Big Love has made big promises: With 100 acts on four stages in four days, it's definitely bigger than any Zebra Festival to date, and it's obvious that the organizers aim to cater not only to the city's young stage divers, but to the 30-something-year-old head bobbers who grew up listening to the rock of the 1990s. And compared to other Chinese festivals (Strawberry, MIDI), Big Love's lineup and competition-free timing could actually be enough to motivate the Shanghaier or Beijinger to visit Chengdu during this year's Dragon Boat Festival.

Lineup
It's been almost a year since the first details of Big Love Festival were made public. Despite other changes to the event (the place and time, for instance), the lineup is for the most part the same as before. Headlining the main Big Love Stage are the British answer to the Backstreet Boys, Blue, who already made an appearance in Chengdu at the official event press conference to sing their schmaltzy smash hit "One Love" not once but twice. Japanese Bossa Nova singer Lisa Ono will perfrom, and the main stage will be rounded out by a Mando/Cantopop smorgasbord of superboys, supergirls, and "talents" from the Mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Malaysia, led by Taiwanese gangster-turned-pop star Chyi Chin and Mandopop godfather Harlem Yu. Representing Sichuan are singer Sitar Tan and Runtu, who raps about his simple life and noodles in biaozhun Sichuanese.

The pop acts extend their reaches to the Big Rock Stage (yes, in spite of its name) with the likes of Ou and Yan, Wang Feng and Macao casino boss Stanley Ho's daughter's ridiculously named act Josie Ho and the Uni Boys. That aside, the rock stage features a remarkable number of well known and never-before-seen-in-Chengdu '90s bands including alternative rockers Ash, Britpop pioneers Suede, American hardrockers Extreme (whose front man ex-VanHalen Gary Cherone we interviewed in issue 46, "Holidays"). The legendary Cui Jian leads the pack of mainland rockers along with China's first metal heads Tang Dynasty, Xie Tian Xiao aka XTX , and moody rockers Muma & Third Party.

The Big Dream Stage showcases folk and world music artists such as Mongolian musicians Sainkho Namchylak, Hanggai, and Haya, Kazakh band IZ from Xinjiang, and Shanren from Yunnan. The union of blind singer Zhou Yunpeng and the very visual and experimental Xiao He from Glorious Pharmacy is sure to deliver an edgy performance, and finally, the local rock scene delivers the inevitable: Ashura, The Trouble, Soundtoy, Mr. Turtle, Mosaic, and 48V.

DJ stage Big E suffered a blow when it was announced that originally scheduled headliners Detroit techno DJs Jeff Mils and John Tajeda would be replaced by Japanese Ken Ishi and Berlin techno DJ Ellen Allien. Much of the rest of the lineup seems primed to deliver hour upon hour of relentless trance music to shake your head to. The full details of the Big E stage have not yet been released.

Transport/Accommodation/Tickets
The good news is that unlike Zebra's Poly Park, the Intangible Heritage Park is (just) within Chengdu's city limits, so the fights with taxi drivers that inevitably break out at Poly in theory should not play a part at Big Love. The trip is around 15km from the south of the city and should run approximately RMB50. Any other means of public transport (i.e., bus lines 518, 904, or 309) will probably tack on an additional hour to the journey, but organizers claim there will be a shuttle bus departing every 10 to 15 minutes to ferry festival-goers to and fro.

Accomodation
The hotel attached to the Intangible Cultural Heritage convention center has allegedly been fully booked for visiting performers and staff. Camping is allowed for those who hold a four-day pass.

The 1.6 sqkm festival grounds are complete with areas for a beer fest, a Sichuanese food street, a carnival, performances, exhibitions, creative markets, an "improvisation area," a car show, and camping grounds with a campfire in the evening and light shows. Rental bicycles are available on site.

Ticketing Information

From the event website:
Pre-sale (before June 15) 1-day pass: RMB240
1-day pass: RMB298
4-day pass: RMB800

Damai Wang: 4006103721
Yongle Ticket Service: 4006228228
Moshi Wang: 4006110026

Big Love International Music Festival 2012 大爱音乐节 2012
Date: June 21 to 24
Location: International Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Park
601 Guanghua Dadao, Sect. 2 (south side of the Guanghua Dadao exit of the High-Speed Ring Road) 国际非物质文化遗产博览园光华大道二段601号

Schedule
Acts on the Big Love, Big Rock, and Big Dream stages are scheduled to play 40 minutes each while DJs have two-hour sets.

