2010草莓音乐节: Strawberries, Sunshine and, um, Some amazing music.
Reposting(ish) from my gig blog because this was an epic weekend that needs to be recorded in more place than one.
note: obviously this is mostly about bands. I'll update... you know... eventually... about the people I was with and the other random stuff I saw.
Strawberry Festival was, quite simply, an amazingly good time. There are things I would change but there are more things I wouldn't, and coupled with the good luck of the first warm sunny days we have had in this city since, oh, September last year, it made for one of the best music festival experiences of my life. And I don't say that lightly.
So without further ado... some LJ cuts. (Because this got way too long.)
DAY ONE
As you may have heard from anyone who woke up late after a Friday night on the town and casually rocked up to the festival around 1PM, the lines were insane. It was only by a stroke of good luck (and friend placement!) that got me through the door that afternoon, so I missed the two main-stage acts I was planning to see - Perdel and Bigger Bang. I did, however, make it in time to see the end of The Dancers, and they were just as good as expected of a Chinese superband. They sounded a little like Carsick Cars - understandably - and even played one of their songs.
I didn't get to see any of AV Okubo, since they switched time slots with Xiao He. I stuck around for some of his set but then went wandering to explore. In my travels, I caught the end of Heli's set at the Douban stage, which had an adorably tiny crowd. Heli didn't fit all stereotypes of a singer-songwriter type, but what I saw of his set was great.
Then it was back to the main stage to catch Queen Sea Big Shark, which is always a good time. Fu Han was dressed in a silver bodysuit, which looked unbearably hot in the sunlight and stage lighting, though she changed into a much more familiar leotard after a couple of songs. They were fun and high energy as always, and compelled people to dance even from hilltops hundreds of meters away.
Then I caught Carsick Cars over at the Love Stage, and they absolutely rocked out. The crowd really got into it, singing and cheering them on. I managed to miss Zhong Nan Hai in transit, but what I did see was awesome.
And I didn't get to see very much of them, but Dingke was definitely a band I will be checking out soon. They were paired up for a gig with The Life Journey at Mao, and I can definitely understand why. Their sound and image is really similar, and it seems the bands are friendly: I saw Life Journey's bassist at Dingke, and Dingke's singer helping set up for Life Journey on Sunday.
Then I went back to see what all the fuss was about Does It Offend You, Yeah?, but I didn't see anything very spectacular. They were a generic dance rock band you can find anywhere, and definitely not the best foreign act I saw all weekend.
To finish the night up, I saw bits of Confucius Says, which rocked (I was surprised), Miserable Faith (pretty palatable hard rock for the metal stage), and of course Tang Dynasty, one of the classic rock bands of China who definitely lived up to their name. I enjoyed them all, and it was a brilliant way to end the night on a high.
I will admit that much of Saturday was spent trying to procure beer - at around about 5PM there was no beer to be had for love nor money, at any of the official bar stalls, and one of the stalls had flat run out of everything. So around and around the grounds we went, which was great for new discoveries of music, but kinda crap for getting any solid impression of a band's live performance.
Which brings us to...
DAY TWO
In my fear of turning up too late and not having well-placed friends in line, I turned up to Tongzhou Canal Park far too early on Sunday. The only awesome thing about turning up early to a festival is that you get to hear soundchecks. Otherwise, it's just sort of boring.
One of the big festival highlights from all three days was definitely Reptile and Retard. I didn't know what to expect, but what we got was a show. I've pretty much forgotten what their music was like (electronic sort of dance music?), but what sticks in my memory are these two white dudes in masks with their shirts off, one of whom went absolutely nuts, hopped into the crowd, and stood not ten feet from us on a boulder and kept the song going as the audience cheered and rocked out. And that wasn't the best part - as one of their many "last songs", they invited someone up onto the stage to play drums for them, since there was a kit lying around. Finally someone put up their hand, and he was taken on stage and had to play with his hands. Thankfully, he was actually pretty good. These couple of Danes really got the crowd going, even as the first show of the day, and it was definitely a sight to see.
