SoundFact Presents
Looking back to early 2024, British jazz trio GoGo Penguin made their first China tour at the invitation of SoundFact. Their performances in Shanghai and Beijing burned warmly and brightly like candles on a winter night. All three shows sold out, leaving fans with many unforgettable moments.
▶ From left: pianist Chris Illingworth, bassist Nick Blacka and drummer Jon Scott | © Photo by Mark Gregson
Building on that connection, SoundFact is delighted to invite GoGo Penguin back to China in July 2026, before the band takes the stage at Asia’s leading outdoor festival, Fuji Rock. SoundFact will fulfill its promise from two years ago and bring the “Running Penguins” to more cities, letting the music flow freely. Tickets for the Xi’an show go on sale on May 8; stay tuned. We look forward to sharing an evening of music that can wash over the soul on a Friday night in midsummer.
SoundFact Presents
Showtime: 2026/07/17 Fri. 20:00
Venue: Xi’an Concert Hall, Symphony Hall
Address: Mid-section of Datang Everbright City, Qujiang New District, Xi’an
Official ticket prices
Full-price tickets: ¥180 / 240 / 300 / 360
A-category two-person “Penguin” ticket: ¥640 (¥360 × 2)
B-category two-person “Penguin” ticket: ¥520 (¥300 × 2)
On-sale times
2026/05/08 Fri. 13:30
Priority booking for Shaanxi Grand Theatre members
2026/05/08 Fri. 14:00
General sale across all platforms
· The Xi’an show is seated. Please use your paper ticket to find your assigned seat.
ShowStart
“Radiohead of the jazz world”
Electronic breakbeats meet contemporary minimalist jazz
A leading band in Europe’s new-jazz wave
Returning to China with a new album
🐧 07/16 BEIJING 🐧 07/17 XI’AN 🐧 07/19 GUANGZHOU 🐧 07/22 SHANGHAI
🎹 “Radiohead of the jazz world” 🥁 Electronic breakbeats meet contemporary minimalist jazz 🎸 A leading band in Europe’s new-jazz wave 💽 Returning to China with a new album
Looking back to early 2024, GoGo Penguin made their first China tour at the invitation of SoundFact, playing warm, bright shows in Shanghai and Beijing. All three nights sold out, leaving fans with many treasured memories.
In July 2026, SoundFact is delighted to welcome GoGo Penguin back to China for a new tour before the band takes the stage at Fuji Rock. This time, we will fulfill our promise from two years ago and bring the “Running Penguins” to more cities, letting the music flow freely.
🎫 Tickets go on sale through ShowStart on May 8. Stay tuned!
Formed in Manchester, England, GoGo Penguin features pianist Chris Illingworth, bassist Nick Blacka and drummer Jon Scott. Though they keep the trio format simple, their music is expansive. They break through traditional jazz boundaries and draw widely on electronic elements, combining crisp timbres and intricate beats with jazz, electronic music, neoclassical music, minimalism and ambient sounds to create something new. They have been called the “Radiohead of the jazz world” and compared with acclaimed artists such as Aphex Twin, Massive Attack, Four Tet, Brian Eno and Philip Glass.
GoGo Penguin, “Erased by Sunlight”
Released as an independent single after the band’s lineup change and signing with a new label, “Erased by Sunlight” marked the beginning of a new era for GoGo Penguin. The track distills their signature “acoustic-electronic” aesthetic: bright, clear piano lines, deep double-bass grooves and finely woven breakbeat drumming meet in a vivid, dynamic soundscape. As its title suggests, the song radiates the warmth of moving from shadow into light. It retains the band’s core sound while showing their resolve to explore what comes next—a restorative, compelling piece that reaches beyond their usual audience.
▶ GoGo Penguin, “Erased by Sunlight” (live)
▶ GoGo Penguin | © Photo by Mark Gregson
In 2012, GoGo Penguin released their first album, Fanfares, on Gondwana, one of the UK’s most important jazz and neoclassical labels. The BBC called them a band “destined to make great records.” Their follow-up, v2.0, became a surprise nominee for that year’s Mercury Prize, earning authoritative recognition for their approach to new music in the UK and Europe and helping them lead the new-jazz wave across the continent. The band later joined Blue Note and released three acclaimed albums between 2016 and 2021. Popular tracks from that period include “Signal in the Noise,” “Bardo” and “Protest.”
