Shanghai's Local Music Scene: The Bands
By Andrew James
Shanghai is quickly catching up to – and in some ways surpassing – Beijing’s indie music scene. We’ve rounded up a list of our favorite Shanghai bands. All these bands are very busy on the scene and active in influencing the sound of Shanghai's musical future.
X is Y
Over the past year, this three-piece rock band has garnered attention for their folksy, math-rock tunes that stray into the territory of noise rock. The band – consisting of Guillaume on guitar and vocals, Fabien on drums and Yanjing on bass – released their first album in 2009 for free on their Bandcamp page. They’re in the final stages of dropping another album expected out within the month, but you can check out a teaser track on their Bandcamp site (xisy.bandcamp.com) that has been well received and stays consistent to their experimental rock foundations.
Top Floor Circus
One of Shanghai’s longest-standing rock bands, Top Floor Circus has been perfecting their stage act since 2001. They're known for singing in Shanghainese and their artistic on-stage presence, which landed them in hot water after one of their performances went viral on the video-sharing site Youku.com. In the lead-up to the Expo they sang a rendition of the 2008 Olympics’ song “Beijing Welcomes You” entitled “Shanghai Doesn't Welcome You” during the 0093 CD release party in 2009. They were banned from playing any live shows for a year and only recently have been allowed to bring their art punk show back to the stage.
Boys Climbing Ropes
They climb ropes. And they enjoy it. The trio of Canadians plus one Xiao Punk from Jiangxi province, seem to be playing shows all over town recently. They're made up of Devin Gallery on drums, Morgan Short on bass, Jordan Small on guitar and Xiao Punk (or Penke) bringing her distinct vocals to the band. They describe their sound as “psych-folk punk” or “a distorted depressed escapee flying along a highway at dusk in a big rusted white pickup truck with a flat rear tire.” Yes, their band includes a poet and one writer.
Duck Fight Goose
“Four guys with lots of equipments. That’s DFG. A group of people who want to make some special sounds,” says the band’s frontman Han Han. This four-piece experimental rock band is comprised of Han Han, San San, Da Men and Panda. The band recently signed with Beijing’s prominent indie label Maybe Mars, so expect a new album updating their previous offerings from last year. That album, Flow, was a major breakthrough for the city’s music scene, crossing several styles with heavily layered and processed sound. The band says they generally keep their tunes focused more on the lighter side of things and “refuse all kinds of sadness and play funny games with their instruments”. On top of that, their vast array of influences is limited to “themselves”.
Q&A: Friend or Foe
They wear masks on stage and have a live show that’s part performance art and part straight-up rock. And they ‘murdered’ their ex-band mate onstage at the opening of LOgO in June.
Who are Friend or Foe?
We are aliens, left upon the earth to probe humans and examine their behavior. The human race is a bizarre species and worthy of documentation.
Describe your sound.
Rock, with some funk and fuzz folded in.
What are some of your non-music related influences?
Wondershowsen, Mr Show [and] Breaking Bad.
How long have you been working on your upcoming album?
We have been working on the recording for about four months with The Acid Ponies and our production team, but the songs were all written over the course of the last year.
When is the release date? And what do you have planned?
An all night party! Rice crispy treats! Lots of bands and DJs to follow! It's 12 November at Yuyingtang [with] Acid Ponies, Rainbow Danger Club, a special collaborative project and so much more. I suppose Friend or Foe will play a bit. It's still in planning, so stay tuned.
Has your band ever participated in a ritual murder of a band mate?
That was a previous life. We've matured as individuals. We now smoke pipes and wear tweed jackets and sit around discussing philosophy.
How has the band coped since the demise of Bill?
Poorly. We miss him dearly! But we've found a homeless man to take his place! His name is Bob! Incredibly, he seems to know how to play the bass.
Read more about Shanghai's local music scene, including DJs, performers and venues.
