China loves the Beijing Beatles, yeah, yeah yeah!
They've jammed with Boris Johnson, played a peace concert in North Korea and even helped a Scotsman propose to his girlfriend. Welcome to the weird world of the expat Fab Four
Sixties supergroup the Beatles were an international phenomenon, but in Communist China, which was in the grip of the Cultural Revolution, few would have been aware of their existence.
Fast-forward 50 years however, and a group of expats known as the Beijing Beatles are spreading the love for the Fab Four right across this vast country.
The tribute band – who go by the stage names John, Paul, George and Gringo – have played close to 250 gigs in 20 Chinese cities since forming in 2010.
Frontman Ian Burns (John), who hails from Billingham in north-east England and runs a graphic design company in China, explained that the group was set up after they spotted a "four-headed gap in the market". It slowly started building up a following among Chinese and expats fans alike.
The Beijing Beatles (thebeijingbeatles.com) are so realistic that some Chinese believe they are the real Fab Four. Burns, 49, said: "It’s quite surreal to be honest. We played a gig a few days ago in Guangzhou and as I walked off the stage a Chinese guy asked me to sign his shirt! What do you do?’’
The other members of the band are French expats Nico Toresse, a 47-year-old music teacher from Marseille (George) and Greg Desbuquois (Ringo), a 33-year-old estate agent from Lille. The British expat who performs as 'Paul' prefers to keep his true identity under wraps due to the nature of his job in China.
Crowd pleasers include Hey Jude, Twist and Shout and A Hard Day's Night and according a review on local culture blog beijingdaze.com the band was such a hit during one free concert at the city's Temple bar, the crowd would not let the Fab Four off stage.
"They had a seven-song encore, much to the delight of everyone present. Having these lads play is becoming a fun event and a more reliable and enjoyable musical adventure than many of the crappy concerts we're subjected to in this town," according to the blog.
The band play venues big and small, from bars to hotel ballrooms and exhibition centres. They have appeared on local Chinese radio and TV slots and even performed a 'Beatlegram' for a fellow expat who wanted to propose to his fiancée. "We got an email from this Scottish guy who was a fan of ours. He asked us to perform as a surprise at a party for his girlfriend, also from Scotland, at his apartment," explained Burns.
"He met us in the pub around the corner and we were dressed in our Sgt. Pepper outfits and wigs, which was a bit weird, especially in China. But as we went up to the apartment in the lift nobody batted an eyelid.
"We'd thought the event was a dinner party but when we got there it was just this guy and his girlfriend. We performed All You Need is Love as he'd asked, he popped open a bottle of champagne and then we left. We only found out later that as soon as we'd gone, he proposed to her."
Another highlight of the band’s career was jamming with Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, when he was in Beijing last year to promote the Great British Brands festival. Mr Johnson got behind the drumkit to show off his skills.
"We just need to get him a wig and we're sorted. He could easily be the fifth Beijing Beatle," said Burns.
Some Chinese fans mistake the Beijing Beatles for the real thing
Besides gigs across China, the band has also performed in Singapore and Hong Kong – where the real Beatles played in 1964. But their most unusual gig came after they were invited to an international peace concert in Pyongyang, North Korea.
The rest of those on the bill were classical musicians and the audience consisted of 1,000 North Korean VIPs and dignitaries who weren't sure what to make of the group as they played Don't Let Me Down.
"None of them had heard of the Beatles. It was totally surreal. You could have heard a pin drop," said Burns.
Their reception elsewhere is warmer - although it doesn't quite match the heights of Beatlemania in Sixties, when hysterical female fans screamed at the real mop-headed Liverpudlian foursome.
"We've not got there yet but we're hoping for it one day," joked Burns.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatlife/11143074/China-loves-the-Beijing-Beatles-yeah-yeah-yeah.html
