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.
Pistolera (Shanghai Center)
Date: Saturday, 2-6pm
Address: 1/F, Shanghai Center | Address & Details
Price: 320rmb includes 4 hours free flow of selected drinks and 2 hours buffet
This one is organized by a group of like-minded expats who were already living in Shanghai when there were hardly any elevated roads, no Pudong airport and (maybe) only one subway line. A party for fellow old-timers. Join their WeChat group through the QR code on the flyer for guest list and updates.
Parlay
Date: Saturday, 2pm
Address: Rm 103, Bldg 18, 808 Shaanxi Bei Lu | Address & Details
Price: Free
Join Parlay for the 5th annual Hot Sauce Competition on August 31st. Whether you're an amateur or a professional, you're welcome to participate. Bring your best homemade sauces and compete in three categories, including Best Red Sauce.
Shanghai Culture Square
Date: Daily until September 15, 7:30pm/2pm
Address: 597 Fuxing Zhong Lu | Address & Details
Price: 80-1080rmb
Elisabeth, the most successful German-language musical of all time, has attracted over 12 million people worldwide, with over 9000 performances in 10 different languages in 14 countries. With more than 20 top-class actors and actresses, accompanied by an orchestra, and featuring the original costumes, the staged concert version of the successful German-language musical will be staged by Lion Entertainment, licensed by the original production company Vereinigte Bühnen Wien.
Shanghai International Dance Center
Date: Friday and Saturday, 7:30pm
Address: 1650 Hongqiao Lu | Address & Details
Price: 60-680rmb
Experience the captivating fusion of East and West with "A Sigh of Love," a collaborative modern ballet co-created by Shanghai Ballet and French artists, marking a significant milestone in Sino-French cultural exchange. Premiered in 2006, this production combines the talents of renowned choreographer Mr. Bertrand d’At and a team of distinguished artists from China and France. Set against the evocative backdrop of 1930s Shanghai, "A Sigh of Love" intricately weaves together classical and contemporary ballet styles. The choreography innovatively integrates the storyline with diverse dance forms, offering a poignant narrative of star-crossed lovers in the bustling metropolis.
Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai
Date: Friday and Saturday, 7:30pm/9:30pm
Address: 4/F, 139 Nanjing Dong Lu | Address & Details
Price: 168-428rmb
The Rafal Sarnecki Quartet is a transcontinental jazz ensemble that seamlessly blends the diverse sounds of Poland, the United States, and Colombia. This dynamic group features a Polish guitarist, a soulful American saxophonist, a vibrant Colombian drummer, and a versatile US bassist. Together, they craft a unique fusion of cultural rhythms and melodies, weaving traditional jazz with global influences. Their performances offer an innovative and captivating musical journey, showcasing the power of cross-cultural collaboration and celebrating the rich diversity within the jazz genre.
Shangyin Opera House
Date: Saturday, 7:30pm
Address: 6 Fenyang Lu | Address & Details
Price: 80-380rmb
Experience an exceptional evening of guitar music featuring the renowned Hungarian master David Pavlovits, alongside the OOSG Guitar Quartet and the Shanghai Guitar Philharmonic Orchestra. This special concert will highlight a selection of Pavlovits' original solo and ensemble compositions. David Pavlovits, a distinguished figure in contemporary guitar music, will present his acclaimed works which are celebrated globally and recorded by Hungarian national television, promising an unforgettable musical experience.
Shanghai Grand Theatre
Date: Saturday, 7:30pm
Address: 300 Renmin Da Dao | Address & Details
Price: 80-480rmb
This rendition of Hamlet is crafted by Chinese and Georgian artists, including Gocha Kapanadze, the internationally celebrated Georgian director and artistic director of the Rustavi National Theatre, and Lomguli Murusidze, a revered Georgian stage designer, and Huang Mohan, a promising young director, teacher, and producer from the Shanghai Theatre Academy. Their collaboration has resulted in a Hamlet that challenges traditional interpretations. By removing many of Shakespeare’s classic monologues and straightforward dialogues, they present the play’s most intense scenes directly to the audience, creating profound dramatic tension.
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.
VAS Livehouse
Date: Friday, 8:30pm
Address: 3/F, 19 Wanhangdu Lu | Address & Details
Price: 280rmb/person
With three decades worth of critically acclaimed music under his belt, German guitarist, bandleader, and musical explorer JJ Whitefield has been a force to be reckoned with in the funk scene, most notably with his band Poets Of Rhythm in the 90s and under the pseudonym Karl Hector, with releases on labels such as Stones Throw, Daptone, Ninja Tune, and more - absorbing the wide world of Ethiopian Jazz and West African funk, as well as Kraut-rock and ambient music - most recently venturing into the realm of spiritual jazz with his latest release The Infinity Of Nothingness. Recalling the greats Sun Ra and Pharoah Sanders whilst forging its own path - JJ Whitefield creates a sound spacious and open – rhythmic and modal - with elements of hip hop, library, and avant-garde music served up with shifting instrumentation that includes keyboards, reeds, guitar, and percussion. Supporting the band are Beijing instrumental groove stirrers eitisga - made up of an electric group of artists in various fields who find refuge in the vast sonic worlds across the globe, injecting their melodies and rhythm with a deft cinematic fervor that’s fun above all else.
Specters
Date: Friday, 8:30pm
Address: Bldg D, 753 Yuyuan Lu | Address & Details
Price: Presale: 80rmb/person, Door: 100rmb/person, Double ticket: 150rmb
Hard rock like they used to make it - The Eureka - have no qualms leaning into the sleaze and fun of rock and roll - mustering up a rollicking good time that’s high-octane, potent, and righteous. With a heavy dose of blues rock injected straight into their bloodstream and a lead singer - that feels like a cross behind Steven Tyler and Axel Rose. It’s grand, musically rich, and has the perfect amount of cheese to bring you back to the early years of MTV.
