Don't Miss:
Phantom of the Opera
The most popular and enduring musical of the 20th century returns to China, performed in English by a Western cast.
Zeitgeist
Date: Saturday and Sunday, 3-10pm
Address: 537 Haifang Lu | Details
Zeitgeist hosts the last Biergarden of the season in their courtyard with lots of cold beer, music, German food and wine. Starts 3pm on Saturday and Sunday, and the first 2 kegs on each day are free. Free entrance.
So Mezze
Date: Saturday, 3pm-late
Address: 358 Kanding Lu | Details
Price: Free entrance
So Mezze at Shangkang Li takes you to the captivating landscapes of Cappadocia for a day time outdoor party at Shangkang Li. Dress code is NOMAD, with a bottle of champagne for the best-dressed guest. Expect a day and night filled with tech house, organic house, and Afro-house music, complemented by striking decorations and activities that capture the essence of Cappadocia.
aLa Town
Date: Saturday, 12-7pm
Address: 66 Xianfeng Jie | Details
Price: Free entrance
September 7th marks Brazil's declaration of independence from Portugal. Brazilian Day, organized by the Brazilian Citizens Council in Shanghai, Brazil's Consulate General in Shanghai, and Latina Steakhouse, is a chance for you, your family, and your friends to learn more about Brazil or connect with your roots. The event will feature traditional Brazilian food, drinks, music, dance, art performances, a raffle, a children's play area, and more.
Museum Plaza
Date: Saturday and Sunday, 2-10pm
Address: 97 Yuanmingyuan Lu | Details
Price: Free entrance
Social Supply, Alter., and Dflt Mode host a full day of music and art, with a lineup of performances and special offers from various vendors at the Museum Plaza at Rockbund. Expect good music, lighting, wall art, and plant installations, with the space being turned into a green retreat. Food by Luneurs, The Matcha Tokyo, The Nest, Adesso. The event is free to attend.
Live Music Picks By Will / LiveChinaMusic |
Will Griffith is a photographer, videographer, writer, and music promoter living in Shanghai. He’s the founder of LiveChinaMusic - a platform dedicated to China's evolving underground music scene.
Modern Sky Lab (Ruihong Tiandi)
Date: Thursday, 8:30pm
Address: 3/F, 188 Ruihong Lu | Details
Price: 280rmb
Escapism of the highest order! Shibusashirazu Orchestra, formed by bassist Daisuke Fuwa in 1989 as a free jazz orchestra, is unlike anything out there. A multimedia jazz performance group consisting of over twenty musicians, including many well-known Japanese performers such as Hiroaki Katayama (ts) and Takeshi Shibuya (p), as well as Butoh dancers, modern dancers, theater actors, and artists, they create a sprawling, dynamic sound that stems from the jazz and funk movement of the 60s, with the influence of 80s punk and no wave, as well as the unruly spirit of rock and roll. Every show is a feat of sound, dancing, installation, and performance art, akin to being ‘caught in a musical tornado, with horns blaring, drums pounding, and basslines bouncing off the walls’. Riotous stuff.
VAS Livehouse
Date: Thursday, 8:30pm
Address: 3/F, 19 Wanhangdu Lu | Details
Price: 228rmb
A one-two punch combo from two prominent East Coast, USA bands with a penchant for fuzz, buzz, and hefty amounts of distortion. Brooklyn legends A Place To Bury Strangers, whose jagged, high velocity, tinnitus-inducing sound has deemed them 'the loudest band’ in New York where they have been a fixture on the noise and shoegaze scene for years, capturing the turbulent and volatile city life unlike any other. Drenching 'lovesick indie-pop in sheets of deafening static and distortion' they’ll be joining Ceremony East Coast, led by John Fedowitz and Sandra Fedowitz, who make love songs of the deafening kind - complete with driving drums, post-punk grit, raw shoegaze, and psychedelic freakouts - a haunting sound experience that gladly throws you into the deep end. Expect nothing less than an assault on the senses.
Specters
Date: Friday, 8pm
Address: 753 Yuyuan Lu | Details
Price: 220rmb, double ticket: 280rmb
Hardcore punk from Mexico - Acidez have been around since the early 2000s - stirring up trouble in Mexico’s second-biggest city - Guadalajara. While they’ve spiced up their sound over the past two decades - injecting elements of d-beat and thrash into their sound, they’ve stuck to their guns, ‘loving the beer and hating the rules’. They’re joining Xi’an’s The NONAME, who likewise have been stirring the fires of punk music in China since the turn of the century, crafting anthemic sing-along punk with the 90s skate punk twist - chock full of heavy guitar sounds, plump bass lines, and melodic propulsion - proving that 'the simplest riffs and lyrics are sometimes the most effective'. Rounding out the good times will be some of Shanghai’s finest - Round Eye and Bad Treatment. Expect Specters to get nice and sweaty for this one.
