A Beijing-based music and gig review blog

Where: Yugong Yis­han
When: Sat 16 June, 21:00
How Much: 80RMB, 80RMB pre-sale
Who: Hedge­hog, Pacalolo, Space Bitch (More Info)
Why: It’s Hedgehog’s new album launch! I haven’t yet man­aged to lis­ten to all of the tracks from it yet, but what I have heard, I’ve liked immensely. In the inter­view I did with them for City Week­end, Zo said that his favorite song on the album was “Heart on Fire,” and I have to say that I agree. I love the cho­rus of that song so much; the whole thing makes me want to get up and dance in a Break­fast Club sort of way. It’s got a lit­tle of the whimsy of their early sound, but it’s lay­ered with all the expe­ri­ence, all the exper­i­ments they’ve accu­mu­lated over the last few years. It really makes me hold out hope for the rest of the album I haven’t heard, and for their live show. I know noth­ing about Space Bitch, but I haven’t seen Pacalolo in some­thing ridicu­lous like two years so I can’t wait to see what they’ve been up to, too.

Run­ners up this week are: Le Comp­toir des Fous, an Alliance Française show at Tem­ple on Thurs­day, 9:30PM, Free; Namu releases their new album I Am Your King Kong at Mako Live­house on Fri­day, 8:30PM, 80/60RMB; Ningxia hard rock out­fit Nucleus plays Old What with new­com­ers Dwaas, Thru­outin and Pork on Fri­day at 9PM, 40RMB; and finally, Ital­ian glam rock group The Medullary Paral­y­sis is play­ing, inex­plic­a­bly, at two venues this Fri­day, too, but I’d sug­gest their show at Mao for the likely big­ger crowd, 9PM, 80/60RMB.