Category: Music

Part 1 here.

World’s End Girlfriend
November 5, 2016
QSW Culture Center

When news of World’s End Girlfriend playing here got around, there wasn’t any hint of hesitation that I just had to go, though, sure, I’ve only seen a handful of music videos, maybe played a song or two, but there was no legitimate big fan tag to pin with legitimacy on me. Should it matter, though? There’s that admission, and there was this opportunity that this -to put it bluntly- will be just like any other weekend gig I go to, except that it was a Japanese band that has appealed to the discerning music fans outside of their country for some time.

Continue reading Big Four, Part 2

As seen here -and I think I have a ticket stub somewhere in my stash- I had definite plans to watch Yuck last year, but couldn’t. I was surprised to see their name again in my Chinese gig schedule source recently (if you must ask), as the event was nowhere to be found in the expat-centric English lifestyle sites.

I knew of Yuck from their first album, but had not actively followed them after that release. Personnel changes happened with the band, I was made known, but I’ve already been on that road that time I saw Sepultura sans Max Cavalera. Admission price reasonable? Event venue accessible? The songs made me excited even just once-before? Then there’s barely any reason to miss this gig.

Continue reading Yuck

It was my second time to attend the annual local shoegaze fest, and I intentionally did not research much about the bands playing. All I really knew was there were local and Japanese bands in the roster, much like last year’s gig. That was good enough to convince me from my usual solitary weekends in Minhang.

Soft started the gig with sublime, classic shoegaze riffs that I decided to put my camera away for some time. I highlight “classic“, since having listened to the genre since the mid 90s, there’s a personal attachment involved here.

Continue reading How A Shoegaze Fest Made Me Realize Grunge Revivalism Exists

The You’ll Melt More! + Pikarin show in Shanghai last July 24 was part of  a local otaku convention, an event that wasn’t listed in my normal sources of events and gigs. This was a near-miss in my radar, and one that would be under a regret shortlist if I did fail to attend it.

Model turned pop idol, and now known as a ‘20,00 year-old idol from hell‘– Pikarin showed up with two corpse-face-painted dancers, with flag props with pentagram-like symbols. She would sing and dance in an almost typical idol fashion, but would break into metal growls, and kick random audience members, myself included.

Continue reading Pikarin / You’ll Melt More!