Day 1 // Thursday // June 21

BIG LOVE2 to 9:30 p.m.
Peng Tan & Band 彭坦 & 乐队
Lisa Ono 小野丽莎 (Japan)
Aska Yang 杨宗纬 (Taiwan)
Huan Xiaolong 黄小琥 (Taiwan)
Harlem Yu 庾澄庆 (Taiwan)
Lin Youjia aka Yoga Lin 林宥嘉 (Taiwan)

BIG ROCK 1:30 to 10:30 p.m.
The Metaphor 隐喻 Thrash metal
Hedgehog 刺猬 Indie rock
Re-Tros aka Rebuilding the Rights of Statues 重塑雕像的权利 Post rock
New Pants 新裤子Synth pop
Jun Zheng 郑钧
Tang Dynasty 唐朝 Hard rock
Extreme (US) Hard rock

Big Dream 1:30 to 9 p.m.
t.b.a
Xizi
48V Postrock
The Trouble 热超波 Ska
Hanggai 杭盖 folk
Hu Defu aka Ara Kimbo 胡德夫 folk (Taiwan)

Big E 2 p.m. to midnight
Handgun
Alex Shark
DJ Dayong & Kommy
Little Wonder
Alkatraz & Emma Hewit
Cosmic Gate & Emma Hewitt
DJ Youdai

Day 2 // Friday // June 22

BIG LOVE2 to 9:30 p.m.
Yao Zheng 姚政
Reno Wang & Underwater. P王铮亮 & 潘辰
Tanya Chua 蔡健雅 (Singapore)
Dick & Cowboy 迪克牛仔 (TW)
Chyi Chin 齐秦 (Taiwan)
Blue (UK)

BIG ROCK 1:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Redberry 红色浆果 indie
Thumbleweed 风滚草 Altern.
Suyang 苏阳 folk rock
Siqingeerle 斯琴格日乐folk
Yida Huang 黄义达 (Singapore)
Miserable Faith 痛仰 Indie Rock
Ash (UK) Alternative rock

Big Dream 1:30 to 9 p.m.
Namo 南无 Folk
Chinatown 唐人街 Numetal
Mosaic 马赛克 Rock
IZ (Xinjiang) experimental folk
LSD aka The Way of the Dragon God 龙神道 Reggae
Li Jian 李建 pop

Big E 2 p.m. to midnight
DJ River & Soul
Xiangdong (Chengdu)
Ken Ishii (Japan)
DJ Icey (US)
Dave K (Shanghai)

Day 3 // Saturday // June 23

BIG LOVE2 to 9:30 p.m.
Runtu & Chongqing Kid 润土&重庆孩子
Crowd Lu 卢广仲 (Taiwan)
Penny Tai 戴佩妮 (Malaysia)
Mavis Fan & 100% 范晓萱
Chang Chen Yue 张震岳 & Free9

BIG ROCK 1:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Han Geng 韩庚 Lilisay Triphop
Black Head 黑撒 Folk rap
Yaksa 夜叉 Metalcore
Muma (木玛) & Third Party rock
Ou & Yan 鸥 & 艳 pop
Feng Wang 汪峰 pop
Suede alternative rock

Big Dream 1:30 to 9 p.m.
t.b.a.
Cao Qin 曹秦 Britpop
Ashura 阿修罗 pop rock
Zhou Yunpeng & Xiao He 周云蓬 & 小河 experimental folk
Shanren 山人folk
HAYA world music

Big E 2 p.m. to midnight
Just Charlie (US)
DJ Joe (Germany)
Sky Zhang
Harry Ho (Chengdu)
Jamaster A & Mc Davi (HK)
Blank & Jones (GE)
Ben Huang (Beijing)

Day 4 // Sunday // June 24

BIG LOVE2 to 9:30 p.m.
Sitar Tan & Jeffrey G 谭维维&吉杰
Gary Chaw 曹格 (Malaysia)
Edison Chen 陈冠希 (Hong Kong)
Soda Green 苏打绿
Luo Dayou 罗大佑 (Taiwan)
Alan Ta 谭咏麟 & V4 女子乐队

BIG ROCK 1:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Lego Johnson (UK) Electro rock
The Face 面孔 hard rock
Josie Ho & The Uni Boys Cantopop
Catcher in the Rye 麦田守望者
Pu Shu 朴树 folk/pop
Xie Tian Xiao aka XTX 谢天笑
Cui Jian 崔健 (Beijing) rock

Big Dream 1:30 to 9 p.m.
Gareth Bonello (UK)
Liang Xiaoxue aka Kurukawa 梁晓雪 folk
Mr. Turtle aka Mr. Chelonian 海龟先生 rock
Soundtoy 声音玩具 indie
Wild Children 野孩子 pop
Sainkho Namchylak world

Big E 2 p.m. to midnight
Howell Cen
Future K (Chengdu)
Song Fei (Chengdu)
Solar Pavilion (Chengdu)
Alkatraz (Canada)
Ellen Allien (GE)
Do Hits (Beijing)

This article was first published in CHENGDOO citylife Magazine, issue 55 ("FIVE")

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