Metal – you either love it or hate it. And if you love it, chances are you might have dyed, waist-long hair, a full beard (even if you are female), a number of tattoos (perhaps in one or two places you don’t usually show in public), you probably like motorcycling (or are a radical environmentalist), you enjoy alcohol (because that is integral to enjoying this type of music) and you just might be really into fantasy role playing (your avatar most likely being the dwarf because his beard looks exactly like yours).

Are you this person? Then you might enjoy one of the following band recommendations – or all of them – as we take a look at five metal artists from Beijing. Maybe you’ll find your new favorite band too!

Nine Treasures (九宝 jiǔ bǎo)

Although the band Nine Treasures was founded in Beijing in 2010, all of the members are from Inner Mongolia. They spent their early years playing gigs in the metal clubs of Beijing, but today they have moved back to their home, Hohhot, because the city of Beijing, though full of possibilities, was simply too big, literally: They needed to drive two hours to get to the studio.

Nine Treasures plays Mongolian folk metal and combines traditional Central Asian instruments with the modern rock and metal sound.

Yaksa (夜叉 yè chā)

Yaksa was founded in Sichuan in 1995, and just two years later the band moved to Beijing. There, they quickly became an important part of the local rock and metal scene. Their style is often described as metalcore or nu metal (a style of metal that, among other things, features rap vocals), which at that time, brought something new to the table in Beijing.

Voodoo Kungfu (零壹 líng yī)

Voodoo Kungfu (also known as Zero One), formed in 2003 in Beijing, has always been a very mysterious band whose music features themes of religion and occultism. Vocalist Nan Li claims that he has “been to hell but survived to bring back the voice from hell” after being bitten by a cobra and falling into coma.

The band combines Western metal music with traditional folk instruments from all around China – Voodoo Kungfu’s music is inspired by Nan Li’s travels through Inner Mongolia, Yunnan and Tibet, and his experiences with the local cultures, music, and religion.

Tang Dynasty (唐朝 táng cháo)

Tang Dynasty is regarded as the first Chinese heavy metal band ever. After the band’s foundation in Beijing in 1989, a part of the band had to leave the country, but in the end that didn’t stop the band from becoming successful both inside and outside of China.

In its lyrics and music, the band incorporates traditional Chinese elements that are supposed to represent and reference the ancient period of the – what a surprise – Tang dynasty in China.

Their music is very accessible, almost like heavy metal for beginners, and leans in the direction of art rock and progressive rock.

Twisted Machine

Last but certainly not least, there is Twisted Machine, whose name is a homage to their idol – American band Rage Against the Machine. Founded in 1998 in Beijing, Twisted Machine started out playing hardcore and later switched to nu metal after changing their lead vocalist.

Their record Back to Underground (2003) is considered to be one of the most successful releases in Chinese Metal history, but they aren’t limited to playing in China. In 2016, for example, they brought their Lost in Beijing tour to the USA.

Of course, there are a lot more Beijing-based metal outfits worthy of mentioning: Bliss Illusion (post black metal), Ululate (black and death metal), Ego Fall (folk metal), and Suffocated (death metal), just to name a few.

13 Club – the number one metal club in Beijing – has been closed since the end of 2020. But MAO Livehouse is another rock venue in Beijing. Before the pandemic, a lot of foreign rock and metal bands, such as Opeth, Behemoth, and While She Sleeps, as well as local artists, have played there. But clubs like Yue Space, Omni Space, or School Live Bar are likely to host metal bands as well. Right now, Covid restrictions prevent most shows from happening in Beijing, but let’s hope that in the future we will be able to headbang together again.

Images: Unsplash

For the third year, Dulwich College Beijing (DCB) will host “Diversity,” a month-long festival of music, with a wide range of musicians attending from across the globe. True to its name, the program truly is diverse with performing artists scheduled to attend representing multiple genres from jazz, hip hop, rock bands, and electronic music to composition, symphony orchestra, and soloists. Among the artists will be Roy McGrath Jazz Quartet, Swing Beijing, rock band Mals Totem, a cappella singers The Princeton Tigertones, Cellist Jacob Shaw and DJ Jess Deskovic. 

Roy McGrath (and his jazz quartet from Chicago) will kick off the Diversity concert series. The front of the theatre will be transformed into a jazz café with table seats available including red and white wine, juice, and finger food. Regular seats are also available.

What: Diversity III Concert Series – Roy McGrath Jazz Quartet
When: Wednesday, October 8. 7:30pm-9:30pm
Where: Dulwich College Beijing (DCB) (Legend Garden Campus), Wodehouse Theatre
How much: Cabaret Table Seats (includes food and drinks) RMB150 per person
Theatre Seats RMB 60 (adults) and RMB 40 (students and children)

Online Booking:
Cabaret seats – https://yoopay.cn/event/CABARETSEATS
Theatre seats – https://yoopay.cn/event/RoyMcGrathTHEATRE

See below for a full list of dates and corresponding artists of Diversity
Roy McGrath Jazz Quartet – Wednesday, October 8
Swing Beijing – Wednesday, October 15
Mals Totem – Wednesday October 22
Jacob Shaw – Friday, October 24
Polhov – Friday, October 24
Princeton Tigertones – Wednesday, October 29
Beijing Youth Orchestra – Sunday, November 2

All seven Dulwich College locations are participating in Diversity. To find out artist performance dates at other Dulwich College locations or to find out more about Diversity III Concerts here in Beijing, visit www.dulwichdiversity.com or contact Dulwich College Beijing’s Head of Music at paul.west@dulwich-beijing.cn.

