Don't Miss:
Le Bal de Paris
An immersive live show enhanced by cutting-edge virtual reality technology. The audiences are invited to participate in the greatest Paris Ball, an experience created by Blanca Li to discover spectacular virtual reality through dance and music. Read more on SmSh here.
Heim
Date: Sat, Oct 12, 11pm-late
Address: 154 Nanyang Lu | All Details
Price: 88-120rmb/person
This event is organized by Kekexili and features a lineup of familiar faces. This edition highlights the return of HAO, who has recently moved back from overseas, alongside local talents Call A Taxi, TAIDI, and Kekexili. HAO has roots in Chengdu's club scene, and his music reflects the city's vibrant culture. He is a resident DJ at .TAG club. His techno mixes are known for their rhythmic energy. TAIDI, from Taiwan, prefers hard dance but also incorporates percussion and varied rhythms into his sets.
Abyss Club
Date: Sat, Oct 12, 10pm-late
Address: B1/F, 151 Julu Lu | All Details
Price: 100-130rmb/person
Umru is part of the legendary London music label PC Music and is likely the youngest member of this small group. On Spotify, Charli XCX has up to 45 million listeners each month, meaning about one in six users has heard her music; many of her top tracks come from the albums Pop 2 and Charli, indicating that most have also heard of umru, a producer hidden behind Charli XCX's massive success. He often sports oversized glasses and a glowing baseball cap, and this "nerdy" image seems at odds with the vibrant aesthetic of Hyperpop culture. However, that stereotype quickly fades away when he improvises beautiful sounds using effects and turntables in Boiler Room. He embodies the characteristics of a millennial, obsessed with the internet and the sounds and visuals it offers, preferring a "digital" aesthetic completely detached from reality, much like the music he creates.
Potent Club
Date: Sat, Oct 12, 10pm-late
Address: 3/F, Tx Mall, 523 Huaihai Zhong Lu | All Details
Price: 100rmb/person (Free entrance for ladies who follow their Xiaohongshu account)
Hailing from Naples and based in Berlin, DJ, sound designer, and visual artist DE FEO is becoming one of the most notable emerging artists in the Italian electronic music scene. As a resident at Berlin's AVA Club and the founder of the label SMR Underground, which reflects his passion for Hard Techno, DE FEO also explores experimental music through his project TOBE. In recent years, he has created music and art installations for renowned galleries and museums such as MADRE and MANN, and has been invited to perform at events like Jägermeister and ADE.
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.
SYSTEM
Date: Friday, 8:30pm
Address: 3/F, Yunhai Mansion, 1329 Huaihai Zhong Lu | All Details
Price: 98-150rmb/person
Some of New Zealand’s most thrilling and deletable acts roll through Shanghai as part of a nationwide tour put together by bonafide Chengdu promoters Kiwese. ’Sci-fi bakery thrash from Aotearoa, NZ - BIRDPARTY - the livewire merging of extreme metal musician William Barrett (Heresiarch) and ambient/electronic dance producer Emma Bernard (Ludus) - will be bringing their uproarious live show and cathartically noisy spread of cinematic semi-industrial goods & services to SYSTEM with another special New Zealand guest - indie band Vera Ellen - whose ‘hooked-to-the-brim melodies and clear, confident, and relaxed vocals’ has garnered quite a bit of attention and awards, as well as a couple of releases under seminal Kiwi label Flying Nuns Records. Joining in on the fun will be Kiwese ringleader Kaishandao - whose ‘infectious energy has culminated into a refreshing sound of her own—born in the moshpit, reared in the club,’ as well as Shanghai musical shapeshifter Aming, as DJs Ludus & Rizzo. Don’t sleep on this one.
