The short answer is yes.  The long answer is yes, but it could be doing better.  Some things are indisputable: the scene here is exciting and the future is bright.

Let me just say out front that I’m no expert in contemporary Chinese music and these quick thoughts are just that, what I’m thinking at the moment.  I am a late comer to the Chinese indie rock scene.  The first time I ever really listened to Chinese rock was just four years ago when I bought my first New Pants (新裤子) album and saw them live in Kunming.  Since then I’ve seen a few more bands, bought a decent collection of Chinese rock albums (with a scattering of hip hop and electronic music) and joined the Chinese social networking site Douban (豆瓣) to find new bands and their newest tracks.  Yet I still feel completely lost and unable to say much on China’s music scene.  If you want to read some English language blogs that really do know what they are talking about I highly suggest the Shanghai based blog Andy Best, written by a westerner who has lived in Shanghai for the past 10 years, has a band, and really knows the scene and the people involved in it.  Besides Andy Best I know one more blog of note: China Music Radar, a good source on festivals, shows and Chinese music industry news.  Also, Neocha Edge is a great blog on all kinds of contemporary art and music coming out a China and is a true pleasure to peruse (even if you aren’t obsessed with China).

Way back in January I along with many other Shanghailanders (are we allowed to use that term anymore?) went to see a concert the new live music venue in town: Mao Livehouse.  It was my first time seeing a show at Mao, before I had only gone to Shanghai’s Yuyintang, the great albeit small venue that has been around for years.  The show was a showcase put on by one of the most famous indie music labels from Beijing called Maybe Mars (马兵司).  The show had been getting a lot of online press from bloggers living in Shanghai, including Andy Best, and the lineup included one of the most famous Chinese rock bands P.K.14 so I wanted to check it out.  Also there was Ourself Beside Me, 24 Hours, and Rustic.

I really enjoyed the ’80s metal hair and costumes of the members of Rustic (their music was fun and delightfully raunchy, too), 24 Hours did a great show, and P.K. 14 did a bang up job getting the crowd excited.  Here are some not-so-professional videos I took during the concert (all my videos from the night are up on my Youtube page):

Rustic

24 Hours

P.K. 14