Division Kills the Creativity / Get Proactive . . .
So it recently dawned on me that all the criticism of Shanghai's lack of a rock scene is really without merit and usually made by people who don't even take the time to really seek out live music.
Upon my initial arrival to the Pearl City, I, like many dissenters, argued that there was no collective of artists, rockers, musicians, and vagrants pushing the musical movement forward, but, in less than a year, I have found that live guitar-based music is definitely alive, albeit struggling to grow past its pupa stage.
The main obstacle confronting the Shanghai 'scene,' besides limited venues, is a lack of community, co-operation, and understanding between bookers and fans and local-Chinese and ex-pats.
Before I continue with this dissection, let me state, for the record, that, foreign acts coming to Shanghai like Linkin Park, Sonic Youth, Avril Lavigne, Yacht, Ozomatli, etc. have nothing to do with a scene.
Local bands, artists that live and breathe the heartbeat of Shanghai and make music from said experience are THE organic Shanghai scene, and thus these are they acts that need support from their hometown.
This past weekend is a great example of the division that limits Shanghai from expanding its musical palate, rendering it a cultural wasteland.
On Friday, November 30th, Yuyintang hosted Blue, an all-girl all-Chinese 'punk' band, and Boys Climbing Ropes, a Canadian ex-pat band with Chinese-born scene-ster Xiao PengKe on vocals. While the ex-pat fans came early to support the Chinese, the locals did not reciprocate the warmth and left immediately following Blue. Making the evening even more of a debacle, the police arrived at 10:15pm and demanded the show be shut down after a few more numbers. I'm not going to criticize the Yuyintang folks for succumbing to authoritative pressure (we all know they've had some issues with the cops in the past and their perseverance should be commended), but I will harp on them for a RMB30 ticket price when the bill featured only two bands, neither of whom are of serious repute.
Saturday, December 1st, was a different story altogether. Despite being the grand opening of 'The Shelter', Shanghai ex-pats flocked in droves to the S.T.D. party at LOgO to support two completely unknown bands, and showed great support for live music. As the front man of the opening band, The Rogue Transmission, perhaps my viewpoint is skewed, but the real success came when the crowed stayed, danced, cheered, and rioted for Hush, an all-Chinese brit-pop band from Xi'an playing their first show in Shanghai. For a mere RMB15 entrance fee, fans were treated to two bands and three DJs, and the party didn't stop until 5AM, but the lack of Chinese audience members still demonstrated how divided this city really is.
Back at Yuyintang on December 2nd, for Re-Establishing The Rights Of Statues (RETROS) I was amazed at the alarming absence of ex-pat presence. While YuYyntang was packed to the brim, there were probably no more than 10 non-Chinese in attendance. RETROS are one of the most well-known bands in China (and one of the few to tour the U.S.), yet their fan base remains dominantly Chinese. Perhaps many refrained from going out because the show was on a Sunday or the RMB40 ticket cost for one act seemed a little steep, but RETROS displayed a dazzling hour-long set of their riotous and chaotic brand of post-punk and anyone who missed out, well, they really missed out.
Music is a funny thing in that everyone claims to like it, but how many people really love music. There are lots of people on the fence about live music, often choosing to go see some 'internationally ranked' DJ (and for the record those rankings are completely bogus and just a way for them to demand higher performance fees), but if live bands are more prevalent and accessible, perhaps people would give rock and roll a chance.
The remedy? Well that's certainly not an easy question to answer, but, for starters, ticket prices need to come down. 8RMB8 for one band at Bon Bon on a Sunday -- please. Rock music is the music of the people: the disaffected, the angry, the drunk, the dangerous, the progressive, the apathetic; and thus needs to be accessible. In fact, at any large venue like 4Live, Yuyintang, or LiveBar the bill should always have three bands regardless so that people can be entertained and rage-out. Promoters can offer the opening slot to an up-and-coming band to give them live experience. Additionally, there needs to be more communication between promoters to space shows out so that there aren't two great shows on a Saturday and nothing on a Thursday or Friday. Finally, people need to get more involved. Start a band, become a groupie, create a street team, buy a round of drinks, tell all of your friends and co-workers about 'this great show next week': word of mouth is the most effective method of advertising.
