After years of living in the shadow of Beijing, never getting its much deserved respect, Shanghai rock is finally making its biggest mark to date on the Chinese music map. The Rock it! festival at Dino Beach will be the largest outdoor music festival ever staged in Shanghai, with over 30 bands coming from all over China for three days of music, swimming and food. The festival is being organized by 13D Studios, a rehearsal space and recording studio in the Xuhui District, where most of the bands were hand- picked by studio owner Wu Jun and fellow organizer Roxy Cui. "We want to teach Shanghai people about the cool lifestyle of rock music, and let people know the strength of the Shanghai rock scene," says Cui.

13D Studio also organized last year’s 123 Beach Party, but while that event focused on punk, the Rock it! festival will present a more diverse cast of genres, including many indie and post-punk bands from Modern Sky Records in Beijing, including favorites like New Pants, Re-Tros, 33 Island, Joyside, and Muscle Snog.

With 18 of the performing bands being from Shanghai, Rock it! promises to help boost the image of Shanghai rock. However, there is a catch: "You can swim and use the water slide, but no alcohol is allowed because there will be many children [there]," explains Cui.

Here, CW presents three performing bands at Rock it! that are shaping the future of live music in our beloved metropolis.

The Honeys

Since their formation in 1997, The Honeys have become one of the most successful rock bands in Shanghai. They play melodic pop-rock in the classic U2 / Coldplay style (one American radio broadcaster dubbed them the “Chinese R.E.M.”), singing mostly in Chinese and recently integrating traditional Chinese instruments into their songs. With two albums under their belts and much well-deserved international praise, The Honeys got their first chance to play outside China this spring when they went to America for a three-show mini-tour. Now they hope that Rock It! can serve as a blast off site for the Shanghai rock scene. >"We believe in the future [of Rock It!] as a way for Shanghai bands to show themselves and teach people what rock n’roll is all about," says guitarist Wang Zhe. Look for a new album from The Honeys coming at the end of this year.

Crazy Mushroom Brigade

Shanghai nu-metal band Crazy Mushroom Brigade was formed in April of 2006 by four friends, J. Lee, Pupu, AKI and Lezi, who share a common passion for hardcore and rap-metal. Drawing influences from bands like Limp Bizkit and Muse, CMB plays a wild brand of Shanghai metal tailored for moshers and headbangers. They have earned a reputation as one of the youngest and liveliest bands in Shanghai with their heavy riffs and tight rhymes.

For the Rock it! festival, CMB will play their first show with their new DJ, Hikaru. Fresh from a trip to Japan, Hikaru will add turntable scratching to fill out the band’s nu-metal sound.

Keep your eyes open for a Crazy Mushroom Brigade EP is planned for the end of this year. CMB can also be seen every weekend at 288 Bar on Taikang Lu.

Happy Strings

Shanghai’s most famous all-girl band, Happy Strings has been playing energetic pop-punk for over four years. Though their songs may be few, the Happy Strings have earned a substantial following among young girls in Shanghai by proving that girls can rock just as hard as anyone else. "Girls have many words to say together, and we have more imagination than boy bands," said singer Xiao Yi. Happy Strings have a fun and antic-filled show, with plenty of opportunities to dance and get crazy. And for any young women in Shanghai who dream of having their own band, Xiao Yi offers this advice: "If you like rock music, then do it!"

Rock it! Schedule

Friday

13:30

Chaos Mind

14:20

Perfect Image

15:10

Ferris Wheel

16:00

Hedgehog

17:00

Caffe-in

18:00

Shan Ren

19:00

Honey Gun

20:00

Proximity Butterfly

21:00

Crystal Butterfly

22:00

New Pants

Saturday

11:00

Plastic Chocolate

11:50

Underground

12:40

Happy Sky

13:30

Loudspeaker

14:20

Sarah & Band

15:10

Spiral Cow

16:10

33 Island

17:00

The Life Journey

18:00

Wang Wen

19:00

45

20:00

Joyside

21:00

The Honeys

22:00

Twisted Machine

Sunday

11:00

Happy Strings

11:50

the los

12:40

Muscle Snog

13:30

The Wheels

14:30

WU SHI LAI LE

15:30

Banana Monkey

16:20

Linga

17:20

Crazy Mushroom Brigade

18:10

21 Gram

19:00

The Flying Fruit

20:00

Convenience Store

21:00

Re-Tros

22:00

TOOKOO

www.64783333.com. Tickets are ¥150 per day.