Photo: Courtesy of Dulwich College Beijing

Dulwich College Beijing hosted their 2014 Founder’s Day on Saturday May 10. The day was a celebration of school life at Dulwich College, to showcase the talents of its students and provide a fun filled program of events, food and entertainment for the entire school community.

The Friends of Dulwich put on a delicious International Food Festival, with 16 stalls selling food and drink from the different countries and regions represented at Dulwich. Some stalls had activities; from how to make Kimchi with the Korean parents to Henna tattoos on the Indian stall. I helped organize the UK stall this year, where we sold hundreds of glasses of Pimm’s and dozens of gorgeous cakes, all donated by our parents. Each stall also put together their own hamper, stuffed full of goodies from that country or region. The Australia/New Zealand baskets were particularly popular in the hamper raffle, perhaps due to the number of bottles of wine they contained…

All profits made from the Food Festival, hampers, and drinks sold on the day will be split; fifty percent going to the Dulwich Student Enrichment Fund and fifty percent to charity – to schools in Li County in need of school equipment. The total raised at this year’s event was a staggering RMB 120,000, a superb achievement.

The day began with a dragon dance and an international flag parade. With 45 different nationalities represented at Dulwich, it was wonderful to see students from across the year groups proudly carrying their country’s flag. As well as sports matches, different year groups sang and performed on the main stage throughout the afternoon.

Ever popular with younger children, Mr. Liu the clown from Magic Hospital performed two shows in the Early Years activity area. Magic Hospital offers support to hospitalized children in Beijing.

The evening’s entertainment included a Pop Idol competition, won by Keevern Lai of Year 10 and a Battle of the Bands, won by “Trap Card” with Ethan Ooi, Kartik Jain and Gabriel Tan. To close the event, the school Orchestra played synchronized with an impressive laser show.

Founder’s Day is not only a celebration of the school and all its achievements, it’s a way of bringing together the diverse parent community and its students to help raise money for charity, all whilst having a huge amount of fun.

beijingkids Shunyi Correspondent Sally Wilson moved to Beijing in 2010 from the UK with her husband and son. Her daughter was born here in 2011 and both her kids keep her happily busy. In her spare time, Sally loves to stroll through Beijing’s hutongs and parks. She is a (most of the time) keen runner and loves reading: books, magazines, news, and celeb websites – anything really. Sally is also a bit of a foodie and loves trying out new restaurants.

Photos courtesy of DCB and Sally Wilson

An eclectic mix of student bands from Beijing’s international high schools rocked Vics Saturday while raising money for disaster relief in Japan.

A crowd of 350 students, friends and even a few parents packed the all-ages show Rock-am-Jing, which featured bands from WAB, ISB, BWYA and other of Beijing’s premier international schools.

It is no surprise that these kids can make music — they seem to have long mastered the basic guitar riffs and drum beats. Judging by the shouts and chants that filled the venue, the vibrant frenzy of youthful energy on stage captivated the crowd.

Hot Noise (Beijing World Youth Academy) opened the show and played songs with a well-balanced rhythm, featuring old favorites like Guns N’ Roses’ Sweet Child of Mine. Guitarist Johnny was a highlight, shuffling the guitar chords in his Afro hairstyle.

Next up, the blues-rock act Red Lights (WAB) showed a different side to rock that was engaging and brought a breath of fresh air to the venue. The energy of their lead singer was full-blast.

Alt. Senior (a guest band featuring a former WAB student) showed the crowd a consistent rock-edged sound and was probably one of the most well-rehearsed bands of the evening.

Déjà vu (No. 55 High School and Tsinghua Fuzhong) played many of their own songs, whilst covering their main inspiration, Green Day. 

Agent Orange (WAB and Harrow) performed with their Florence and the Machine-inspired lead singer whose raspy yet strong voice highlighted their cover of The Beatles’ classic Come Together.

 
WAB’s We Just Got Here was one of the more energetic sets of the evening

The band mates from We Just Got Here (WAB) showed up with their hair dyed in fluorescent colors, and the bassist with his bright green hair and moxie looked he came straight from the set of 90s independent classic SLC Punk.

Last but not least, Bad Apples (the ISB Bad Apples… not to be confused with the other Bad Apples of Beijing) proved to be much more metal than the punk-inspired acts that preceded them, yet their unique sound and broad audience appeal brought the show to a crescendo with the formation of the first mosh pit of the evening.

All said and done, approximately RMB 20,000 was raised for donation to the Red Cross for disaster relief in Japan.