Last Saturday(Feb. 11th 2012), Shapingba’s Nuts Club filled to capacity as it hosted 4 CQ bands for the oddly-named “PUNK PARTY 2012”. Memories of my youth surfaced as I stood by the mosh pit, surrounded by giddy punk-rockers and girls distinctly hotter than the ones I’ve come to expect at punk shows. Plenty of hilarious bodysurfing attempts and tons of shoving made this one a must-see…

Wenluan (紊乱- Disorder) warmed up the room with a very decent opening set as hordes of young barbarians kept coming in. The singer, nicely pulling off the Joey Ramone look, kept the chitchat to a minimum and the crowd responded well. Focused on the pit, I only noticed the dense crowd they had attracted when it prevented me from getting a beer during their last song.

Next was EM9, a band of newcomers which seems to be an offshoot of Wenluan. I had to step out during their set, but I spent enough time inside to notice their style was heavily contrasting with the rest of the acts. The night had yet to truly impress me.

Seeing Yiwai Chongtu (意外冲突- Accidental Collision) for the first time, however, was extremely satisfying: catchy melodies, just the right amount of brattiness and a big surprise when sunny faced lead singer SuSu pulled out Joe Strummer/Tim Armstrong style vocals. 

The last band was a crowd favorite and probably Chongqing’s most popular band: The Wheels. It was a very solid set as usual, but the energy I had felt last time I saw them live was not quite there. The Wheels’ last show saw them parting with their bass player, which meant this time vocalist Panda had to take up bass duties, seriously affecting his mobility. 

DJ Goodweed wrapped up the night in a dramatically different style, and we saw Narrenschiff’s Sun Ping taking over the dance floor…

By LeManager

This week's huMP3 day features music from one of the more established, and arguably most 'popular' of Chongqing's very own rock bands.  The Wheels, having gained massive exposure  in last year's nationally televised pepsi battle of the bands, have over the years earned themselves quite the following with their tight, energetic pop-punk.  Friday marks the beginning of their national tour, and as it is their only home town show on the tour, the mosh pit at nuts should be in rare form. 

The WHEELS play Nuts Club Friday, 10/9 @ 20:30.  Supported by No.2 Story