The mood was decidedly triumphant at Tookoo’s final performance at Mao Livehouse, which was jam-packed with short performances and guest appearances from their Beijing rocker brethren. Seeing the group off were no less than five supporting groups, whose sounds ranged from the ferocious metal emocore of the Reason to the gentler melodies of Alt Senior and droney, shoe-gazing Black Town Twins Brothers. (It should be noted that the last group’s members are three/fifths of Tookoo.)

Of the earlier bands, Bigger Bang, (whose line-up also involves several Tookoo members) is evolving into a seasoned, established member of the underground scene. While singer Pupi may not possess the brash rock star-Goddess stage presence of Queen Sea Big Shark’s Fu Han, she is a compelling performer in her own right. Possessing an alluring, feline quality—a friend informs me that she keeps numerous cats—watching her strut about the stage with her Karen O-bowl haircut and shoulder-padded mini-dress, at times reaching her arm out to within inches of audience members, is like watching a pussy cat you previously considered harmless reveal her claws. Her vocals switched deftly from a lullaby-like croon, as on the lovelorn, synth-riding “Danger”, to a gravelly, commanding yowl on the band’s harder numbers.

With the crowd suitably wound up, Tookoo launched into their ultimate set in riotous style with the dance-rock anthem “LSD.” From their beginnings over 10 years ago, the group’s sound has evolved in parallel to the trends taking place on Western shores, encompassing rap-rock, emo and new garage. Tying together these varied tastes live, the group showcased qualities that offer universal appeal across such genre distinctions: cocksure technical ability, sound songwriting and, in lead singer Shuai Yan, a powerful, charismatic front man.

By mid-set, just as energy levels were starting to sag and songs began to blur together, special guest Sun Lingsheng, vocalist from the popular local Brit-rock group Super VC, appeared to accompany the band on “I am the Captain.” With his mop top fringe and sharp double-breasted coats, he is surely one of the city’s most dapper rockers.

The evening finished with the band inviting fans onto the stage for a group sing-along to their signature tune, “Sad Song”, and several heartfelt tributes from musician friends. It was somewhat reminiscent of the end to an official Chinese awards ceremony, except with the suits and green army uniforms replaced by high tops and red British soldier jackets. In a way, the eclectic assortment on stage demonstrated the increasing strength and established nature of what, only years ago, was a very radical youth movement.

“Keep supporting Beijing rock music!” bassist and crowd favorite XiaoQuan urged, before launching his soaked shirt into the crowd. And, judging by the frenzy of the quickfire mosh pits, the fearlessness of the teenage crowd-surfers and the wide grins on display after the show’s climactic ending, it’s clear that Tookoo is passing the torch into highly capable hands.

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Links: Concert page Tookoo: http://www.myspace.com/tookoo | http://www.douban.com/artist/tookoo/ Bigger Bang: http://www.myspace.cn/biggerbang | http://www.douban.com/artist/biggerbang/