Bandai Namco Dream Hall
Date: Thursday, 8:30pm
Address: 179 Yichang Lu | All Details
Price: 198-238rmb/person
Folk tunes from the Beinan group of Taiwan, award-winning singer Chen Jiannian (also known by his tribal name as Pau-Dull) has been the leading voice for the indigenous language of Puyuma, becoming one of the most popular aboriginal music artists in Taiwan. Finding common ground with both the traditional music of Taiwan's Indigenous Puyuma tribe and modern folk and ballad sounds, his music exhibits an elegant, often improvisational feeling, retaining a graceful aura while working within pop structures - ‘his plaintive voice accompanied by soft rolling acoustic guitar licks’. Righteous.
trigger
Date: Sat, Oct 12, 7pm
Address: Room 308, Union Mansion, 350 Wuning Lu | All Details
Price: 65rmb/person
A hearty stimulating spread over at trigger - as an assortment of experimental musicians, artists, and sound explorers converge at the experimental music hotspot. On the docket, you’ve got Amazonia, O - the Brazilian shapeshifter (and drummer of rock act Dirty Fingers) whose shamanic soundscapes incorporate everything from black metal and noise to folk and more. Also, sound designer and composer MORELLA BAI will be on hand with perhaps her bass, synthesizer, and tape recorder; American guzheng and SOMA synth lover Yukes; modular synth noise maker YAMAHAHA; Ultracocker Shocking - the latest project from trigger’s own Junky; and Qingdao-based noise and wind musician Wang Daoshan, continuing his tear across Shanghai. Like I said - quite the spread.
SYSTEM
Date: Sun, Oct 13, 8:30pm
Address: 3/F, Yunhai Mansion, 1329 Huaihai Zhong Lu | All Details
Price: 80-100rmb/person
Worm Temple (fresh off the success of bringing over UK act Mammal Hands) invites Japanese improvisational sax player Kawashima Makoto to SYSTEM for a special showcase. A ‘master of using the white space between sounds’ whose music is filled with tense silences and startling vibrato outbursts. A timbre that may be harsh, but there's a deeply introspective, even vulnerable, euphemistic quality to Kawashima's improvisations that has made him a staple of the improvisational scene. Joining him will be Qingdao-based improvisational wind and noise musicians (a combo that spells disaster in the best possible way) who will be closing out his weekend Shanghai residency. Hell yeah.
Yuyintang Park
Date: Sun, Oct 13, 8pm
Address: B1/F, 1398 Yuyuan Lu | All Details
Price: 40rmb/person w/ drink
New Face showcase - one of the city’s most crucial series - one acting as a stepping stone for many a new band’s journey - returns to their new home of Yuyintang Park. Tonight’s lineup features three acts that are looking to make their mark on the scene, including grunge-infested up-and-comers ANKH, indie rockers Uncanny Other - who embed their angsty sound with post-punk edges and shoegaze dissonance, and Mi-Box - channeling some of that alt-rock goodness.
Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai
Date: on Oct 11 and Oct 12, 7:30pm/9:30pm
Address: 4/F, 139 Nanjing Dong Lu | All Details
Price: 168-428rmb
Saunders Sermons is a celebrated American singer, trombonist, and songwriter with two Grammy Awards. Saunders began his musical journey at 11 and has since evolved into a prominent figure in the jazz world. His remarkable journey includes recording the single "Part of Me" with the Tedeschi Trucks Band and collaborating with iconic artists such as 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, and Mary J. Blige. Since joining the Tedeschi Trucks Band in 2010, Saunders has continued to shine, earning his second Grammy Award and captivating audiences worldwide. Don't miss this chance to experience his rich musical heritage, dynamic performances, and the soulful sounds that have defined his career.
Shanghai International Dance Center
Date: on Oct 11 and Oct 12, 7:30pm
Address: 1650 Hongqiao Lu | All Details
Price: 80-880rmb
Experience the breathtaking fusion of extreme sports and dance in "Corps Extrêmes," a poetic masterpiece by choreographer Rachid Ouramdane. This innovative work brings together two iconic extreme sports enthusiasts—a highliner and a climber—alongside eight acrobats, as they explore themes of flight, weightlessness, and the allure of suspension. This captivating piece balances the thrill of adventure with a dreamlike exploration of the human spirit, illuminating extraordinary experiences that resonate deeply. Don’t miss this unique celebration of freedom and artistry!
