The Radar team has been a little quiet recently, and for that we apologise. We went down to Guangzhou to check out the first ever Wooozy Weekender. Taking place between the 28-30th November, it represents music e-zine Wooozy.cn’s first ever attempt at hosting a multi-day event.
As many of you will know, Hong Kong’s Clockenflap festival took place over the same weekend. The Wooozy Weekender focused on developing local indie bands and hip hop artists, and providing something for a cross-section of kids who either couldn’t afford the trek, or else weren’t that interested in the major foreign acts passing through the region.
Looking at the experience, the festival offered an intimate, vibey showcase, all held exclusively in a three-storey venue called SD Livehouse. The daytime programming (talks, workshops, screenings and a market curated by local collective Full Label) gave fans the opportunity to make a day of it, important in differentiating a festival from a standard live show. At 80RMB, a single-day door ticket was fairly good value – especially for those who caught the Wooozy Community Film screenings and side activities.
Guangzhou has an interesting mix of people – we tried to visit the African market but there were blockades preventing entry (something dodgy seemed to have happened). As you’d expect from any city where diverse cultures collide, there is no shortage of talent. Indie label Full Label has done a lot to drive things forward in the area (we hope to pinch Wooozy.cn’s interview with the team and translate it soon). Getting away from Beijing and Shanghai was refreshing, and besides established events like Clockenflap, there definitely seems to be potential for more in the region (there is talk that Storm is expected to establish itself in Shenzhen in 2015 which evidences this).
The Wooozy Weekender has a long way to go – perhaps two more years – until it becomes an established fixture in Guangzhou’s live calendar. The fest could also do with some bigger headliners, but for music fans who are looking for an authentic live show experience (without the b.s. and 麻烦 you sometimes have to deal with at outdoor festivals) there’s a lot to be had for your money.
Here’s a gallery of some of our favourite pics:
Full Lineup:
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 28
Hip Hop and Electro Night
8pm – Pete Chen (GZ) – Rap / Electronic
9pm – Itsagoo (BJ) – Hip Hop / Rap
10pm – J-Hoon (HK) – Hip Hop / Rap
11pm – Mumdance (UK) – Grime
12am – Ah Long (GZ) – Hip Hop / Rap
1am – Knopha (GZ) – Hip Hop / Electronic
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 29
Indie Rock Night
7.30pm – Wu Gaochao (GZ) – Emo / Math Rock
8.15pm – Yourboyfriendsucks! (GZ) – Indie Rock
9pm – Alpine Decline (U.S.) – Post Punk
10pm – Sun of Morning (TW) – Post Rock
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 30
7.30pm – The White Tulips (Xiamen) – Shoe Gaze
8.15pm – Chinese Football (Wuhan) – Math/Post Rock
9.10pm – Stolen (Chengdu) – Indie Rock
10.10pm – Birdstriking (BJ) – Indie Noise Rock
[Disclaimer: Wooozy.cn is an initiative that is owned and supported by Split Works. We have done our best to offer an impartial judgment and welcome additional feedback.]