Chinese post-punk band Re-TROS recently announced their first European tour dates in years. Following their performance at the Youth+Music Festival in Paris on November 16, the band will travel across the English Channel and play headlining shows in London and Manchester.
Re-TROS, short for “Rebuilding the Rights of Statues” (重塑雕像的权利), formed as a trio in Nanjing before relocating to Beijing, where they emerged as part of the city’s underground music scene, gaining some international attention in the early 2000s. However, the band didn’t truly rise to national prominence until 2020, when they won season two of iQiyi’s reality show The Big Band. Even before this breakthrough, Re-TROS was widely celebrated for their advanced sound techniques and structured compositions. Until earlier this year, it had been seven years since Re-TROS’s last international performances, which took place in North America and Europe in 2017. This spring they returned to North America for a month-long tour.
It was once common for Chinese bands to tour abroad, but the pandemic paused international shows for several years. Now, Chinese music fans abroad are excited by the return of bands like Re-TROS, amongst others. For example, influential Shijiazhuang indie band Omnipotent Youth Society (万能青年旅店) is currently on a North America tour.
Catching a major Chinese band abroad can actually be more affordable than seeing them at home: tickets for Re-TROS’s London show will only set you back 24 GBP (around 32 USD). The cheapest tickets for a Re-TROS show in Beijing over the summer started at 380 RMB (53 USD). Though Re-TROS and other bands do have a following amongst Chinese expats and music fans of all backgrounds overseas, their comparatively lower profile in the West means that their concerts shouldn’t be as affected by the ticket scalping that has recently plagued major music events in China.
For example, the Re-TROS show in Paris will also feature the jazz duo INNOUT, formed by guitarist Xiao Jun and drummer An Yu from the band Mandarin — both prominent figures in China’s rock scene. Back in China, a similar lineup at a festival would likely command high prices, comparable to the up to 699 RMB (around 98 USD) charged for tickets to the 2024 Xiami Music Summer Festival at Aranya in northern China, not to mention travel and accommodation costs.
Re-TROS stands as a preeminent Chinese band on the global stage, known not only for their expert fusion of electronic and post punk elements but also for their high standards in venue selection and stage design. Many fans attribute this rigor to frontman Hua Dong’s international background; he studied German language and literature in Germany, which greatly influenced his precise approach to music.
Interestingly, Hua’s international connections began even earlier — Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, was his elementary school classmate in Nanjing. In an interesting twist, this year Hua is bringing his music to the West, while Ye returned to China to play in Haikou.
Tickets for the European shows are nearly sold out. After seven years, Re-TROS is finally returning to meet European audiences. Has the band evolved enough to meet this new challenge? What fresh surprises in stage design and musical composition will they bring to the stage? Fans eagerly await the memorable experience that Re-TROS promises to deliver.
Banner image via ModernSky.