Next up was Zeng Yike, or Zeng Ge as everyone was calling her. I didn't recognize the name but as soon as she started singing I turned to my festival friend and said "this is the chick from Super Girl who couldn't sing, isn't it?" And it was. Love her or hate her, you have to admit that she's pretty adorable. Personally, I don't believe it's necessary to have a good singing voice to write or perform good music, and while I don't like that her popularity is from mass media, I like the message she stands for: do what makes you happy, whether people love you or hate you for it. She seems pretty aware of what her image means to people, though, and hopefully she gets better and less awkward on stage as she communicates that.
Then it was time for one of my favorite bands in China: The Life Journey. They were, as usual, completely adorable. Their new band member, drummer Xu Biao (徐彪), fit in perfectly with the others, and definitely enjoyed riling up such a large crowd. Keyboardist Old Banana (韦伟) was as cute as ever, videotaping the crowd and miming requests for applause. Yann (孔阳), as well, was particularly emotive as he introduced their song "Marry" as being for his new girlfriend (or, more accurately, "the girl who has recently come into my life"). They also performed the song they wrote for Oxfam and talked generally about problems in the world, and dedicated another song of theirs to the drought-stricken south-west of China. It's always nice to see a band with a conscience.
The next act for Sunday was Zhou Yunpeng, a blind folk artist who came highly recommended to me and who I will definitely vouch for. A lot of the appeal of his music is, I think, in the social messages in the lyrics (there was a song about the ring roads stretching outwards and outwards to other cities in China, then south-east Asia, then Australia, etc), but for those non-Chinese in the audience, he offers an unique sound with his deep, humming voice and single guitar. The peculiar thing about this performance was not the blind man on stage, but the fact that everyone was made to sit down by security. Personally, I think it was just for visual effect in the recordings, but it did make for an impressive standing ovation at the end of his set.
After that, I caught a bit of Kulu and the first few songs of Re-TROS, both of which were good, but after standing for a few too many hours with inappropriate footwear, I bowed out early and made it home before 10PM.
And finally...
DAY THREE
As you could probably tell, my arrival time was a bit Goldilocks, and on Monday we managed to arrive at just the right time to leisurely stroll through the gates without having to wait very long to see any bands.
The day started out with Monokino, a Dutch dance rock group who seemed to be channeling Placebo a little too much for my liking. However, what kept me around for one more song was the Chinese keyboardist introducing the next song, which was a Chinese song I didn't recognize. The Brian Molko-wannabe sang the Chinese lyrics in his nasal twang, though, and it was highly entertaining even if you didn't recognize the song. The crowd loved it, and I'll give them a thumbs up for making the effort to appeal to the Chinese crowd.
After a few songs, it was over to the main stage where Candy Monster played. Now, I don't know how I got Candy Monster and Casino Demon conflated in my mind, but when the synth-pop tunes started playing I realized I had made a mistake. Candy Monster were lots of fun, very energetic, and everyone in the crowd loved the bilingual nature of the gig, with the foreign keyboardist introducing them in fairly toneless Chinese. He and the lead singer definitely compete for the spotlight in this group, but luckily it just makes for more interesting visuals rather than a fight for attention.
Then, we popped over to the Love Stage where Guaili were doing their thing. It was a little too punky for me, so we went for a wander to the School of Rock stage where Poshangcun were doing a very involved soundcheck. They did half of a few songs, which all sounded great, and I definitely recommend checking them out next time you can.
After that was Xiu Xiu, the American band with a Chinese name. I've never really been a fan of Xiu Xiu, and it might have been my position from on top of a hill but I didn't see the Chinese fans getting into it. I heard a lot of people talking about them, but there was something in the performance that just didn't illicit the sorts of cheers that I saw some foreign acts get on the main stage.
So we headed off to the Love Stage, where Gia (王悦) was playing. As expected of an ex-Hang on the Box member, she did not disappoint, and rocked out in her pink tights and baby blue skirt even though the crowd was surprisingly sparse for the performance. She definitely proved worthy of her punk rock credentials, and I would suggest getting out to see her if you can.
