I am pleased to announce BIRDPARTY and Vera Ellen will be touring China with Kaishandao this October. Along with DJs Ludus and Rizzo, this epic beast of a tour will span 16 dates across some of China’s most exciting, post-pandemic underground livehouses, clubs, spaces, and record stores.
Buckle up, whānau.
I was lucky to catch both bands live in Aotearoa over the summer, and immediately fell in love with their sound, stage presence, and humans (& cats, shoutout SWEETYBUB).
In January, Emma (a.k.a. Ludus) and Will from BIRDPARTY hosted me at their lovely garden home in sunny Whanganui for a killer show at Porridge Watson with Alphabethead (another Kiwese alumni), as part of the North Island leg of the Homeland Aotearoa Tour. We tee’ed up again at Camp A Low Hum in February where they absolutely obliterated the Lagoon Stage on Week 2. I was sold. Cogs and neurons began firing, a killer power duo, this would go hard in China, *oooh a duo so portable*, the seed was planted for future plans… *could Kiwese rehag in 2024??*
The stars were aligned, as we were both booked to play Gordon Place Stage at Newtown Festival, where they absolutely sent it on the street. I was so happy I crowdsurfed off the back of a dude’s wheelchair, with an assenting “fuck yeah!” from its owner.
Back in China, my Instagram message to Ludus along the lines of “come China,” was met with a “YEAH hardddd!!!”, which turned into a CHINA TOUR email thread, and the vibe was set for October.
Around this time, I got a message from Vera Ellen about touring China in October. Cosmic or what? After some team korero, we decided to pool our energies into this one mega tour!!
Pōneke singer-songwriter and bandleader Vera Ellen lent me her gorgeous blue guitar for my rain washout set at Nest Fest, introduced by old friend, producer and multi-massive music man Ben Lemi. Vera Ellen played a lush, uplifting show on the Beach Stage to an enthusiastic crowd of sunburnt Kiwi punters holding towers of Pals in each hand. I managed to catch them once more at Camp A Low Hum, where they absolutely packed out the Renegade tent, which further deepened my fandom.
This is the first Kiwese China Tour I’ve hosted in five years (the last being WOMB + Strange Stains 2019). Aside from the obvious pandemic, I’ve been struggling with mental health, burnout and lack of motivation for some time (this blog was more or less a dormant Snorlax for at least three years).
The last Kiwese tour (and cancelled crone and Ursula Le Sin tour), showed me that I could not operate under the radar as I had with Orchestra of Spheres + Lady Lazer Light (2015), mr sterile Assembly (2016), and The All Seeing Hand, E N T, Alphabethead, Illojgali (2017). Regulations for live music venues that were previously only enforced in Beijing and Shanghai had spread to all tiered cities. No permit = no promotion or online ticketing. Since 2018/19, more or less all band-facing live venues need permits, and international performers ought to have work visas for the safety of everyone involved.
Empowered and energized by my trip home to Aotearoa, and reconnected with my love of live music and community at Camp A Low Hum, I decided to give this thing another go, properly. While it has been long doing the paperwork, it is about time we did this the right way!! I am proud to announce is the first ever legal Kiwese tour lmao, we’ve got the permits, we’ve got the visas, and we’ve got the vibes!!!
Thank you to BIRDPARTY and Vera Ellen for having faith in me and giving me the confidence to start this thing up again. It is my honour and privilege to bring these incredible Aotearoa musicians to China. Naturally, we have gone very, very hard with this one. Come China? See you out there!!!
China Tour Dates 2024
10.11 Shanghai, System
10.12 Hangzhou, Loopy
10.13 Wenzhou, BlindLobby盲堂
10.14 Fuzhou, tomtwo通透现场
10.16 Xiamen, Insular Records离岛
10.17 Guangzhou, Haktang *DJ SETS
10.18 Guangzhou, 昨日世界
10.19 Wuhan, TheFeedback回授
10.20 Hefei, 791CROW
10.23 Beijing, 东市OMNICLUB
10.25 Xi’an, VEIN未来
10.26 Chongqing, Ruins *BIRDPARTY & Kaishandao
10.27 Chongqing, Ruins *Vera Ellen
10.29 Chengdu, CDCR.LIVE
10.30 Chengdu, Jah Bar
10.31 Chengdu, .TAG *DJ SETS
ABOUT BIRDPARTY
Hailing from Aotearoa, New Zealand, BIRDPARTY is the unlikely merging of extreme metal musician William Barrett (Heresiarch) and ambient/electronic dance producer Emma Bernard (Ludus).
Constructed with sample-based textures, trippy vocals and drums, the duo build scintillating sci-fi soundtracks for the adventurous listener. Undefinable and unmissable, BIRDPARTY’s live show explores the realms between ambience and uproar — delivering a cathartically noisy spread of cinematic semi-industrial goods & services.
Since emerging in 2023, BIRDPARTY have established themselves as one of the most exciting new live acts in New Zealand, captivating crowds at festivals such as Twisted Frequency, Newtown Festival, Camp A Low Hum and Welcome to Nowhere, as well as the City Gallery of Wellington.
The band are members of the Aotearoa Artists in Solidarity with Palestine collective and contributed to the TAUTOKO GAZA fundraiser compilation last year. They plan to record their debut album at Scumbag College Studios and will release in September 2024, followed by a tour of New Zealand and Mainland China.
BIRDPARTY are based in Whanganui, where they live with their cat Sweetybub.
IG: _birdparty_
ABOUT VERA ELLEN
Vera Ellen is an expert when it comes to concise songwriting; every note and beat is exactly the required dose. Her albums are full of hooked-to-the-brim melodies, and guided by Vera’s clear, confident, and relaxed vocal presence.
Vera Ellen first emerged playing in bands like grunge 4-piece Maple Syrup and Sweater. After relocating to Los Angeles, she started the band Girl Friday, whose music debuted on indie giant Sub Pop’s sub-label, Hardly Art. In early 2020, Vera moved back to New Zealand, where she released It’s Your Birthday (2021) and Ideal Home Noise (2023) on legendary New Zealand post-punk label Flying Nun Records.
Both albums have led to critical acclaim — with It’s Your Birthday winning her ‘Best Alternative Artist’ at the Aotearoa Music Awards in 2022, while Vera Ellen and producer/collaborator Ben Lemi took home the prestigious Taite Music Prize for Ideal Home Noise earlier this year.
The Vera Ellen China ensemble will feature Vera, Ben Lemi, Bella Guarrera and Lochie Noble.
IG: veraellen_
ABOUT KAISHANDAO
IG: kaishandao
@system_shanghai @loopy_club @blindlobby @insularamoy @haktang_gz @cdcr.live @jahbarchengdu @tagchengdu
KIWESE 