Hard Queen

The band, formed in 2007 in Shanghai, has already won a considerable following with their original, naughty and melodic sound. Considered a White Stripes tribute, they released their first EP called "Holiday" this April, containing the hit song "I Don't Wanna Sleep at Night" that attracted many teenage rock enthusiasts.

Hard Queen [Shanghai Daily]

The band, with female vocalist Daxi, female drummer Damen and the only male member Zero on the bass, has been known by a few other names before eventually settling on the current Hard Queen. It is a signature stroke of the band to have both a female vocalist and drummer in China's male-dominated music world.

Their melody style is naughty and cheerful while the lyrics are often humorous about daily life and specific events, appealing to the young generation.

Although only two years old, Hard Queen has done numerous performances and already has a documentary film to their credit, "Up from the Underground," looking at their experience from a starting band to becoming wildly popular among young fans.

Attic Circus

One of the most influential and unique Shanghai rock bands, Attic Circus took their name from a circus motif of Franz Kafka. But they are not the soft young musicians stereotypical of rock bands from the south often considered much softer and less straightforward than their northern peers.

Attic Circus [baidu.com]

Attic Circus, although using a lot of Shanghai dialects and local slangs, is often called "the dirty underpants of Shanghai," peeling back the materialistic and low side of the metropolis in contrast to the widely known fashionable and luxurious image.

Apart from the self-irony and black humor in their lyrics, they are also known for exciting performances considered crazy or strange by some audiences.

To some people, it's not even music and the performances seem rather silly, but followers and fans are thrilled by their efforts at digging out the "real" side of the city and their associated self-irony.

In one performance last October, band members all turned into joyful circus artists with exaggerated make-up and circus-like costumes. The band even held karaoke contests for other local bands and fans to sing their songs and the contests were packed.

"Summer Rock @ Channel 1" concert series

Date: through August 16 (no performances on August 1-2), Saturdays-Sundays, 1:30pm, 6pm
Venue: Channel 1, 155 Changshou Rd
Admission: Free

Daning Music Season

Date: August 8-9, 7pm
Venue: Daning International Commercial Plaza, 1868-2008 Gonghexin Rd
Admission: Free

(Shanghai Daily July 23, 2009)