Singer Space
Date: Friday, 8:30pm
Address: 3/F, 1250 Yuyuan Lu | Details
Price: 269rmb
Cold wave crossed with krautrock - Paris’s Vox Low is an electro outfit that’s been compared to the acid-house version of Jesus & Mary Chain. With a dark and romantic sound with an industrial sheen, monotone vocals that have all the ‘rock and roll attitude of an exhausted 90s raver’ and an intoxicating blend of funereal post-punk, hazy dub, and synth-heavy electro - Vox Low is a vibe and a very good one at that. The French act is in town courtesy of wigwam so certainly have a knack for bands and artists on the edge of the club music.
Specters
Date: Saturday, 8:30pm
Address: 753 Yuyuan Lu | Details
Price: Free entrance
A bass drum noisecore trio from Tokyo - The Devils & Libido is buzzing with psychedelic energy, garage rock attitude, and math rock bravura - whirling a technical mind-blowing waltz of musical mayhem that’ll slap a shit-eating grin on your face. The band - who stirred up havoc countless times across China, returns for a three-city tour - part of the new series ‘JUST FOR KICKS!’ From local promoters Goosebumps. Joining the explosive band is LYSOMA, one of Shanghai’s best new acts - post-hardcore music with some real bite.
Yuyintang Park
Date: Saturday, 8:30pm
Address: B1/F, 1398 Yuyuan Lu | Details
Price: 118rmb
Seminal Shanghai shoegaze band RUBUR returns to Shanghai’s graces this Saturday! This is how shoegaze ought to be done – dragged across the concrete, as reverb floods your earlobes and hushed omnivorous vocals lull you into walls of ethereal melodic noise. All the elements come together beautifully, tinged with just the right amount of intensity and emotional resonance, resulting in more than one sonic epiphany. The band is celebrating ten years on the scene with a special showcase at Yuyintang Park with help from their friends and collaborators Asthen and Dahe. Nothing but love.
Modern Sky Lab (Ruihong Tiandi)
Date: Sunday, 8:30pm
Address: 3/F, 188 Ruihong Lu | Details
Price: 150rmb
Alt-pop to jazzy hip-hop, Thai artist Alec Orachi is as unorthodox as they come - an unyielding artist that fuses reggae, jazz, hip-hop, tribal music, and R&B in an unpredictable and buzzy concoction. Nominated as NME’s Best New Asian Act, and picked for 88rising’s Rookie Class of 2022, the singer-songwriter has caught on like wildfire with audiences, with an onslaught of festival appearances across the continent including Cat Expo, ASEAN Music Showcase Festival, and Zandari Festa. The artist will be heading to Shanghai as part of his nationwide tour. Support comes in the form of chameleon rock and rollers Vanishing Queen.
SYSTEM
Date: Saturday
Address: 3/F, 1329 Huaihai Zhong Lu | Details
Price: Presale: 128rmb
Yoshinori Sunahara, a Japanese electronic music artist and former member of Denki Groove and METAFIVE, is known for his retro-futuristic style and contributions to electronic music. Having collaborated with artists like YMO, Ringo Sheena, and Hikaru Utada, Sunahara will be performing in Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Shanghai in 2024, with special guests joining him on this tour titled "Bridge of Time."
Dirty House (INS)
Date: Satuday, 10:30pm-late
Address: 4/F, INS Fuxing Park, 109 Yandang Lu | Details
Price: 100rmb includes one drink
After-party of Space Panda's big rooftop-party: From Madrid's Boiler Room to the UK's Rinse FM and Berlin's HÖR, Afro-Spanish DJ Drea has made a name for herself through her deep understanding of Black music genres. She has become an important presence in the European club scene, particularly in Black dance music. Drea's DJ sets highlight Black music from various eras, reflecting a wide range of styles. Her distinct track selection and refined mixing skills have positioned her as one of the first Spanish DJs to hold a residency at the UK's Rinse FM, bridging the club music scenes of Spain and the UK.
Abyss Club
Date: Friday, 10:30pm-late
Address: B1/F, 151 Julu Lu | Address & Details
Price: 130rmb
Technokool, a DJ/producer from Hungary, has gained recognition in the Eastern European electronic music scene with tracks like Silky Razor, Streets of Prague, and Wheeler. Her music blends fast tempos with a psychedelic feel, powered by strong psy kicks. In addition to performing, she showcased her interest in exploring diverse and experimental electronic music at the NoFear event in Budapest. Melatronix, a queer duo made up of Elad Magdasi and Mathias Weber, draws on influences from old-school techno, trance, and acid.