Then it was back to the main stage, where indie heartthrob Peng Tan took the stage. My impression is a little left-field and only Australians will get it, but he reminded me a little of Lior, both in the singer-songwriter-plus-band feel but also in his outfit and hair. He was entertaining, but he's definitely the darling of the indie pop world, and after a few songs I was full to bursting of love songs. Time for something a little different.
Reflector, at the Love Stage. I'd been strongly recommended to see them by a friend who works at Underground Music (formerly Music Station) on Gulou East Street, just east of NLGX, and I was not disappointed. The first song we heard as we rounded the corner was a cover of You Are My Sunshine, which the crowd sang along to whole-heartedly, and from that moment I knew I wasn't walking away until their set was over. The crowd was feverish, and the band was bursting with energy, excited to be participating at Strawberry for the first time, and it was an intoxicating mix. If these guys are ever near you, get out to see them. You will not be disappointed.
After some dinner was Hedgehog, who as usual did not fail to please. Their new bass player is a bit of a snore (if very geek-chic), but like I said when I saw them perform as The B-Side Lovers, I don't think it makes much of a difference. So much of Hedgehog's sound and appeal is tied to Atom and Zo that it seems difficult to assess Xiao Nan's place. Still, I await new tracks to pass any judgement.
Back to the main stage was the end of Muma & Third Party, which was an incredible experience even for three songs. Muma is an intense performer, which the crowd absolutely loved, and the music is a great take on some classic rock traditions. It was enthusiastic and passionate without being all over the place, despite Muma's apparent breakdowns and rebellions. A lot of bands could learn, I think, from a performer like Muma.
Then finally came SuperVC, a newly-added act and one that I could not have been more excited for. I'll admit it, I'm a SuperVC fangirl. One of the ones down the front in the second row jumping and singing along and clapping their hands and giggling when they sing into the microphone together and squealing when Zhen Yang does something crazy (which is always)... you know the ones. You've seen them on old footage of Beatles concerts. Which is fitting, seeing as the first time you ever introduce SuperVC to a foreigner they inevitably say "they're just like The Beatles". But I digress. Fangirling aside, SuperVC is always an amazing show. Their songs are catchy, poppy tunes that get anyone to dance, along with a few ballads, and their onstage presence is perfect. Zhen Yang channels Keith Richards and is always doing something crazy - at last year's Modern Sky Festival it was pouring milk all over himself; this time, he tried to jump over the barriers into the crowd (the security was NOT having it), and also gave himself a dry shampoo on stage for their last song. He's a funny guy. Sun Lingsheng held it all together as usual, remaining the unflappable but adorable lead singer, but one of my favorite parts of this performance was seeing how much Liu Tao has grown as a performer. The first time I saw SuperVC nearly a year ago, he was a shy performer, not wanting to sing solo and only acting up when Sun Lingsheng encouraged it, but this time was much, much different. He jumped around stage, talked a whole lot, and gave away his shoes to the audience. It was, in short, the perfect performance to end the festival with, so I skipped the rest of the acts for the night and headed home.
REMEMBER THIS FOR NEXT TIME!
1. Don't take the shuttle. Get the train to Sihui station and catch the 322 bus to the park. It's easy, simple, and far quicker than the stupid shuttle.
2. Bring a poncho. You know those ones you can get for riding your bike? You can sit on it and, if it rains, wear it.
3. Wear sunscreen, sunglasses, and find something to shield yourself with (though the Alienware maps they gave out for free were handy there).
4. Do not put free stickers on exposed skin. You will end up with weird tan lines.
5. Bring snacks (but not drinks). They say not to bring food, but this is China. Everyone brings snacks everywhere.
6. Don't bring stupidly large cameras to the front of a crowd. The guy in front of me at SuperVC kept getting water splashed on his from drunk people around him.
7. Don't wear flip-flops. No matter how much cooler you'll be, it's more freeing to wear something that will stay on your feet and not get your toes trampled.
8. (For the ladies) Bring lots of tissues. And don't go to the toilet behind the food stalls, they don't have barriers on their squat stations.
9. Check out the Douban and School of Rock stages at least a few times. They'll have something new, and if there's nothing you like at least there's some nice toilets near Douban and a drinks stand near School of Rock.
