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This show was actually on the 23rd of March (last month), but I want to put this photo here in remembrance of what was surely one of the best Chinese rock bands I have ever seen. Nova Heart, a Beijing band that has toured the US and Europe but remains little known inside mainland China, their home turf.

What I find as a generalization with Chinese pop musicians in general is that they borrow heavily from a single source. It’s usually another band or DJ that might be relatively unknown in China (like Sublime or DJ AM), but it doesn’t work with international audiences who can spot their source from a mile away. Nova Heart breaks the trend and has a sound all their own.

In their music I heard Zero 7 in the lead singers beautiful voice. I heard David Gilmour and Pink Floyd in the lead guitarists airy riffs. I heard Brad Wilk and Rage Against the Machine in the drummers sparse and heady rhythms, peppered with cowbell. It sounded totally new.

Some more information on Nova Heart is available here, and they have an EP on Spotify here: Nova Heart on Spotify