Everyone knows that the big party of the week is up in Beijing, and while Shanghai may have escaped the mass shuttering of venues that's hit the capital in the last few days, word is there may be a few restrictions on club nights here. Say Yes' Rolando show will be kicking off at 8pm rather than ALL's standard start time of 10pm, for example, due to fears they'll be told to wrap everything up by 2am.
So while there's a whole bunch of stuff going on around town, this might not be the weekend to rock up to your favourite venue fashionably late. And as we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, if you're a foreigner it's probably a good idea to have images of your passport photo page and visa on your phone and for everyone to be enjoying nothing but good clean fun just in case there are any spot checks from our friendly local authorities.
Anyway, here are our picks for where to party like it's the 19th..., err, like it's a normal weekend in mid-October.
Thursday 19
Bar Rouge: Madison Cowboy
Nothing to do with Austin Hu, but everything to do with the wild wild west as line dances and more cowboy-themed fun come to The Bund for Bar Rouge's anniversary party series.
Bar Rouge Seventh Floor, 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Nanjing Dong Lu. Thu 19. 10pm. 100RMB.
Bohan Phoenix
The Yeti Out crew bring Hubei-born and US-based hip hop artist Bohan Phoenix to Le Baron Shanghai. Phoenix's lyrical flow blends Mandarin and English, as he aims to bridge the gap between 'east' and 'west'.
Le Baron Seventh Floor, 20 Donghu Lu, near Huaihai Zhong Lu. Thu 19. 10pm. Free.
Balaio featuring Randy Brecker
Renowned jazz trumpeter and composer Randy Brecker joins Brazilians Marco Bosco and Leonardo Susi, plus Rubem Farias and Adriano ‘Magoo’ Oliveira to form Balaio. Expect a special fusion of Brazilian music and classic jazz.
UNÏCO Second Floor, Three on the Bund, 3 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Guangdong Lu. Thu 19. 10pm. Free.
Overkill
Old-school American thrash metal band led by Bobby 'Blitz' Ellsworth and DD Verni hit Shanghai.
Bandai Namco Shanghai Base 179 Yichang Lu, near Jiangning Lu. Thu 19. 10pm. Free.
Friday 20
DJ Altieri and Fabrizio Mammarella
Pescara and Berlin-based record label Slow Motion celebrate the release of DJ Altieri's latest new wave, dark atmosphere and Afro-influenced record Spazio Terra with help from Italian disco producer Fabrizio Mammarella.
DADA 115 Xingfu Lu, near Fahuazhen Lu. Fri 20. 8pm. TBA.
Fifty Shades of Jade Party
Another posh party on The Bund for you as the outlandish Wanda Reign on the Bund throws a swanky bash with DJ Simon on the decks. If you're a fan of C's, then you'll lov... umm, yeah if you're a fan of C's this one probably isn't for you.
Wanda Reign on the Bund 538 Zhong Shan Dong Er Road, near Longtan Lu. Fri 20. 10pm. Free.
Faith
Without any especially exciting big ticket live music shows on tonight (unless you count Chris Garneau at QSW - we don't), it's a good opportunity to check out a night of Shanghai metal with locally-based bands OVE, Never Ending Story, Many Faced God and The Naraka all in action at Inferno.
Inferno Unit 6-103, Ground Floor, 658 Longhua Dong Lu, near Kaiping Lu. Fri 20. 9pm. 20RMB.
La Dame Noir
Holly Sh*t presents a special La Dame Noir night at Elevator with Phred Noir and Did Virgo from the left-field French disco imprint joining forces. The pair have played with the likes of 2manyDJs, Metronomy and Pachanga Boys, while their tracks have been championed by Ivan Smagghe among others. Thoma Cher and Charp are in support.
Elevator Fourth Floor, 218 Xinle Lu, near Fumin Lu. Fri 20. 10pm. 80RMB.
Saturday 21
SNAP!'s First Birthday
This month marks a year since queer-friendly party series SNAP! first started taking Shanghai's LGBTQ scene by storm. Expect sassy queens, lots of Absolut, and the launch of the group's first annual calendar replete with scantily clad male models.
W Shanghai 66 Lvshun Lu, near Dongchangzhi Lu. Sat 21. 9pm. 200RMB.
Bar Rouge's Anniversary: Red Saloon
Did we mention that Bar Rouge is celebrating its anniversary? It's been so low key that you probably missed it, but tonight is the last chance saloon for this year's BR birthday celebrations as the grand finale brings 'a spectacular French Cancan show and incredible Champagne showers'.
Bar Rouge Seventh Floor, 18 Zhongshan Dong Yi Lu, near Nanjing Dong Lu. Sat 21. 10pm. 100RMB.
Genome Anniversary
Hard to believe that this crew has only been around for a year, but tonight at ALL sees exciting young Shanghai electronic music collective Genome celebrate their first birthday. Kilo Vee, Hyph11e, Charity, Darphy, Khemist, Dirty K and RVE will be taking you through a night of boundary-pushing electronic music.
ALL Second Floor, 17 Xiangyang Bei Lu, near Changle Lu. Sat 21. 10pm. TBA.
Stolen
Formed by five Chengdu musicians and a French VJ, Stolen are one of the country's most interesting bands right now, blending post-punk, cold wave and electronic elements into their sound. This month, the D Force-signed act are in town to plug a new EP produced by Mark Reeder, the man responsible for taking Joy Division to Berlin and for discovering Paul Van Dyk.
Yuyintang 851 Kaixuan Lu, near Yanan Xi Lu. Sat 21. 9pm. 100RMB.
Sunday 22
Moopie
Following the disappointing closure of Smash last month, the China Social Club team have switched this booking to Elevator, which seems a smart move in terms of maintaining a similar vibe. A Colourful Storm founder Moopie hails from Australia and has released mixes for Jealous God and Blackest Ever Black as he continues to rise toward the top of the alternative DJ pile in his homeland.
Elevator Fourth floor, 218 Xinle Lu, near Fumin Lu. Sun 22. 8pm. Free.
NTS Radio Live
More of an afternoon thing this, as China Social Club host rising Australian producer Moopie (see above), Shanshui Records founder Sulumi (see slightly further above) and Shanghai DJs Velvet Robot and Allan Marshall at Uptown RnB for a live NTS Radio show. Expect everything from Italo, cosmic, new-wave and left-field disco to 8-bit and more from this high-calibre line-up.
Uptown Records 'n' Beer 131 Yongfu Lu, Near Fuxing Xi Lu. Sun 22. 3pm. Free.
Zhang Xiongguan + Zhang Le
Shanghai-based jazz guitarist Zhang Xiongguan is joined by renowned vocalist Zhang Le for an intimate night of music at Heyday.
Heyday 50 Taian Lu, near Xingguo Lu. Sun 22. 9.30pm. Free.
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