不愤怒 at Mao Livehouse

Hard rocking 80s-evoking Velvet Road, who have been working the circuit for over ten years bring their old school charm and falsetto singing to Mao Livehouse alongside fellow hard rockers Black Mint and rising pop-punk scrappers Gentle Grapes. 7.30pm. RMB 150

Bai Song柏松, 红人馆馆长, Allen 周凯翔, Chill Boy & Delay the Race, Wangzi Rong 王子荣, Li Zongjing 李宗锦, at Yue Space

Romance and hip-hop hold hands this evening in Yue Space as a crew of huggable ruffians take the stage and lay their hearts bare, over some beats of course. On the bill – everyone from jazz hip hop artist Chill Boy & Delay the Race to future pop singer Bai Song. 7pm. RMB 120/150

Joker’s Belief at The Bricks 

Funk rock and roll thespians Joker’s Belief, who certainly know a thing or two about keeping the crowd moving, head to The Bricks for the latest edition of the Jing & Tonic variety show which will have a whole new bag of tricks for the occasion. 8.30pm. RMB 80/90

Rain Z at Omni Space 

Viral rap star Rain Z rounds up a slew of wordsmiths, DJs, and fellow hip-hop artists for a blowout party featuring everyone from JRocka to M!$ter K, and many more names that’ll have your keyboard dying in agony. 8pm. RMB 120/150 

Sunday, Sep 27

PizzaFace at Omni Space 

PizzaFace, one of last year’s breakout bands, kicked off 2020 with their stellar debut LP and it''s pretty much everything that encapsulates the punk rock renegades – from the hairpin hardcore turns to heartfelt choruses – baiting you one moment with a serenade and clocking you over the head with giddy ferocity Harley Quinn-style the next. The band just finished an epic tour around China and they’re saving the best for last. 8pm. RMB 66/88

Show Hand梭哈, The Big Winner大赢家, 524, Pylon at School

Keep the fire burning in your heart (and the buzz from last night) with this evening of rock and roll courtesy of pop-punk scrappers Show Hand, genre-hopping rockers Pylon, pop-rockers The Big Winner, and university new wave band 524, ready to show off their ice-cold synths. 9pm. RMB 60

Next Door Band 隔壁团, Shouting Nerd 大叫控, Muppet 布偶at Mao Livehouse

Some of the pop scene’s most beloved rockers – both veterans and rising acts – converge onto Wukesong’s Mao Livehouse for a bit of unforgettable fun. Leading the charge are long-standing pop-rock troupe Next Door Band, and joining them are pop-punk trio Muppet and fresh-faced indie punks Shouting Nerd, who is having one hell of a year thus far. 8.30pm. RMB 110/150

Dian Shengqi 滇声气, N-Bomb 黄硕, Drop Science 还魂散, YiShengHe 義胜合, Tuzi 秃子, SIMBA辛巴, DJ大陽 at Yue Space

Kunming dialect mixed with old-school hard beats coming at you this Sunday as Kunming rap crew Dian Shengqi looks to stir up trouble over at Yue Space with the help of some of Beijing’s finest including Drop Science and N-Bomb. 8.30pm. RMB 120/150

Ah-Q Jazz Orchestra at Jianghu Bar

Since their formation in 2003, the Ah-Q Jazz Orchestra has weaved an eclectic mix of straight-ahead, modern, funk, and Latin jazz compositions, including quite a few originals. 9pm. RMB 60/80

READ: Shanghai's Shoegaze Wunderkinds, RUBUR, Get Cosmic at Yue Space, Sep 25

Images: LiveCNMusic, courtesy of the venues