Bloody Vikings!

I made an impulsive last-minute decision last night to head off to 2 Kolegas to catch visiting Danish band Ibrahim Electric. (They took their name from a shop sign in Egypt. I have always maintained that random signage can be a fertile source of promising band names, We've had Maximum Occupancy and Yield To Pedestrians in that game before, I think. And if we haven't... we have now.) I'm so glad I did. I think they were about the best foreign band I've ever seen here - at least, playing at a cosy venue like Kolegas. It wouldn't be appropriate to compare them to mega-groups like The Rolling Stones, or even to indie cult heroes Sonic Youth - but amongst the modest-sized, little known bands that come here just to play one or two small gigs... damn, they kicked arse! Magazine listings had billed them as primarily a jazz outfit, but that was a misleading tag - they were pretty hardcore rock'n'roll, though with an eclectic overlay of other elements such as funk and African music. A tight little trio, doing without a bass - just electric guitar, Hammond organ, and drums. And damn, that drummer - Stefan Pasborg his name is, apparently - might just be the best I've seen in Beijing. The Kolegas boss - a bit of a drummer himself - was leaping over the counter of the bar, craning his neck to try and get a view during his solos. You don't see that sort of excitement - or sheer dumbstruck awe - from fellow musicians very often. These boys are, I learn, a discovery of Canadian drummer and BJ music scene doyen Jon Campbell, and were brought over by his YGTwo promotions outfit. As far as I can gather, they are not playing any more shows here. That's a damn shame. If you missed them last night, you missed one of the highlights of our music year. If they come back again, don't miss them.