10. Enjoy yourself!
note: obviously this is mostly about bands. I'll update... you know... eventually... about the people I was with and the other random stuff I saw.
Strawberry Festival was, quite simply, an amazingly good time. There are things I would change but there are more things I wouldn't, and coupled with the good luck of the first warm sunny days we have had in this city since, oh, September last year, it made for one of the best music festival experiences of my life. And I don't say that lightly.
So without further ado... some LJ cuts. (Because this got way too long.)
DAY ONE
As you may have heard from anyone who woke up late after a Friday night on the town and casually rocked up to the festival around 1PM, the lines were insane. It was only by a stroke of good luck (and friend placement!) that got me through the door that afternoon, so I missed the two main-stage acts I was planning to see - Perdel and Bigger Bang. I did, however, make it in time to see the end of The Dancers, and they were just as good as expected of a Chinese superband. They sounded a little like Carsick Cars - understandably - and even played one of their songs.
I didn't get to see any of AV Okubo, since they switched time slots with Xiao He. I stuck around for some of his set but then went wandering to explore. In my travels, I caught the end of Heli's set at the Douban stage, which had an adorably tiny crowd. Heli didn't fit all stereotypes of a singer-songwriter type, but what I saw of his set was great.
Then it was back to the main stage to catch Queen Sea Big Shark, which is always a good time. Fu Han was dressed in a silver bodysuit, which looked unbearably hot in the sunlight and stage lighting, though she changed into a much more familiar leotard after a couple of songs. They were fun and high energy as always, and compelled people to dance even from hilltops hundreds of meters away.
Then I caught Carsick Cars over at the Love Stage, and they absolutely rocked out. The crowd really got into it, singing and cheering them on. I managed to miss Zhong Nan Hai in transit, but what I did see was awesome.
And I didn't get to see very much of them, but Dingke was definitely a band I will be checking out soon. They were paired up for a gig with The Life Journey at Mao, and I can definitely understand why. Their sound and image is really similar, and it seems the bands are friendly: I saw Life Journey's bassist at Dingke, and Dingke's singer helping set up for Life Journey on Sunday.
Then I went back to see what all the fuss was about Does It Offend You, Yeah?, but I didn't see anything very spectacular. They were a generic dance rock band you can find anywhere, and definitely not the best foreign act I saw all weekend.
To finish the night up, I saw bits of Confucius Says, which rocked (I was surprised), Miserable Faith (pretty palatable hard rock for the metal stage), and of course Tang Dynasty, one of the classic rock bands of China who definitely lived up to their name. I enjoyed them all, and it was a brilliant way to end the night on a high.
I will admit that much of Saturday was spent trying to procure beer - at around about 5PM there was no beer to be had for love nor money, at any of the official bar stalls, and one of the stalls had flat run out of everything. So around and around the grounds we went, which was great for new discoveries of music, but kinda crap for getting any solid impression of a band's live performance.
Which brings us to...
DAY TWO
In my fear of turning up too late and not having well-placed friends in line, I turned up to Tongzhou Canal Park far too early on Sunday. The only awesome thing about turning up early to a festival is that you get to hear soundchecks. Otherwise, it's just sort of boring.
One of the big festival highlights from all three days was definitely Reptile and Retard. I didn't know what to expect, but what we got was a show. I've pretty much forgotten what their music was like (electronic sort of dance music?), but what sticks in my memory are these two white dudes in masks with their shirts off, one of whom went absolutely nuts, hopped into the crowd, and stood not ten feet from us on a boulder and kept the song going as the audience cheered and rocked out. And that wasn't the best part - as one of their many "last songs", they invited someone up onto the stage to play drums for them, since there was a kit lying around. Finally someone put up their hand, and he was taken on stage and had to play with his hands. Thankfully, he was actually pretty good. These couple of Danes really got the crowd going, even as the first show of the day, and it was definitely a sight to see.
