The (Live) Gig Economy: Meet Beijing’s 6 Best Expat Hotel Bands

For traveling musicians, it’s the most far-flung gig on Earth: rocking out bars at Beijing’s luxury hotels. China’s capital is now home to more expat house bands than ever, hailing from South America, Eastern Europe, West Virginia, and beyond.

“If you wanna see the world,” says Tom Knight, the Kiwi bandleader of Beersmith resident group Soul Shake (pictured above), “this is the way to do it.” Soul Shake worked residencies in places like Doha and Dubai before landing a contract at Hotel Jen’s first-floor CBD gastropub last November.

“A lot of people pooh-pooh the idea of doing a gig like this,” Knight says over a pint, brewed in the tanks behind Beersmith’s stage. “But there’s nothing better to cut your chops than to come out here for a couple of years, get your head in the game, and get working every day.”

Otherwise, you’re stuck back home doing weddings and corporate events, says Freddy Dodwell, a Singaporean-Canadian expat whose company Segrace Entertainment represents five of the six groups profiled here. “China is beginning to understand live entertainment,” he adds. “Only in Asia can musicians really reflect their professional ability onstage five nights a week. In Canada, you need to be a postman and a bass player.”

Welcome to the real gig economy, where room service meets job security. Beijing’s hotels are accelerating this sort of hospitality marketing, where musicians are keeping Happy Hour crowds happy well into the wee hours. Here are a few of the top acts in the scene.  
 

Diamonds

Bar: Equis, Four Seasons
Residency: March-October 2018
Choice track: Prince - “Purple Rain”
See them: Monday-Saturday

Before Venezuelan model Háyderik Fortiz joined Diamonds in March, the band attracted followings at swank Middle East hotels under the name Magnetic. Both monikers suit them, and night after night at Equis, Diamonds blows the pretense out of the Four Seasons lounge with roaring takes on Prince’s “Purple Rain” and, of course, Rihanna’s “Diamonds”. “In Venezuela right now, it’s a little bit difficult to do what you love,” says Fortiz, referring to the hundreds of thousands of people fleeing her home country on account of economic stagnation. “Here in China, they really appreciate what you’re doing.”
 

Soul Shake

Bar: Beersmith, Hotel Jen (Shangri-La)
Residency: November 2017-February 2019
Choice track: Queen - “Bohemian Rhapsody”
See them: Tuesday-Saturday

These three Brits and two Kiwis add up to the ultimate party band, minus the cheese. Soul Shake blends classic rock with chart-topping pop: Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, and Ed Sheeran often turn up in the same set. Come-as-you-are Beersmith makes its beer onsite and hosts the most physical crowds of any hotel bar. Stephanie Piggott hits every high note from Adele to Whitney Houston, and the band’s epic Queen tribute that they developed in April is still buzzing. Tom Knight tracks China’s most Shazamed songs every week, to keep his band’s 560-song repertoire fresh. Their favorite crowd-pleaser? “The one they want,” says Knight. “Your job is your audience.”
 

Rivals

Bar: Xian, East, Beijing (Swire)
Residency: March 2018-January 2019
Choice track: The Chainsmokers - “Don’t Let Me Down”
See them: Tuesday-Saturday

Respect to this Venezuelan quartet for coming so far in so little time: they met five months ago, and started at Xian after only one rehearsal. Rivals’ sets center around ’90s and ’00s rock and pop, and the band is apparently big fans of Coldplay, playing three songs from the aging British rock group in one set. “For musicians, our gasoline is the people,” says bandleader Reymi Hidalgo, who’s worked in Beijing for 12 years. Still, he says, “working outside of your country is very hard. You have to sacrifice yourself – a lot.” Part of that means nailing English articulation onstage at this cozy, industrial-chic venue near the 798 Art District. Singer Carla Rojas’s mom can’t believe she also covers songs in Chinese. “Here,” Rojas tells her, “it’s possible. You can learn anything.”
 

Gamma

Bar: Atmosphere, China World Summit Wing (Shangri-La)
Residency: December 2018-December 2019
Choice track: B.B. King - “The Thrill is Gone”
See them: Tuesday-Sunday

This province-hopping band has rocked more Chinese residencies than any other group, settling in Qingdao, Guangzhou, and Chengdu. So it’s fair to say Gamma has earned its view, overlooking Beijing from the posh 80th-floor  Atmosphere lounge of China World Summit Wing. A recent set featured a blistering jam of B.B. King’s “The Thrill is Gone”, and took Lady Gaga’s “Million Reasons” on a psychedelic trip. “We would like to experience other countries,” says lead singer Anђelina Voskresienska. “But China kind of became our second home,” before singer and guitarist Anthony Di Damaso playfully adds, “I don’t want to leave WeChat and Taobao.” 

Unique All-Stars

Bar: Mei, Rosewood Beijing
Residency: February 2018-Present
Members: Kieu Grisby, vocal (US); Yiyi Sanchez, vocal/bongos (Cuba); Juan “Chocolaté” Carlos, trumpet/vocal (Cuba); Hank Insell, bass (Canada); Jamie Quiring, keyboards (Canada); Ruben Bocaranda, drums (Venezuela) 
Choice track: J Balvin’s - “Mi Gente”
See them: Monday-Saturday

Mei regulars recognize much of this lineup from Rosewood’s previous house band, Groove Academy. And that’s what this collective does best: grooves hard, in a party spirit. They merge the spirit of Spring Break with tight, Latin-American soul and beats. Sitting? Frowned upon. Mei’s pulsating lights and throbbing acoustics suggest dancing, and singer Yiyi Sanchez helps enforce it. Individually, members of Unique All-Stars have shown up in places like Carnegie Hall and at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. Together, they bring a Cuban nightclub to one of China’s flashiest whiskey lounges. 
 

Vegas Royalty

Bar: Centro, Kerry Hotel (Shangri-La)
Residency: March-September 2018
Choice track: Amy Winehouse - “Back to Black”

This lounge band keeps true to its name, bringing Las Vegas soul and swagger to classic and contemporary R&B and pop. Singer Trina Johnson Finn has backed Barbra Streisand and MC Hammer, and co-fronts this six-member lineup. Their funky, upbeat covers of Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie” and Estelle’s “American Boy” are designed for inspiring even the most reserved Chinese audience to its feet. “The key to reading the room is listening when you’re actually onstage,” says singer Eric Sean. “If you do the job well, that work will continue uninterrupted.”

Check out all of Beijing's live music, in hotels or otherwise, via our events page here.

Photos: Uni You