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Soma announces soft opening of Mao Livehouse Shanghai on September 26

Soma Records, Shanghai’s only indie music label, is pleased to announce that it will soft open Mao Livehouse Shanghai on the 26th with a free concert featuring rising Shanghainese stars Sonnet and Momo, joined by Modern Sky artists Life Journey.

While well-served by several great underground rock venues, Shanghai has for several years lacked a mid-size rock venue to fill the territory between stadium shows and tiny dives. The city’s bands and audiences have proliferated and matured fabulously, and with Mao the venue offerings will finally catch up to them.

About Mao Livehouse

Mao Livehouse Shanghai will be one of the largest and most professional venues in Mainland China dedicated to live alternative music. It can accommodate 800 people, and is equipped with top-of-line sound and lighting equipment. It is located in the Red Town compound at 570 Huaihai Xi Lu near Kaixuan Lu, in a space that previously was the nightclubs O2 and WTF. Along with the performance area, areas in the venue will house an alternative record shop affiliated with 0093 as well as Soma’s offices and recording studio, currently located in Putuo District. Mao Live House Shanghai will be managed by Yan Yang aka Lezi, drummer of Sonnet and previously of Mushrooms.

Mao adds a bit of edge to the eclectic – not always in a good way – state-affiliated Red Town. (While in the compound, the venue is not officially under the Red Town auspices.) Entrance leads past a convenient coat check down a wide, winding hallway covered in tarnished copper – due itself to be eventually covered in concert posters. The concert space is tiered, with a square pit in front of the stage surrounded by three levels to two sides, ending in the bar off to the right and a seating area to the far back. The arrangement is conducive to a range of crowd sizes: it can fit a lot of people, without feeling cavernous.

Mao will be run by Soma Records and is co-invested by Soma and Japanese label Bad News Records (www.badnews.co.jp). Bad News opened the original Mao Livehouse in Beijing in the Southern Drum Tower neighborhood and it has become one of the top venues in the capital.

About Soma Records

Soma Records was launched in 2005 by Jamyang-Yesh (aka Lao yao), former singer for Shanghai band Chan (1999-2003) and solo artist and producer for Fanyin, Shanghai’s first indie label (2001-2004). In 2006 DJ Tadi Yan and Pangpang, singer of Crystal Butterfly, joined the management. The company’s first album was the environmentally-themed “Easy World” by Sarah Zhong Chi, released in December 2007. At the end of 2008, Soma released a compilation of young Chinese bands entitled “Indie Top One”. In addition to Zhong Chi, the company has now signed the bands Mushrooms, Momo, Little Nature and Da Fresh. A second Indie Top album – this round regional in scope – and Little Nature’s debut release are currently near completion. It also works informally with many more local artists, providing young bands will free access to their recording studio. Soma previously managed the Zhijiang Dream Factory from May to August 2009, turning the small theater into the more musically focused Soma Live House, as a trial run for the independently run Mao Livehouse.

Mao Events Schedule

Information about upcoming shows will be posted online at www.douban.com/group/somalive.

The current slate is:

Grand Opening
9.28 8:30pm
Featuring: Momo, Sonnet, Life Journey
Admission: Free
Further information: http://www.douban.com/event/11038480/

Electronic Shock
10.2 9:30pm
Featuring: Supermarket, Monokino
Admission: 60 RMB at door, 50 with reservataion
Further information: http://www.douban.com/event/11045122/

Mushrooms Live
10.3
Featuring: Mushrooms
Also Featuring: Double Control Where
Admission: 40 RMB
Further information: http://www.douban.com/event/11051473/

Shanghai Rock: The Year in Retrospective
10.4 7:30pm
Featuring: Momo, Five Pointed Star, Joker, Pinkberry, Elephant Decoration Troupe, Second
Also Featuring: Small Wizard (from Shaoxing)
Admission: 40 RMB
Further information: http://www.douban.com/event/11027927/

Ecke Album Release Tour, Shanghai Concert
10.5 8pm
Featuring: Ecke
Also Featuring: Red Mushroom, Tomato Fried Egg
Admission: 50 at door, 30 with reservation
Further information: http://www.douban.com/event/10998942/

People’s Records Music Festival
10.6 5pm
Featuring: Trash Box (Tokyo), Higuchi Makiko (Tokyo), Poplar (Kyoto), The Beasts (Seoul), JC (Kaohsiung), Joker (Taipei), Bike (Taizhong)
Admission: 50 RMB general, 30 RMB students
Further information: http://www.douban.com/event/11087107/

Ferocious Animal – Li Zhi’s Solo Album Release Tour, Shanghai Concert
10.17 9pm
Admission: 80 RMB
Further information: www.douban.com/event/11062537

German Folk Rock: Subway to Sally China Tour, Shanghai Show
10.24 9:30pm
Admission: 50 RMB at door, 40 with reservation
Further information: www.douban.com/event/11094996, www.myspace.com/subwaytosally,

http://subwaytosally.com/

Mandallah World Live Show
10.30 9pm
Featuring: Super 700 (Germany)
Also Featuring: MIT (Germany), Drone (Germany)
Admission: 180 RMB at door, 150 RMB with reservation
Further information: www.douban.com/event/11094996, www.myspace.com/super700

Maxmilian Hecker China Tour, Shanghai Stop
10.31 8pm
Admission: 200/150/100RMB
Further information: http://www.douban.com/event/10885295/

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Mao Livehouse Shanghai
570 Huaihai Xi Lu, Building 32, near Kaixuan and Hongqiao Lus
Reservation hotline: 021-6227-7332