Well, no more gripes because this is really supposed to be inspiring. Just remember, next time you hear someone complain that Shanghai has no live music scene, challenge that comment stating that there is always a show, you've just got to find it. Your support will eventually be rewarded with better bands, better bills, better songs, and better experiences.
Until next time . . .
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I agree with what you say about how international acts (Linkin Park, Sonic Youth, etc.) playing in China has nothing to do with the local scene. I think this has more to do with China's economic growth and the increase in international promotion companies in China than anything else. From my experience, the factors holding back the Shanghai rock scene can be found in two key areas. The first is band quality. While I consider music to be one of the greatest forms of art, I rarely see a band in Shanghai that makes me want to see them a second time. With the exception of a few (Top Floor Circus, Muscle Snog, others?), most bands in Shanghai just don't have the talent, commitment or originality to pull in crowds. This problem might stem from the rock community question. While there are certainly bands who hang out together and are friends, I still don't get a sense that these bands are working hard to improve each other.
The second major hindrance of the Shanghai rock scene is the venues. While Shanghai has at least four consistent venues, I think they are run ineffectively for getting more people to play. I agree that high ticket prices are probably a problem for some Chinese, though I don't think its an excuse for laowei who are going to spend 100RMB for a drink at Attica. The fact that none of the venues even have an English show listing ( I know they all speak English!) on their websites shows that the venues are not really doing much to get people out there. I never see flyers for shows and most venues only announce shows a few weeks in advance. The time commitment level for making a simple Chinese and English website with show listings I would estimate at about an hour a week. Instead we have incomprehensible forums that look like someone put it together with their eyes closed. (I know, foreigners should adapt and learn Chinese, yeah yeah yeah.)
I've ended up complaining too. But I will say that there are definitely many bands to see in Shanghai on any given weekend, and complaining about it without really giving it a chance is lame. I think New Pants kicks total ass in China or in the USA, and if you put yourself out there you will find other bands at that level.
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You're desperate for a live music scene, my man. Look at the Beijing electro scene as a point of comparison. We're all pretty excited by it in Beijing, spend a lot of time fawning on it, talking up the local DJs, and then the other night I was sitting down with Neebing talking about his new bar Song. Now Neebing is a dude who knows the electro dance scene in China extremely well and is one of the few people who can talk authoritatively about the scenes in BJ and Shanghai. Well, I asked him which DJs he liked in Beijing and he was like, "Ummm...Mickey Zhang." I was like: no one else? He responded after a thought: "Shanghai DJs are, in general, better than Beijing DJs." This about floored me. Neebing knows dance music, having lived and breathed it for the last decade in China and Europe. So when he says something like that he means it in a very technical, compositional sense, like Sasha or Namito. Still, there is a palpable sense of excitement around the electro dance scene here that just doesn't exist in Shanghai. Why? Because it's new, just starting to fledge. Same for Shanghai rock. Beijing rips Shanghai to shreds in rock music. How do I figure this? Precisely because it's so good. It's no longer cool to be excited about Beijing rock. So, perhaps, I'll amend my initial statement. It's not that you're desperate, just very hopeful. Allez!
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Shanghai like no other place I have seen in recent years there remains a healthy lack of pretension surrounding the music scene. …If Shanghai translates some of its sincerity as audiences towards generating new music I am optimistic it would not be long before a wealth of talent arises. With bands like Muscle Snog, Cold Fairyland, etc… and the Noishanghai and S.T.D. projects, Shanghai has begun to make a credible mark upon Chinese underground.
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As someone who spends most of their time in Beijing, I always found it amusing that my most favorite rock scene moments are down in Shanghai. There's a sense of apathy or redundancy in the Beijing band scene, save for a Tag Team's work and Red T, a couple local live music event organizers. Shanghai's got a pull to it now that Beijing seems to be taking for granted. That said, it seems that while we're always arguing over who's at whatever concert, we forget that the music for many places across the two cities seems to blur together. Is indie punk rock followed by electro break beat djs that popular? Or are we just that desperate for a live music scene?