After a busy opening to the year, things went a little bit flat for a month or two (as a lot of local bands were probably gearing up for the anticipated Midi Festival in Beijing at the beginning of May, which was cancelled at the last moment, a victim of pre-Olympic paranoia in this crazy city). Suddenly the music scene is jumping again, with a vengeance.
The awesome Ziyo are back, and, I gather, finally having a launch for their much talked about, oft delayed debut EP. Since MAO Livehouse, where they're playing, is the best music club in the city, and since it's only 20 minutes away from where I live (and 30 seconds away from 'second home', The Pool Bar), and since I have an enormous schoolboy crush on their utterly fabulous lead singer Helen Feng...... well, I feel that is my only choice tonight. More pictures of the lovely Helen here (the text is in French, but I'm sure you can cope). The band also has a rather good page on MySpace now.
I am a little torn, though. My pal Ed Peto of Red T is kicking off his summer season of open-air "Gloaming" concerts at another favourite venue, The Stone Boat in Ritan Park, tonight with an acoustic set from one of the city's most admired up-and-coming bands, Hedgehog. I'd like to support that too, but I'm afraid it's just not feasible to try to take in both - and my loins draw me towards MAO.
Tomorrow I face a similar dilemma, with my favourite Xinjiang-flavoured jazz outfit Panjir playing the Stone Boat and Jaime Welton's magnificent 'Monsters of Rock' tribute band Bad Mamasan appearing at the more local Yugong Yishan. Oh yes, and the FA Cup Final. Something's got to give......
And then on Sunday (if I'm still alive 48 hours from here) there's an intriguing-sounding new jazz trumpet prodigy, Chris Botti, playing at the city's most attractive auditorium, The Forbidden City Concert Hall.
So many gigs, so little time.....
2 comments:
Does anyone sing "You're more than a number in my little red book"?
Oh,my god - I haven't heard that for years! Who sang that??
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