Yang Haisong Still Has It: Noisey Launches in Beijing.
words: Ami Li
A recent Thursday night in Beijing marked the official launch in China of Noisey, a “Global New Music Discovery Platform.” A collaboration between VICE, Dell and Intel, the same team that brought the Creators Project to Beijing last fall, Noisey features mostly video footage of live shows and interviews with prominent, independently-minded bands and artists from around the world. Only launched formally in March of this year, Noisey has expanded rapidly into many markets and languages including Hindi and Portuguese as well as the expected French, German, Spanish and Chinese. Currently, the Noisey site features concert footage and interviews with four Chinese bands: Birdstriking, 24 Hours, Streets Kill Strange Animals, and Hedgehog.
For the Noisey’s coming out party in China, the organizers invited P.K. 14, Hedgehog and The Offset: Spectacles to perform at Beijing’s Yugong Yishan. Your faithful Radar correspondents were there on Thursday night to check it all out.
Like many PR events, this one started quite promptly on time (thus distinguishing it from many gigs). The Offset: Spectacles were on first, and we arrived belatedly, approximately two-thirds of the way through their set. All things considered, the droning, lo-fi sound that the band is known for suited the unique acoustic profile of Yugong Yishan. The subdued crowd appeared mesmerized by the sonic architecture coming from the stage. Always compelling in concert, The Offset: Spectacles continued their streak of hypnotizing performances, managing to achieve musical innovation with their steadfastly analog values.
Hedgehog came on soon after, and it was interesting to see the same crowd, so lulled by The Offset: Spectacles, come alive in the blink of an eye (or space of a song) to the driving guitar melodies and pounding drums of Hedgehog. A small mosh pit quickly developed in the middle of the audience, where about a dozen dedicated fans pushed, shoved and bounced off each other in a joyous expression of musical appreciation. Alternating between old favorites and newer tracks, the Hedgehog set was loud, fast and energetic. For the last songs of the set, Atom and Zo traded places, with Zo taking over the drum kit and Atom switching between guitar and keyboards. Finishing a tight set that seemed distinctly shorter than the preceding group’s, the band departed the stage to thundering applause and many a devil horn salute.
To close off the night, P.K. 14 took to the stage for a rare Beijing performance. By the end of the night, everyone remembered that Yang Haisong is still a rock star. All long limbs and swagger, from the minute they walked on stage, the band held every audience member at full attention. Every song they played seemed to elicit a greater audience reaction and more members into the ever-growing mosh pit. By the end of the set, a lone, courageous individual had even successfully crowd-surfed down the centre section of the main audience. A fervent reaction from the crowd at the conclusion of their set brought the band back for a two-song encore. (Video is VIMEO – sorry Great Firewallers)
Lone crowdsurfer at noisey.com Beijing launch party, 5.12.2011 from Ami Li on Vimeo.
Music-wise, the night should have been considered a great success. But the event felt much more like any other concert that a launch event, especially for a Vice project. Perhaps we’re thinking too much about Vice-sponsored outfits and events back in America, but the Noisey launch didn’t even fulfill expectations in the number of Chinese hipsters in attendance, never mind the usual hipster scum (which we say with utmost affection) who make Vice events their natural habitat in other countries. Gift bags and T-shirts emblazoned with the Noisey logo were a nice touch, but beyond them and the Noisey.com banner hung up behind the stage at Yugong Yishan, there was precious little distinguishing this event from any ordinary gig there with a particularly excellent lineup. For an entity like Noisey, which updates its content frequently and strives to reach a global audience, the lack of even a paper mailing list sign-up sheet struck us as a little bit odd. Noisey, with the support of Vice, Dell, Intel, Yugong Yishan, The Offset: Spectacles, Hedgehog, P.K. 14 and undoubtedly many others put on what appeared to be a hitch-free show. Whether the audience members present that night will remember in two weeks that the point of the show was to launch Noisey, however, remains to be seen.