Theatre YOUNG
Date: on Oct 12 and Oct 13, 7:30pm/2:00pm
Address: 1155 Kongjiang Lu | All Details
Price: 180-680rmb
"Jungle Book: Reimagined" is British world-renowned choreographer Akram Khan's latest dance drama production. It reinvents Rudyard Kipling's beloved classic, "The Jungle Book," through the lens of a climate refugee. This innovative adaptation explores Mowgli's journey with a fresh perspective, highlighting themes of displacement and survival.
The Pearl
Date: Friday, 8:30pm
Address: 471 Zhapu Lu | All Details
Price: 150-180rmb
The Pearl’s Tribute series just keeps getting bigger! After sold-out series for Queen, Adele & Ed Sheeran, and Linkin Park, The Pearl’s Red Stars band will getting into the biggest stars of the 2000s: Maroon 5, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga. Gorgeous, talented dancers Sasha and Anna inject a bit of sexy glamor into their choreographed routines to lead the audience astray.
Shanghai Oriental Art Center
Date: Sat, Oct 12, 7:30pm
Address: 425 Dingxiang Lu | All Details
Price: 280-1080rmb
Secret Garden, a Norwegian musical phenomenon for nearly three decades, has captivated audiences worldwide with their enchanting melodies. With over 113 platinum records sold globally and album sales exceeding 5 million copies, their music has been streamed over 3 billion times, resonating deeply with listeners. On 12th October, Secret Garden will provide the audience with a beautiful and healing musical journey.
Modern Art Museum
Date: From Oct 11 until Feb 28, 10am-6pm
Address: 4777 Binjiang Da Dao | All Details
Price: 70-120rmb
After 36 years, Marina Abramović brings her first large-scale solo exhibition at a museum in China to the Modern Art Museum. This exhibition spans three floors, showcasing over 150 works. It will also feature, for the first time, hundreds of images from Abramović’s journey along the Great Wall, alongside a comprehensive display of her early pieces and latest works. Through a variety of mediums including film, objects, and photographs, the exhibition offers a thorough exploration of Marina Abramović's growth as a milestone figure in contemporary art. On the fourth floor, an immersive art therapy space will offer visitors a profound journey of self-reflection. Reservations are required.
Fotografiska
Date: From Oct 13 until Jan 12,10:30am-11pm
Address: 127 Guangfu Lu | All Details
Price: 120rmb/person (for all the exhibits at Fotografiska)
Fotografiska Shanghai will present the exhibition Sweet Dreams by contemporary artist Chen Wei from October 13th. Through photography, video, installation, and sound pieces, Sweet Dreams constructs an immersive audiovisual environment that facilitates an understanding of the extensive impacts of digital life. By simulating the dilemmas of contemporary urban life, the exhibition invites viewers to rethink how to establish one’s own sense of time and the integrity of an individual in a technology-driven society.
Fotografiska
Date: From Oct 13 until Jan 12,10:30am-11pm
Address: 127 Guangfu Lu | All Details
Price: 120rmb/person (for all the exhibits at Fotografiska)
In an era dominated by increasingly similar digital images and photo editing tools, how can one approach artistic creation? Perhaps you can find new inspiration from Three in One by contemporary artist Li Weiyi at Fotografiska Shangha unveiled on October 13th. In the exhibition, Li Weiyi will bring together three new series: Three in One, Ikebana Study, and Sisters in Water. Li Weiyi was born in China She received a BA from the College of Architecture & Urban Planning, Tongji University (2009), an MFA from Yale College of Art (2012) and a doctorate from the Royal College of Art (2023). She also has worked for decades-long as a designer and image-maker.
Canadian International School Kunshan
Date: Sun, Oct 13, 9:30
Address: No. 555 Chuanshi Lu, Jiangsu Province | All Details
The Canadian International School Kunshan hosts an Open Day on October 13th. This is a unique opportunity to experience the distinct charm of the school firsthand, gain insights into their educational philosophy, faculty strength, and diverse curriculum offerings.
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