Shanghai Music Scene Part One

[dchatt2Participant]

Hey All,

I live in Shanghai and have been doing a music project because I love live music. My goal was simply to find my “spots” and take advantage of the amazing opportunity of living in this awesome city. Here are the places I visited, and some general comments about them. Through the journey, I realised my preferences for music that will BIAS these ratings. I like the conventional rock band: drums, guitar and bass so blues and metal always have the edge on Jazz (and DJ music places like Arkham and Shelter are REALLY not my thing).

Also, as Sandie (local Swing Dance Superstar) often points out – the same venue can have a great gig or a bad gig depending on who they book. The approach to this project, however, was strictly “venue-based”. Please read my opinions with this in mind (these are opinions of a mere music fan and not a refined critic).

Part one was focused on recommended places on western websites but through the journey, found a whole bunch of local spots too and will be focusing on those for the next article. There is also a youtube link at the bottom for you to get a basic feel for some of the places.

Yes = recommend, would go again
No = don’t, wouldn’t

Jazz
To be honest, I would only go to Jazz for dates or meetings where the focus is more on talking and the music plays in the background. Just not my thing, but here are some attempts at unbiased reviews…

JZ:Yes, closed now but would’ve been yes because everyone talked about it!
Hey Day: Yes, because it was intimate and had a phenomenal booking. All musicians were great. Expensive!
CigarJazzWine (CJW Xintiandi): No, Expensive and bad service. Band is not good enough to warrant either.
Calix: No, See CJW reasons.
RT Jazz: Maybe, the music ain’t great and neither is the bar itself but its in a nice area called Xianxia road which is one of the few places which didn’t have the classic “Shanghai vibe”. While I didn’t find the music I was seeking, really enjoyed the street – loads of Japanese restaurants and feels different.
Peace Hotel: Yes, Meh, Jazz. But its “world famous” and the Old dudes’ passion for music is awesome!

Rock (& Blues)House of Blues & Jazz: YES, I went on a blues night, band and singer had SOOOUUUUULL!
Harley’s Underground: Yes, Grungy, grimy, punk rock, loud drums, basement, garage style…Home 🙂
Inferno: Yes, went on an amateur night and a clear example of why I love rock: Musicians weren’t superstars musically but their passion made it one of the best evenings of this trip. All us rock people want is passion!
Yuyintang: Yes, just go. You won’t regret it.
Cotton Club: YES, most enjoyable musically. Their band must have been together for ages.

Other
Office Bar: Yes, Rock Band set-up, low-key and very chill spot. Bearable drink prices too.
On Stage: No, I don’t get it. The bands were good and the musicians were dedicated. Yet, it was so fancy, expensive and barely anyone seemed to notice the music. Too many better, cheaper options. Would go for a gig/band I like but not for the venue, itself.
Karma: YES, but only has music on Thursdays. At first you’re like how can this small place have live music and then four dudes cramp on this small couch and blow to kill it with every song…….feels like Home…
288 Livehouse: No, it was one of those places where it seems people showed up to feel like they’re seeing music but just didn’t live up to how fancy it tried to be.
M-box: YES, great singer, great music, yet informal and chill vibe. Chinese and English songs. Wonderful evening and passes my “feels like home” test wonderfully.
Wooden Box: YES, very intimate. Go with your lover.

Well, if you got through that, feel free to hit me up for more information. Locations can be found online (SmartShanghai and TimeOut) and here are some videos of these places: (Turn your VPN on!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFdgQ3e6cmE&list=PLmwXfpTwcX81Qlt-ewsJdniVUoN48Y10e&index=6

Two great spots I missed: JZ Latino & My Place. I’ll cover these and some local spots in part 2.

Thanks for reading!

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[CaoJingParticipant]

Looking forward to more local life reviews of China!

[Author]

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