Nanjing – Immanu El are a Swedish band that you would classify as being in the post-rock vein. Their music tends to be similar to bands like Delay Trees, newer Mogwai and, more noticeably, Explosions in the Sky. One way that they differ from these bands though is that they are much more melodic and have songs that are shorter, tighter and with strong, neatly crafted vocals by their singer/guitarist Claes Strängberg. They’ve released three albums and one EP since 2005 which is fantastic as they look quite young.
As this was my first show in China I had little to no expectations as to what I should expect in terms of crowd reception but most of the couple hundred or so in attendance were surprisingly polite, seemed to be genuinely in to the music, and clapped after the last note died out from each song. We’ll call these people “the-not-what-I-expected-at-a-Chinese-concert-to-be-like” people. There were tables and nice leather sofas off to one side of the stage where bottle service was an option which was also a surprise. Groups of friends were playing a popular drinking game here that involves dice called Dai Wa Sik (Liar Dice). It’s a game of chance and deception (much like a foreigner ordering from a Chinese fast food menu). Nevertheless, these people were not paying any attention to the band so we’ll just label them as “scenesters”. Off in their own world. Lord love them.
After the show, I was told by my friends that Chinese folks tend to bolt as soon as a movie, concert, or other large gathering concludes and this was also the case here. There wasn’t a room by the stage for the band to hang out so after their final song finished they just walked off stage through the middle of the crowd. Why not, right? It made it difficult to ask for an encore but maybe those don’t even exist here. Fortunately for us, the band stuck around after the show and talked to some of the stragglers and devoted fans. It’s always interesting to see how fans place performers on a pedestal. Chinese university girls seemed giddy and
nervous. Seeing this reaction, their boyfriends also quickly became nervous. They quickly left. We’ll call them the “jealous-lovers”.
From the brief conversation I had with Claes and David their keyboardist following the show, they’re well-schooled in terms of their musical backgrounds and knowledge. They also spoke of various Canadian bands that they listened to. Surprisingly, Claes said that he was a fan of KC Accidental which was a project Kevin Drew and Charles Spearin had before Broken Social Scene existed. David also spoke of Constellation Records and playing a festival with HRSTA and A Silver Mt Zion. Canadian musical influence still stands strong I guess.
For a group of Swedish musicians, building a fanbase in a foreign country such as China, is something that most bands wouldn’t even think to try but why not, Chinese kids are being exposed to the Western world more so than ever before, especially with films and music. David spoke of how the crowds at their shows in Beijing were very excited and expressive and talked of how much they enjoyed having time to explore their surroundings and see things like the Great Wall. The bravery of bringing your band to a far off land where 99% of your audience knows less than a handful of English words is commendable. You have no idea of what type of reception you’ll receive and never even mind the logistics of organizing a tour like this. Mind-boggling. Good for them.
They’re hoping to hit North America for a tour in the autumn and hopefully playing a slot at CMJ in New York this October.