D-22

The enigmatically-named D-22 is one of Beijing's many small music venues.

Last night was their 1st Anniversary Party, so there was quite a good line-up of local bands.

I went a number of times during their first few months, but had pretty much given up on the place. It's just too small for a rock music venue - or rather, too small and the wrong shape: it isn't even able to make the best use of the space it has. As a result of these layout problems, the acoustics are just appalling - the sound always seems muddy, muffled. And there's an irritating preciousness about the place, somehow: it's owned and run by foreigners, and they seem to project a kind of smug attitude that just because of this it's automatically going to be a much better bar than a regular Chinese one. (It wouldn't be so bad if this were true, but in fact it suffers from all the characteristic vices - warm beer, sloppy service, fake spirits, high prices - of Chinese bars, and then some.)

However, I am trying to be more open-minded these days, to allow second chances. So, I gave D-22 a second chance last night. I don't think I'll be going back there again in a hurry.

To give them their due, it was a fine gig (although it started very late). And they have improved a lot of things over the course of the year. The sound system seems much better (although it is the acoustic properties of the bar which are the real problem, not the speakers - there's a wraparound mezzanine balcony which causes all kinds of problems. Underneath it, the sound is just squelched. I've never been upstairs on it, but I imagine things must sound pretty dreadful up there too. You really have to be in the small area of floorspace with a clear ceiling to have a chance of a decent listening experience there.). They've dropped the drink prices quite a bit, I think. And it does offer some unsual views of the peformers - hanging over the balcony behind the stage, or watching right at the side of the stage (as I did for much of last night) from the passage leading to the loos.

However, the beer is still warm. And the service is still kind of surly and offhand (having some foreign barstaff there appears to be no advantage). At times last night there was as many as 7, 8, or 9 people behind the bar, far more than there ever were customers trying to get served at one time - and yet it was still difficult to get anyone's attention.

Yes, it's kind of fun to have a venue where you can get so close to the band. And they have done well to build up a roster of bands who play there reguarly; indeed, almost exclusively, some of them, I think.

But, at the end of the day, it's a bad space. The sound sucks. The service sucks. And the much better Club 13 (perhaps my favourite of all the city's grungy music bars, although it's a bit too far away from where I live for it to have become a regular haunt of mine) is only two doors away. Sorry, D-22, it's the 'Hate List' for you.