111 Gulou Dongdajie,Gulou,Just east of Nanluoguxiang.
鼓楼东大街111号,鼓楼
Backed by Japanese record label Bad News, this Gulou rock club is guided by smart management that has invested its money in a killer sound system, great stage and a warehouse-like space with beaten up secondhand furniture and cheap drinks.
Liked this place. Good beer, good eats. lively.
Absolutely like this place. The band was playing some great music. Drinks were on the dot. Good crowd.The only hassle is in winter dont feel like going so far to that part of the town.!
My friends have just issued their first album as an underground band. I went to Mao for their 1st album tour show. There were 4 bands that night. They were not as what I expected. I mean they are a "wow". I was amazed by how much richer their music are compare to 4, 5 years ago. I'm so grateful for the existing of MAO and other venues like this who would provide the opportunities for the young musician to grow and exchange their understand of music and life. My boyfriend is dying to go to Mao so I'll take him their on his next visit. Though as we are both non-smokers, the show room can get really smoky.
Hard to rate this place : Looking for small events, yes, this is the greatest place in Beijing with lots of local bands. But when it comes to big concerts of well-known bands, as collinwinn said, it is a real nightmare.
5 stars for this one anyday! This is one of the best dance clubs/lounges in Jing. The crowd is pretty good. There isnt much of a line, which is really good. I hate waiting in line to get into clubs. The music is pretty refreshing and new. In all it is a great place to spend a night out in the city.
if you need live music, look no where else
I'd like to offer an extension of the above review by saying this venue should NOT be booking big names such as Battles and Ratatat unless they are going to be professionally managed. It isn't fair to the patrons who pay a stiff cover charge to see a well-known international band to have to deal with an unorganized, understaffed, and overcrowded venue with no air-conditioning. It is disrespectful to the artists who've traveled long distances and makes for a very unmemorable live-music experience. We all left with a bad taste in our mouth last night -- literally and figuratively.
They completely packed the place last night for the Ratatat show. All they cared about was taking more and more money from people who wanted to go in, with zero regard to maximum occupancy. Everyone in there was dangerously soaking in their own sweat. No exaggeration-- I'm surprised people weren't passing out. Had there been a fire or stampede, we all would have died. On top of that, they had maybe 4-5 staffers working total... 2 bartenders and 2 people taking care of tickets for an insane amount of people. Complete madness.
I used to go here a lot, but now I don't. Good for anyone poor and under the age of 25.
It's the kind of thing people could argue about endlessly, I guess, but I think the sound system at Mao live is one of the worst I've ever heard (and I've seen bands in some dumps in my day). If you want good sounding live music, in my opinion, try Yugong Yishan instead.
Best sounding stage in Beijing.
they need a coatroom
Balls out, amazing venue. One of the best I have ever been to; small enough to get intimate with the stage, big enough to move around & fantastic sound. Stage looks excellent and clean, they take care of the place.
Some of the best bands and some of the best sound at one of the best locations. If it's your band's night on stage, there is no better place than the MAO.
I'm usually one for long-winded reviews but MAO doesn't need a long review. Everything said above is true: it's basic, down to earth, cheap, and it has a killer sound system. It may not have the "friend's garage" feel of 2 Kolegas, but the quality of the sound, the bands booked, and the perfect size of the audience space make it the best Livehouse in BJ right now.