Take any underground music scene, and you will usually find that it is a mirror of some subculture in that location. In Shanghai, even though underground activity did not begin to emerge until the late 1980s, it has nevertheless grown large in the recent decade. Though not many bands in Shanghai have achieved much commercial success or headlined any big music festivals, since my first contact with them about 4 years ago, a lot has changed: some bands died out, some new ones were born, and more people have become aware of the underground music scene here. What hasn’t changed much is that most bands are still very underground rather than “indie”, and are often a part-time hobby rather than a profession. For anyone who’s interested in the youth culture and underground sounds in Shanghai, here’s a list of some good bands to start with and some venues to check out. I’ve decided not to limit the list to Shanghainese bands: the whole underground scene in China is very small, and many groups frequently visit Shanghai. BandsTop Floor Circus 顶楼的马戏团 This band might be the on the top of many lists on Shanghai bands, because they are really the most Shanghainese band ever! They sing in Shanghainese, play all kinds of rock and roll, joke about society and everyday life, and unabashedly include “indecent” content in their songs. They sing about the most ordinary people: their songs tackle obsessions with fried chicken and the disappointing local football team, as well as more serious topics like Shanghainese racism against non-Shanghainese (“外地人” / “wai di ren”) and the inhumane struggles of a delivery man (“快递员”). I would suggest checking out their classic album “13 Classic Shanghai Pop Rock Songs” (上海市流行摇滚金曲十三首) , which offers a great alternative perspective on Shanghai. Check these out: 上海童年 (Shanghai Childhood), 苏州河 (Suzhou River), 是男人(Be a Man). Carsick Cars A Beijing band comes second. I became a huge fan after seeing them live earlier this year in Yuyintang. The place was extremely crowded, both the lead singer and the bassist crowd-surfed, and we did lots of pogo dancing. The energy in their music, the beautiful rhythms, their evocative lyrics, and a good crowd that knew their music but did not go mad or over-violent all made this night one of my favorite gigs. They sing in both English and Mandarin, and their songs are, in my opinion, what best describes the teen spirit in Chinese youth. There are also strong political implications in some of their songs (The Best VPN So Far, 广场 [Plaza]). Besides, they are probably one of the first Chinese bands that successfully developed like a typical Western indie band: a simple bass/guitar/drum trio, good-sounding punk music, and tours around China, North America and Europe. They’ve played with Sonic Youth and have been critically acclaimed by many Chinese and Western music reviewers. If they come to Shanghai again, you should definitely go and see them. On a related note, two other very good bands have come out of this one: Birdstriking and White+. Check these out: 围城 (Fortress Besieged), 志愿的人(Volunteers), You Can Listen You Can Talk. Pairs This Shanghai band has not been active since its Australian drummer/lead singer Xiao Zhong returned to his homeland to get some fresh air. But I couldn’t pass over this band when writing this list! They are, in a word, legendary: not only did they perform a huge number of shows in their short time together, they also altered the face of underground Chinese music with their innovative ideas. As a drum-guitar duo, their music is nothing other than straight-forward, short (30 seconds to 2 minutes) noise punk. They actually admitted that their music was terrible and made everything free. But this kind of sincerity, do-it-yourself spirit and activeness (since lots of other Chinese bands are very, very lazy) was new to the Chinese underground scene, and gained them a good reputation. Xiao Zhong wrote in depth on their band blog - in both Chinese and English - about his experience as well as his criticisms and opinions on the music scene here. These blogs might give you a deeper insight into this underground culture; for example, his post “Things I’ve learned from being an idiot”. Check these out: Yangpu Qu, or really any song by them. Snapline(They don’t post a lot here so it might be more helpful to check their album pages http://music.douban.com/subject/2243497/ and http://music.douban.com/subject/10543150/, or buy their albums.) A more obscure and artsy band ends the list. Their music, a combination of post-punk, darkwave, noise, and avant-garde stuff, might not be very easily acceptable to many, but they are the reason I got into this music scene—I wasn’t even a fan of Chinese underground music until seeing them live more