Next up was Zeng Yike, or Zeng Ge as everyone was calling her. I didn't recognize the name but as soon as she started singing I turned to my festival friend and said "this is the chick from Super Girl who couldn't sing, isn't it?" And it was. Love her or hate her, you have to admit that she's pretty adorable. Personally, I don't believe it's necessary to have a good singing voice to write or perform good music, and while I don't like that her popularity is from mass media, I like the message she stands for: do what makes you happy, whether people love you or hate you for it. She seems pretty aware of what her image means to people, though, and hopefully she gets better and less awkward on stage as she communicates that.
Then it was time for one of my favorite bands in China: The Life Journey. They were, as usual, completely adorable. Their new band member, drummer Xu Biao (徐彪), fit in perfectly with the others, and definitely enjoyed riling up such a large crowd. Keyboardist Old Banana (韦伟) was as cute as ever, videotaping the crowd and miming requests for applause. Yann (孔阳), as well, was particularly emotive as he introduced their song "Marry" as being for his new girlfriend (or, more accurately, "the girl who has recently come into my life"). They also performed the song they wrote for Oxfam and talked generally about problems in the world, and dedicated another song of theirs to the drought-stricken south-west of China. It's always nice to see a band with a conscience.
The next act for Sunday was Zhou Yunpeng, a blind folk artist who came highly recommended to me and who I will definitely vouch for. A lot of the appeal of his music is, I think, in the social messages in the lyrics (there was a song about the ring roads stretching outwards and outwards to other cities in China, then south-east Asia, then Australia, etc), but for those non-Chinese in the audience, he offers an unique sound with his deep, humming voice and single guitar. The peculiar thing about this performance was not the blind man on stage, but the fact that everyone was made to sit down by security. Personally, I think it was just for visual effect in the recordings, but it did make for an impressive standing ovation at the end of his set.
After that, I caught a bit of Kulu and the first few songs of Re-TROS, both of which were good, but after standing for a few too many hours with inappropriate footwear, I bowed out early and made it home before 10PM.
And finally...
DAY THREE
As you could probably tell, my arrival time was a bit Goldilocks, and on Monday we managed to arrive at just the right time to leisurely stroll through the gates without having to wait very long to see any bands.
The day started out with Monokino, a Dutch dance rock group who seemed to be channeling Placebo a little too much for my liking. However, what kept me around for one more song was the Chinese keyboardist introducing the next song, which was a Chinese song I didn't recognize. The Brian Molko-wannabe sang the Chinese lyrics in his nasal twang, though, and it was highly entertaining even if you didn't recognize the song. The crowd loved it, and I'll give them a thumbs up for making the effort to appeal to the Chinese crowd.
After a few songs, it was over to the main stage where Candy Monster played. Now, I don't know how I got Candy Monster and Casino Demon conflated in my mind, but when the synth-pop tunes started playing I realized I had made a mistake. Candy Monster were lots of fun, very energetic, and everyone in the crowd loved the bilingual nature of the gig, with the foreign keyboardist introducing them in fairly toneless Chinese. He and the lead singer definitely compete for the spotlight in this group, but luckily it just makes for more interesting visuals rather than a fight for attention.
Then, we popped over to the Love Stage where Guaili were doing their thing. It was a little too punky for me, so we went for a wander to the School of Rock stage where Poshangcun were doing a very involved soundcheck. They did half of a few songs, which all sounded great, and I definitely recommend checking them out next time you can.
After that was Xiu Xiu, the American band with a Chinese name. I've never really been a fan of Xiu Xiu, and it might have been my position from on top of a hill but I didn't see the Chinese fans getting into it. I heard a lot of people talking about them, but there was something in the performance that just didn't illicit the sorts of cheers that I saw some foreign acts get on the main stage.
So we headed off to the Love Stage, where Gia (王悦) was playing. As expected of an ex-Hang on the Box member, she did not disappoint, and rocked out in her pink tights and baby blue skirt even though the crowd was surprisingly sparse for the performance. She definitely proved worthy of her punk rock credentials, and I would suggest getting out to see her if you can.