Exit
Date: Satuday, 11pm-late
Address: 298 Xingfu Lu | Details
Price: 100rmb
Since starting his music career in 2015, Knopha has established himself in China’s dance music scene, becoming a regular performer at clubs such as Zhaodai in Beijing, Elevator in Shanghai, Oil in Shenzhen, and Mihn in Hong Kong. In June 2020, he co-founded BAIHUI (https://baihui.live), a community radio station supporting local Chinese independent musicians and DJs. In 2023, he became a resident DJ at Shanghai’s Heim Club and started a monthly event, Oranda, to highlight artists from across Asia. Knopha’s 2018 EP, released on Eating Music, garnered recognition. Knopha has also contributed mixes for Redlight Radio and Pender Street Steppers' NTS show.
Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai
Date: Thursday & Friday, 7:30pm/9:30pm
Address: 139 Nanjing Dong Lu | Details
Price: 199-688rmb
After a successful tour in the United States, renowned UK jazz guitarists Tom Ollendorff and Conor Chaplin, alongside acclaimed American drummer Ari Hoenig—one of the world’s top ten jazz drummers—are set to embark on the first leg of their China tour. They will perform at the Jazz Lincoln Shanghai Center on September 5-6, 2024. This extraordinary ensemble celebrated as some of the most influential figures in contemporary jazz, promises an exceptional live performance.
The Pearl
Date: Daily until Sep 7, 7-9pm
Address: 471 Zhapu Lu | Details
Price: 200rmb
The Pearl’s creative director, Cocosanti, has reworked our most successful dinner theater show, creating a new twist to the story of Moulin Rouge. His vision, La Rouge, will feel similar, yet different and fresh. Expect a more “immersive” and “Parisienne” style. There will be a spectacular of glitz, glamour, and cabaret. The audience will be transported to a land of seductive pleasures and wild parties where burlesque and vaudeville thrive, and our deepest desires live. In this retelling of the infamous Parisian Cabaret Club, you will experience a true taste of freedom, beauty, truth, and love.
Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre
Date: Friday and Saturday, 7:30pm
Address: 288 Anfu Lu | Details
Price: 180-380rmb
The Angel of History is a captivating new production by Sotterraneo, the acclaimed Italian theater group. This latest work draws inspiration from German philosopher Walter Benjamin’s thought-provoking ideas. In Benjamin's work, an angel flies with its gaze fixed on the past and its back to the future. As ruins of buildings and ideologies accumulate before him, the angel longs to pause and repair these fragments, but a storm—symbolizing "progress"—sweeps him relentlessly forward. Awarded the Ubu Prize for Best Italian Theater Show in 2022, this piece makes its Asian premiere, promising an insightful exploration of history and change.
Jaguar Shanghai Symphony Hall
Date: Friday, 8pm
Address: 1380 Fuxing Zhong Lu | Details
Price: 80-1280rmb
On Sept 6, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra will mark two milestones in Shanghai's cultural history: the 145th Anniversary of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and the 10th Anniversary of the Jaguar Shanghai Symphony Hall by presenting some of classical music's most cherished pieces, performed by stellar lineup of international and local talents. Under the baton of esteemed conductor Long Yu, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra will showcase its mastery and artistry in a diverse program that highlights the orchestra's rich history and the acoustical splendor of the Jaguar Shanghai Symphony Hall. Don't miss this extraordinary concert, a testament to the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra's enduring legacy and the Jaguar Shanghai Symphony Hall's decade of providing world-class musical experiences. Tickets sell fast. Act soon.
Poly Grand Theatre
Date: Saturday and Sunday, 7:30pm/2:30pm
Address: 159 Baiyin Lu | Details
Price: 80-880rmb
Internationally renowned choreographer and visual artist Shen Wei is bringing two of his classic works – "Folding" and "Near the Terrace" – to Shanghai Poly Grand Theater on September 7 and 8. The concept of "Folding" comes from Chinese philosopher Laozi's "Tao Te Ching," which states: "The great sound is almost silent, the great image is almost formless." The sister piece "Near the Terrace," is inspired by paintings of Belgian surrealist painter Paul Delvaux. presenting a dreamy and mysterious visual experience, featuring more of a Western visual art context. The performance will be presented by dancers from France, China, and the US.
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