▶ Fanfares (2012)
v2.0 (2014)
Man Made Object (2016)
A Humdrum Star (2018)
GoGo Penguin (2020)
Everything Is Going To Be OK (2023)
Search “SoundFact” on NetEase Cloud Music to hear the full playlist 🎵
🐧 As a leading band in Europe’s new-jazz wave, Manchester’s GoGo Penguin have won over fans of jazz, neoclassical and electronic music—and even math rock and post-rock—with their ever-evolving sound since releasing their debut album in 2012.
💽 SoundFact invited 30 friends from different walks of life to share 23 of their favorite “Penguin tracks,” creating the playlist “Necessary Fictions.” It includes both memorable moments fans heard on the last tour and deeper cuts from previous albums. The playlist offers an excellent look at the range of styles GoGo Penguin have explored and how their sound has evolved.
🎹 In July 2026, GoGo Penguin will return to China at SoundFact’s invitation for their second China tour. Watch for tour updates, and see you at the shows!
▶ SoundFact invited 30 people to choose 23 “Penguin tracks” for the playlist “Necessary Fictions,” an excellent showcase of the band’s stylistic range and evolution. Listen to the full playlist on NetEase Cloud Music.
In 2023, GoGo Penguin released Everything Is Going To Be OK on Sony Music, marking the start of a new chapter. Early the following year, they came to mainland China for the first time at SoundFact’s invitation, playing warm, bright shows in Shanghai and Beijing. All three nights sold out, leaving fans with many treasured memories.
“Our first China tour is something we remember vividly. We were completely blown away. We never expected so many fans to follow, listen to and love our music so far from home. The audience had an incredible energy, and that meant the world to us.”
—GoGo Penguin (SoundFact exclusive interview)
GoGo Penguin: A Look Back at the 2024 China Tour
Now back with their new album Necessary Fictions, GoGo Penguin remain true to themselves as they continue searching for what feels most real in a complicated world. The album finds them making their boldest musical statement yet, bringing modular synthesizers and electric bass into the writing more than before, while moving freely and elegantly between acoustic instruments and electronic music over a drum-driven foundation.
“The idea of Necessary Fictions is about looking back and asking what still matters to you now, and what you may have been carrying unconsciously for a long time that no longer serves you. It could be something imposed by society, parents or authority. It may have been helpful at one point, but eventually you stop and ask: ‘This is who I am. But who am I, really? What do I want to keep? What is truly necessary to live more truthfully?’”
—GoGo Penguin (SoundFact exclusive interview)
“GoGo Penguin’s most adventurous album yet!”
—CLASH
“The tones and dynamics of the music reach new heights on this record. We hear a band confident enough to break its own patterns.”
—All About Jazz
GoGo Penguin, “What We Are and What We Are Meant to Be”
GoGo Penguin recorded Necessary Fictions in their own studio in 2025. The album shows how the band came together to shape a distinctive sonic world. A remarkable and unforgettable guest vocal from singer-songwriter Daudi Matsiko, along with collaborations with Manchester Collective and Rakhi Singh, adds even more to this exceptional record.
Speaking about one of the album’s central tracks, “What We Are and What We Are Meant to Be,” the band said: “When we have explored ideas like this in the past, there has always been a little hesitation. We often asked ourselves at the end: is it really right to write something so different from what we have done before? On this track, the prominent synths and electronic elements are a real step forward. At the same time, in its character, structure and overall approach, we have evolved from our earlier work. The title comes from the idea of letting go of the assumptions and expectations others may place on us and fully embracing who we are and what we really want to say.”
▶ GoGo Penguin, “What We Are and What We Are Meant to Be”
With the new-album tour spanning dozens of cities across the UK, Europe and North America—from intimate live rooms to concert halls and opera houses seating two or three thousand—GoGo Penguin will finally return to Asia this summer. Alongside another appearance at Fuji Rock, the band will tour China at SoundFact’s invitation, visiting Beijing, Xi’an, Guangzhou and Shanghai. We look forward to sharing that connection and excitement with you in person.
🐧 Since forming in 2012, the Manchester instrumental trio GoGo Penguin have established a musical language of their own through their inventive blend of jazz, classical and electronic elements, their inspired compositions and their drive to push beyond jazz conventions. The media have called them the “Radiohead of the jazz world.”
💬 Ahead of the band’s second China tour, SoundFact spoke exclusively with all three members about writing the new album, the evolution of their sound, recent bands and albums they recommend, their love of beer and more.
🎹 In July 2026, GoGo Penguin will return to China at SoundFact’s invitation for their second China tour. Watch for tour updates, and see you at the shows!
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