Take a walk down Mao Livehouse’s long and winding entranceway, roughly styled with tarnished copper walls and a buildup of concert posters, and you can’t help but feel excited about what’s in store at the newly-opened rock venue.

The buildup and suspense is fitting; the tiered concert area – previously home to nightclubs O2 and WTF – consists of a vast square pit in front of its grand stage, top-of-the-line sound and lighting equipment, and enough space to pile in about 1,000 people.

And while Shanghai has a number of underground rock venues – including Yuyintang, Live Bar and LOgO – what’s been lacking is a mid-size stage for bands needing something in between a tiny dive and a stadium. Now, Mao Livehouse is trying to fill the void to help the growth of Shanghai's local music scene, even though doing so may seem like an uphill battle.

“We’re worried about not drawing a big enough audience. If we have less than 300 people come to a gig, the venue can look very empty,” says Mao’s manager, Yan Yang, who is also drummer of local band, Sonnet. “It’s not going to be easy.”

While Shanghai’s indie bands and audiences have grown over the years, Yan says the city is still a difficult market to break, especially in comparison to Beijing, where the original Mao Livehouse – opened by Japanese label Bad News Records – has become one of the capital’s top venues in the Southern Drum Tower neighbourhood.

In Beijing, indie music has flourished, with thousands of bands and audiences hungry to hear what they’ve got on stage. “In Shanghai, there aren’t enough bands to hold gigs every weekend,” Yan says. “So we have to invite foreign bands and musicians from other provinces. The cost is much higher when you add on transportation and accommodation to bring them in.”

And this puts more pressure on Mao.

“Our market isn’t as good as in Beijing,” Yan says. “But I think we’ll be fine; it will be better in three years.”

So why does he predict Shanghai’s live music scene will take off in the near future? Yan, with a laugh, says: “Because Mao Livehouse occurs in Shanghai.” 

The hope is that, by having a more professional live music venue like Mao, alternative music in Shanghai will get an injection of ambition.

"By having a better stage, better lighting, better sound, people will want to come back again and bring their friends because they can enjoy a more professional show.”

Run by the city’s only indie music label, Soma Records – which previously turned the Zhijiang Dream Factory into the more musically focused Soma Live House – and with Bad News as an investor, Mao’s main objectives are to give local bands a target to work towards, while also helping to develop the market.

“This will be a better stage for local bands,” Yan says. “They’ll be able to rehearse and practice in small gigs. Then, when they’re ready, when they have more confidence, they can stand on Mao’s stage and feel it’s an honour to play here.

“The second goal of Mao is to attract more people to watch live music. By having a better stage, better lighting, better sound, people will want to come back again and bring their friends because they can enjoy a more professional show.”

Along with the main performance area, the venue will also house an alternative record shop affiliated with 0093 as well as Soma’s offices and recording studio.

Looking to the long-term, Mao Livehouse is also tapping into local universities with advertisements and setting up ticket agencies on campuses. Shanghai’s student base, Yan says, is especially important for the venue’s success later on.

But, for the moment, the future doesn’t look too bad for Mao Livehouse.

“When news about Shanghai Mao came out, so many people were excited, which helped us to attract our first audience,” Yan says about the 800 people who attended Mao’s soft opening in late September that featured Sonnet, Life Journey and Momo.

“In the future, another Mao will be opened somewhere else in China, and this live house brand will be known throughout the country.”

Mao Livehouse, Building 32, 570 Huaihai Xi Lu, near Hongqiao Lu (inside Red Town). Tel: 6227 7332