Every August, Japan's Summer Sonic Festival draws some of the biggest artists in the world for a weekend of live music in Osaka and Tokyo. One of the largest rock festivals in Asia, Summer Sonic has been running since 2000. Headliners at this year's event include Carly Rae Jepsen, Fall Out Boy, John Legend, The Smashing Pumpkins, Nas, M.I.A. and Alt-J.

This summer, the festival is set to make its Shanghai debut. Summer Sonic 2013 will be held in Japan from August 10 to 11. The following weekend on August 17 and 18, Sonic Shanghai 2013 will be staged at the Shanghai Grand Stage in Xuhui district.

According to Shanghai OTV Media, one of the main organizers of Sonic Shanghai 2013, there will be dozens of international and local musicians and bands. More than 12 sets will be played each day, meaning a total of nearly 100 hours of music as most international artists will perform live for nearly one and a half hours.

Following weeks of rumors and speculation that the Shanghai lineup would include the same big names that are playing in Japan, the first batch of confirmed artists was announced at a press conference early this month. Organizers promise more names will be released in the coming weeks.

Confirmed international acts include former Japanese visual kei rocker Miyavi (Takamasa Ishihara), British funk group Jamiroquai, and American metal bands Limp Bizkit and Korn.

American metal band Limp Bizkit will be in town in August for the first-ever Sonic Shanghai. Photo: Courtesy of Sonic Shanghai

 

Chinese names include veteran Beijing rockers Black Panther, Shanghai singer-songwriter Li Quan and Heilongjiang "Dancing King" Han Geng. Taiwanese pop stars Mavis Fan (Fan Xiaoxuan) and Aska Yang (Yang Zongwei), along with rock singer Faith Yang (Yang Naiwen) are also on the bill.

A Japan-born musician of Korean and Japanese parentage, Miyavi started in Tokyo's music scene as the guitarist and chief songwriter for visual kei J-rock group Dué le Quartz in 1999 and went solo after the group split in 2002. His guitar-driven rock music is blended with acoustic pop, blues, and hip hop.

Formed in 1992, Jamiroquai were pioneers in London's acid jazz scene and went on to chart success with hits such as "Virtual Insanity," "Canned Heat" and "Cosmic Girl." The core members of the band are lead singer and songwriter Jay Kay and drummer Derrick McKenzie. Jamiroquai have sold more than 40 million albums worldwide and won a Grammy Award in 1998.

Mavis Fan Photo: IC

 

Led by frontman Fred Durst, Limp Bizkit has courted controversy since the band was formed in Florida in 1994. But with global sales of over 60 million records and three Grammy nominations, they are one of the world's most successful nu metal bands.

Established in the 1980s, seminal Chinese rock band Black Panther has experienced plenty of ups and downs in their 25 year history, including banned songs and multiple changes of lead singer. With an average age of over 40, the band welcomed their 10th lead singer, Zhang Qi, in March. On July 11, they released their latest album, Who We Are, which guitarist Li Tong claims is their best yet, better even than their first album, Shame.

"Every down time for them was a chance to be reborn for us," Zhang said at the Sonic Shanghai 2013 press conference. "Our appearance at Sonic Shanghai this year will be another milestone for Black Panther. We will play some of our past hits and also new songs."

Aska Yang Photo: IC

 

Li Yong, the general manager of Shanghai OTV Media, admitted that since there has been a mushrooming of music festivals across China, it has become a real challenge to organize a new music festival with a reasonable budget, high-quality venues and international artists. "For Sonic Shanghai, our aim is to hold a music festival that transcends music and becomes a celebration of youth and urban culture," Li said.

Sonic Shanghai organizer Jiang Ningzhan believes that rock music is being embraced by an increasingly large Chinese audience, partly thanks to music festivals held in recent years. "The biggest value for any music festival is, I think, to preserve the personality of any genre of music," Jiang said.

The ticket price for one day ranges from 280 ($45.63) to 980 yuan, and a two-day pass costs 680 to 1,680 yuan.