'HULLO THERE, CHINA!' is a well-known Glaswegian greeting, featuring in publications like Parliamo Glasgow, and made famous by the peerless Stanley Baxter and his peers Chic Murray and Rikki Fulton.
Well, now you can add a new name to that list, people. Broughton-based ceilidh band Whisky Kiss yelled it out as we landed in Shanghai on our 'East of Edin' tour.
The band have been booked to provide the entertainment at the Chinese celebrations for St Andrew’s Night. Once we are done in Shanghai, we then switch from the Far East to the Middle East and perform at similar events in Muscat (Oman) via Doha.
[img_assist|nid=2411|title=|desc=|link=node|align=right|width=200|height=133]As ever, the band enjoy a good pop music pun-down while we are on the road (or in the skies). In fact, we’d never shun a pun-down, and Shanghai appears to be fertile ground for this most juvenile pursuit. At first, we thought the currency in China was the Yen, which led to an early and ill-advised burst of 'IT’S RAINING YEN, hallelujah, IT’S RAINING YEN, hey hey'. However, the Weather Girls' camp classic had to be discarded on a technicality when we discovered the Chinese currency is in fact the Yuan.
[img_assist|nid=2412|title=|desc=|link=node|align=right|width=200|height=103]This news was never likely to dampen our spirits, though, as our piper is also called Ewan (different spelling, but very much the same sound). So for him, out here, his name is money (quite literally) and we await the inevitable comedy playing out over the next two or three days. 'A pint of beer with a Mojito chaser? That’ll be 100 Ewan, please.'
The pun-down continues as we look to reach a top ten Chinese pop hit puns, and we would encourage all Spurtle readers to get involved by finding us on facebook and sending us your suggestions. So far, the leaders are shaping up as follows:
[img_assist|nid=2413|title=|desc=|link=node|align=right|width=165|height=200]'I am the Yuan Only (can’t take that away from me)' – Chesney Hawkes
'ShangHai Ho Silver Lining' – Jeff Beck
'The Yuan Me Song' – Wannadies
'China in Your Hand' – T’Pau
'The Jim’ll Fix It Theme' – (Jim has fixed it for Yuan, Yuan, Yuan, Yuooooo)
It hardly requires me to say it, but, Broughton, we need your help on this one … all entries welcome!
The excitement continues on the gig front, though, and Whisky Kiss first taste serious action on this tour on Saturday night. That's when the Shanghai St Andrews Ball takes place in the Shanghai Hilton (above-right) – we’ll report back in due course (hopefully with pictures).
再见了，直到后来
Iain