Straight outta Amsterdam comes this international collective of musicians. The TenTemPies have been winning raves for their blend of Latin rock with reggae and ska elements. The seven-piece group will be playing shows at 2 Kolegas on April 2, Temple Bar on April 3 and Tango on April 5.
Since forming in 2008, the band's raucous live shows have drawn comparisons to Manu Chao and Gogol Bordello. Although they call Holland their home, the group is notable for singing about social injustice. That's due to co-founders Maurino Alarcon and Juke Shwarz's shared Chilean roots.
"TenTemPies means something like 'hold your stand'. Do not bow down but stand on your feet and fight for what you believe," explains frontman Alarcon. "In South America, it's also a puppet that is weighted down at the bottom so every time you hit it down, it bounces back up. In Spain, they're little snacks that keep you standing between meals. Either way, it means for us to stand up and never bow down."
The group has toured around the world but will be making their first visit to the Mainland. Although Alarcon admits that his biggest concern is not being able to cram in all the sights in their inaugural visit, he does have one even bigger wish. "We want to hook up with local musicians after the show so they can show us the most obscure stages in Beijing where we cam jam it out until sunrise," he says. The three shows will be a rare treat for Chinese fans as the band will be previewing songs from their upcoming full-length album produced by celebrated Dutch musician Pieter Both.
// April 2, invite only. 2 Kolegas, 21 Liangmaqiao Lu (inside the drive-in movie theater park), Chaoyang District, 朝阳区亮马桥路21号 (6436 8998)
// April 3, 9-11pm, free entry. Temple Bar, 202, Building B, 206 Gulo u Dong Dajie, Dongcheng District, 东城区鼓楼东大街206号B楼202 (131 6107 0713)
// April 5, Sound of the Xity, 2-9pm, RMB150-350. Tango, 79 Hepingli Xijie, South Gate of Ditan Park, Dongcheng District, 东城区和平里西街79号 (雍和宫桥北,近地坛公园南门) (6428 2288)
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