Then it was back to the main stage, where indie heartthrob Peng Tan took the stage. My impression is a little left-field and only Australians will get it, but he reminded me a little of Lior, both in the singer-songwriter-plus-band feel but also in his outfit and hair. He was entertaining, but he's definitely the darling of the indie pop world, and after a few songs I was full to bursting of love songs. Time for something a little different.
Reflector, at the Love Stage. I'd been strongly recommended to see them by a friend who works at Underground Music (formerly Music Station) on Gulou East Street, just east of NLGX, and I was not disappointed. The first song we heard as we rounded the corner was a cover of You Are My Sunshine, which the crowd sang along to whole-heartedly, and from that moment I knew I wasn't walking away until their set was over. The crowd was feverish, and the band was bursting with energy, excited to be participating at Strawberry for the first time, and it was an intoxicating mix. If these guys are ever near you, get out to see them. You will not be disappointed.
After some dinner was Hedgehog, who as usual did not fail to please. Their new bass player is a bit of a snore (if very geek-chic), but like I said when I saw them perform as The B-Side Lovers, I don't think it makes much of a difference. So much of Hedgehog's sound and appeal is tied to Atom and Zo that it seems difficult to assess Xiao Nan's place. Still, I await new tracks to pass any judgement.
Back to the main stage was the end of Muma & Third Party, which was an incredible experience even for three songs. Muma is an intense performer, which the crowd absolutely loved, and the music is a great take on some classic rock traditions. It was enthusiastic and passionate without being all over the place, despite Muma's apparent breakdowns and rebellions. A lot of bands could learn, I think, from a performer like Muma.
Then finally came SuperVC, a newly-added act and one that I could not have been more excited for. I'll admit it, I'm a SuperVC fangirl. One of the ones down the front in the second row jumping and singing along and clapping their hands and giggling when they sing into the microphone together and squealing when Zhen Yang does something crazy (which is always)... you know the ones. You've seen them on old footage of Beatles concerts. Which is fitting, seeing as the first time you ever introduce SuperVC to a foreigner they inevitably say "they're just like The Beatles". But I digress. Fangirling aside, SuperVC is always an amazing show. Their songs are catchy, poppy tunes that get anyone to dance, along with a few ballads, and their onstage presence is perfect. Zhen Yang channels Keith Richards and is always doing something crazy - at last year's Modern Sky Festival it was pouring milk all over himself; this time, he tried to jump over the barriers into the crowd (the security was NOT having it), and also gave himself a dry shampoo on stage for their last song. He's a funny guy. Sun Lingsheng held it all together as usual, remaining the unflappable but adorable lead singer, but one of my favorite parts of this performance was seeing how much Liu Tao has grown as a performer. The first time I saw SuperVC nearly a year ago, he was a shy performer, not wanting to sing solo and only acting up when Sun Lingsheng encouraged it, but this time was much, much different. He jumped around stage, talked a whole lot, and gave away his shoes to the audience. It was, in short, the perfect performance to end the festival with, so I skipped the rest of the acts for the night and headed home.
REMEMBER THIS FOR NEXT TIME!
1. Don't take the shuttle. Get the train to Sihui station and catch the 322 bus to the park. It's easy, simple, and far quicker than the stupid shuttle.
2. Bring a poncho. You know those ones you can get for riding your bike? You can sit on it and, if it rains, wear it.
3. Wear sunscreen, sunglasses, and find something to shield yourself with (though the Alienware maps they gave out for free were handy there).
4. Do not put free stickers on exposed skin. You will end up with weird tan lines.
5. Bring snacks (but not drinks). They say not to bring food, but this is China. Everyone brings snacks everywhere.
6. Don't bring stupidly large cameras to the front of a crowd. The guy in front of me at SuperVC kept getting water splashed on his from drunk people around him.
7. Don't wear flip-flops. No matter how much cooler you'll be, it's more freeing to wear something that will stay on your feet and not get your toes trampled.
8. (For the ladies) Bring lots of tissues. And don't go to the toilet behind the food stalls, they don't have barriers on their squat stations.
9. Check out the Douban and School of Rock stages at least a few times. They'll have something new, and if there's nothing you like at least there's some nice toilets near Douban and a drinks stand near School of Rock.
10. Enjoy yourself!