than three years ago. This Beijing trio only sings in English, and is made up of charming lead singer Chen Xi and two multi-instrumentalists Li Qing and Li Weisi. They all have a STEM major background in the top Chinese universities, and their nerdiness is reflected in their music too: they mention science fiction, stardates, dystopia, Stockhausen influences, and oscillators, among other things. They gave me a feeling of observing modern, digital, materialistic life: three rational and sober people laughing at the mundane and everyday indulgence represented by Huxley’s famous soma. Check these out: Flu, Holy Comments, Party is Over, Machi. Music Venues育音堂 (Yuyintang) is probably the first music venue you should check out in Shanghai. Though it is not that shabby or “close to the roots” as it was before its renovation, it’s the oldest music venue here and almost every band has played on its small stage. 851 Kaixuan Road, Changning District 长宁区凯旋路851号 Mao Livehouse has (so far) the best medium-size live music experience. Some criticize its sound system, but I have had many great gig experiences there. 3rd floor, 308 South Chongqing Road, Huangpu District 黄浦区重庆南路308号3楼 I haven’t checked out 浅水湾文化中心 (Qianshuiwan) yet, but I heard it’s more professional than Mao Livehouse, and has attracted many worldwide famous indie bands like Slowdive and God is an Astronaut. 179 Yichang Road, Putuo District 普陀区宜昌路179号 You can also check out…On Stage A2-101 in Red Town Art District, 570 West Huaihai Road, Changning District 长宁区淮海西路570号 红坊艺术园区A2-101 696 Live 11-8, 1727 North Sichuan Road, Hongkou District 虹口区四川北路1727弄11-8 JZ Club 46 West Fuxin Road 复兴西路46号 Indie Music LabelsMaybe Mars (兵马司): A beijing record label with a very good repetition. Most of their records are worth checking out. Modern Sky (摩登天空): One of the biggest indie labels, this is almost a mainstream label. Its artists cover a wide variety of music genres. Miniless (弥勒唱片): They have almost died out, but have released many interesting experimental and noise records. Genjing (根茎唱片): This label specializes in vinyls. Tension Music (天线音乐): A Shanghai-based label. Music FestivalsMIDI festival Location: San Jia Harbour, by the East Sea and Chang Jiang (Yangtze River) Forget about all other music festivals—go to to MIDI festival for the most original Chinese underground experience. I’m not sure if I know of any other music festivals in the world that are as spiritually close to Woodstock as MIDI is. The last time I went, my shoes got stuck in the mud so much that I couldn’t move; it was a terrible struggle, but what stuck even more was the festival’s atmosphere of simultaneous apocalypse and utopia. A minimal commercial presence, good underground bands, awesome crowds, lots of pogo and crowd-surfing, cheap tickets and food. JZ Festival Location: Expo Park An old festival with a good reputation. The set is jazz acts mixed with various indie musicians. Strawberry Music Festival Location: Expo Park An urban music festival organized by the Modern Sky Records. The set is mixed, with Chinese and international indie bands as well as mainstream acts. Compared to MIDI, its selection of musicians is less heavy and more indie-pop and folk. Last note: These are some bands and singers I didn’t include on the list. Many are a lot more famous than the aforementioned ones. If you are interested, here are a few names: GALA Song Dongye (宋东野) A Si (阿肆) Escape Plan (逃跑计划) Hao Meimei (好妹妹) Rebuilding the Rights of Statues (Re-TROS) (重塑雕像的权利) Although the quality of these bands might vary, they signify the great potential of the Chinese indie music industry. There are Chinese indie musicians that are actually as famous in China as Green Day is in the United States, and they are just as professional. I did not include them because they are not punk enough for me (here, the word “punk” refers to an innovative do-it-yourself spirit). These commercially-acclaimed bands do not offer deep insight to the underground scene anymore, even though they may have emerged from it. It feels like the underground is a harbor for all marginalized and creative people, and it’s where the Chinese subculture is really born. Some of these bands produce the greatest rock music I’ve ever heard. They are often experimental, which sometimes means that only a small group of hardcore fans truly enjoy them. But who knows - maybe in a couple of years, more and more people will learn to accept and enjoy Chinese indie music. Maybe China could have a music industry as prosperous as America or Europe’s, and maybe the bands we hear now are pioneers on that path.

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This article was written by Lu Pang. Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Lu Pang