"I think the biggest difference is in audiences. In Beijing, I feel that the performers on the stage and the audiences there are all rockers. They all wear slack T-shirts with metal decorations everywhere. Audiences are very involved, they get crazy with the bands," said John Fei, a local music critic.

He thinks the Shanghai audiences are pretty tame. "In Shanghai, well, there are definitely crazy ones, but most audiences seem like they just got off from work."

In fact, Cao takes a dim view.

"There is no rock scene in Shanghai," declares fan Cao who hails from Beijing but now lives in Shanghai. "The north, especially Beijing, is always the center of rock. There are so few live performances in Shanghai and they cannot be compared to the ones in Beijing at all. Most times, audiences don't move at all. I mean, they are not there to listen to opera or something. It is rock."

That's probably why many Shanghai bands simply quit and many live houses, such as Music Warehouse, disappeared.

"Due to the lack of a rock environment, only a few Shanghai venues are willing to hold rock shows, and then only a few performances. It's almost impossible to maintain a venue relying solely on rock shows," says Joecy Wu, marketing director for Yuyintang.

In turn, it's difficult for rock bands to survive on so few performances, so they quit. And rock culture is difficult to sustain without good bands. "So the whole scene becomes a vicious circle," said Wu.

Tongue vocalist Wu, a veteran rocker from the north, takes a more positive view of the Shanghai music scene.

"There's a clear difference between the two sides but I don't think we can say which one is better," he told Shanghai Daily in an interview. "Rock music in Beijing is often more solid, like a large piece of dough while the music in Shanghai is more liquid, flowing freely."

Some city rock fans, such as Wang Shubin, share his view.

"Though Beijing has more rock bands, most of them are all the same while the few bands in Shanghai have very distinctive styles."

Moreover, Wu also sees a promising future for the Shanghai rock scene.

"I hold a positive view. In a few years, let's say five, the whole scenario will be very different. After all, Shanghai is the fastest developing city now and a strong economic foundation would definitely help the music scene."

However, critic Fei is skeptical.

"Rapid economic development certainly would bring something to the music industry in general, but would it really do something for underground-style music? I doubt it."

Still, Fei welcomes Tongue to Shanghai, calling them "powerful, shocking, and impressive, especially in live performances." He attended a couple of live shows four years ago and finds their work intriguing.

"When Wu Tun sings, he doesn't hop like most rockers. Other band members do, they can go crazy and keep moving and jumping on the stage. But Wu Tun does not, he stands with one side to audiences and sings without moving. The sharp contrast between the vocalist and the musicians is very interesting."

Tongue is well known for blending performance art into their shows. The musicians once wore white robes and painted each other while singing "Painter." They are not the only ones using performance art, but they produce one of the best mixes of sight and sounds.

Tonight at Yuyintang, there will be no luxurious designer's decorations, just a wall of pictures from Tongue's live performances.

No sparkling lights and fancy stage, but a space to be rocked.

Tonight, stick out your tongue and yell with Tongue.

Date: December 23, 9pm
Tel: 021-64360072
Venue: No 100, Lane 200 Longcao Road
Admission: 60 yuan (one drink included)

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