Ale Garden
Date: Saturday, 6:30pm-late
Address: 11 Guotai Lu | Address & Details
Price: Free entrance
Taking a cue from the series ’30 People 30 Songs’ - an event started in Tokyo and has popped in cities across China since then - Melting! Our Indie Sundae! looks to bring together a diverse variety of singers and artists this weekend at Ale Garden in Yangpu. Hosted by shoegaze/dream pop platform We Made Us Realize it’s an indie summer bash featuring some of the scene’s freshest most wide-eyed aficionados - ‘all-stars and amateurs’ alike going unplugged and sharing their love for the sound of Sarah Records and more music of that ilk.
Modern Sky Lab (Ruihong Tiandi)
Date: Sunday, 8pm
Address: 3/F, Ruihong Tiandi, 188 Ruihong Lu | Address & Details
Price: Presale: 60rmb/person, Full price: 80rmb/person
Modernsky Lab continues to shine a light on Shanghai's emerging talent with the return of their series Polymerize Lab - giving acts a taste of the big stage - and giving folks here this an affordable and rollicking good time. For their latest edition they’ve tapped electro-pop hitmakers Jungle Butterfly, avant-indie act Cyclists, and alt-rock acts Forget Milton.
Yuyintang Park
Date: Sunday, 9pm
Address: B1/F, 1398 Yuyuan Lu | Address & Details
Price: Presale: 40rmb/person, Full price: 60rmb/person, Double ticket: 75rmb
Solo depressive black metal project, Storytellers, spearheaded by the aptly named Ocelot, is the best of its kind - a relentlessly bleak, oppressive, and atmospheric smothering of black metal - soundtrack music to one’s fall from heaven into the gates of hell. Simply glorious stuff - brooding, over the top, and full of blood curling shirking. How it all works out on stage is beyond me but color me intrigued. Supporting him will be the emerging Shanghai heavy metal act Dystopia who appropriately depict bizarre stories in a dystopian world.
Ale Garden
Date: Sunday, 7:30pm
Address: 11 Guotai Lu | Address & Details
Price: Free entry
Ale Garden, the quaint hip Yangpu-located hub for university kids, art-house film nights, and musical exchanges is gearing up for the fall semester with a weekend filled with gigs featuring some killer acts. On the docket tonight are indie rockers Uncanny Other - who embed their angsty sound with post-punk edges and shoegaze dissonance, Two Birds, an indie rock outfit whose earnestness is fleshed out via cathartic melodies and rich lyricism, emo rockers Automatic Renewal, and Hangzhou post-rock outfit Reclock卡卡.
Potent Club
Date: Saturday, 10pm-late
Address: 3/F, Tx Mall, 523 Huaihai Zhong Lu | Address & Details
Price: Door: 100rmb/person
Since becoming one of the first resident DJs at Berghain/Panorama Bar alongside Marcel Dettmann, Marcel Fengler has been an influential figure in Berlin's techno scene. His debut EP on Ostgut Ton in 2007 marked an important step in his career and established him as a key member of the label. In 2011, he launched his own label, Index Marcel Fengler (IMF), which reflects his personal style while also bringing in new talents to contribute to a shared vision.
Exit
Date: Satuday, 10pm-late
Address: 298 Xingfu Lu | Address & Details
Price: 100rmb with a drink
Shelter was all about the music -- a simple basement with air-raid shelter -- like compartments, equipped with speakers and drinks, without flashy lighting or unnecessary extras. From 2007 to 2016, Shelter was a hub for underground alternative music, featuring sounds that weren’t often heard at typical events. On Saturday, August 31st, Shanghai Ultra (Live Set), Wensen, Nik Hilp, Illsee, and Velvet Robot—five DJs who were part of the Shelter scene—will recreate the spirit of that underground era, spinning Techno, Jakbeat, Acid House, Italo, EBM, New Beat, and more.
SYSTEM
Date: Friday, 10:30pm-late
Address: 3/F, Yunhai Mansion | Address & Details
Price: 88rmb
In 2012, at the age of 27, Reynier Hooft began making a name for himself in the Dutch techno scene, performing and releasing music under the alias Deniro—a nickname inspired by his friends' playful comparison to actor Robert De Niro. That year, he released his first official techno EP, Grey, on Amsterdam's Tape Records. The EP, characterized by a precise and minimal use of melody and rhythm, reflects a modern interpretation of the 90s techno sound deeply influenced by Detroit's soul music. Tape Records, an Amsterdam-based label co-run by Deniro alongside Berend Kirch and Jeroen Kok, has been the primary outlet for his work, gaining recognition within niche circles.
ALL Club
Date: Friday, 9pm-late
Address: 2/F, 17 Xiangyang Bei Lu | Address & Details
Price: Presale: 100rmb/person, Door: 160rmb/person
TOFUBEATS is a well-known J-Pop music producer from Japan's new generation, having worked with artists like YUKI, Nozomi Sasaki, and Keiichi Sogabe. His single "The Mercury" has garnered over 50 million streams, making him a significant figure in Japan's DJ and production scene. This song has been covered and remixed numerous times in just a few years, with one of the most recognized versions appearing in the film Drowning Love, starring Masaki Suda and Nana Komatsu. TOFUBEATS also composed the theme song "Immortal Love" for the TV drama Video Girl Ai, which is based on a manga.
***
