Following the Rolling Stones' sell-out concert in March, Shanghai's rock fans look set to hear even more guitar riffs and drum solos at live venues throughout spring.

April will round up with the Bands VS Cancer concert at the popular Mao Livehouse. The concert - being held on April 26 - will welcome nine rock acts onto the stage. This is the first event of its kind in Shanghai and was organized by expat musician Michael Herd in honor of a friend who died of bowel cancer last year, aged only 28.

A poster for this month's nightlife events Photos: Courtesy of the organizers

Herd spoke to the Global Times about the upcoming event:

GT: What inspired you to organize this event and did the idea of a fundraiser with rock music come to you easily?

Herd: The gig was really inspired after the death of a very close friend of mine, Stewart Smith, from Glasgow, my hometown. With me being based in Shanghai and owing to my work commitments, it was impossible for me to make it to his funeral and I felt pretty guilty about that. He and I were both in the same band at one point and we shared a love of pretty much most of the same bands, so I felt organizing a rock concert was a more fitting way of both paying tribute to him and to raise money for this important cause - a cause which in the later stages of his illness he was working really hard to support.

GT: How easy was it to organize the event - how did you go about choosing the acts, contacting them and then arranging how and when they would all perform?

Herd: Through the two bands I'm in I have built up a network of contacts as a result of playing with many of them. I was pretty much open to having anyone who was willing to support the cause and play for free be involved, but I did have particular acts I wanted to see play. I made an appeal via WeChat for bands to come forward on a first come first serve basis, which is how I managed to get at least four involved. A good proportion of the acts are local and live in outer districts of Shanghai, so I have put many of them on in earlier slots with the expat bands closing the evening. As far as possible, I try to have the performances starting with quieter acts to it gradually getting louder and heavier.

GT: How many of the acts are local and how many expat?

Herd: There are five expat bands and four local acts, so almost a 50/50 split.

GT: How much do you hope to raise on the night?

Herd: Ideally if something around 2,000 ($321.60) to 3,000 yuan could be raised from the event that would be perfect. People are also encouraged to donate where they can, if they like, over and above their ticket fee.

GT: Why specifically the Bobby Moore fund?

Herd: This was the charity which my friend Stewart was raising money for. It's a bowel cancer trust in memory of the late Bobby Moore, England's captain during the 1966 World Cup.

GT: Have you received a lot of positive feedback about the event?

Herd: I have indeed. I'm really grateful to Mao Livehouse and to all the bands who will give up their time to perform for this cause. I'm really hoping we have a great turnout and promotion so far seems to be going well.

The event will host an eclectic mix of bands, each with varying styles. The acts include experimental instrumental duo The Other; hard-rockers Wheel of Fortune; Chinese Oasis covers act Orange; rock-reggae group Limousine; En Route; The Cleft; The Spondees and Herd's own band, Xiaoxinyiyi. 

Doors open at 7:30 pm and tickets cost 80 yuan at the door, 60 yuan for presale and 50 yuan for students. All proceeds go to the Bobby Moore Fund for bowel cancer awareness.

A poster for this month's nightlife events Photos: Courtesy of the organizers

On April 25, German rock band The Ignition play at Yuyintang. The band's loud, brash style of rock has earned them a sizeable fan base with the four piece currently touring China. Doors open at 9 pm with tickets 50 yuan at the door, 40 yuan presale.

The Black Dahlia Murder Photos: Courtesy of the organizers

 

For those partial to an even louder and harsher sound, heavy metal group The Black Dahlia Murder perform on April 22 at Mao Livehouse. The American band has received widespread success with five of their six studio albums charting in the US Billboard 200. Formed in 2000, the band's name derives from the 1947 unsolved murder of young actress, Elizabeth Short, who was sometimes called "the Black Dahlia." Tickets cost 230 yuan presale and 330 yuan at the door. Doors open at 8 pm.