Iconic band Travis' performance shows UK’s culture of creativity
On 29 April, British Ambassador Sebastian Wood welcomed Travis to perform a selection of their songs in front of their Chinese fans.
Travis performed a selection of songs at the Ambassador’s Residence to a group of 50 local music fans.
Travis performed a selection of songs at the Ambassador’s Residence to a group of 50 local music fans. The fans attending the Embassy concert were selected via an online competition hosted on the Embassy’s weibo account. After the performance the band met their fans and held interviews with local media.
The performance was part of the “GREAT Britain” campaign, which aims to invite the world to take a fresh look at everything Britain has to offer. It centres on areas of British excellence from creativity and culture to technology and innovation.
Travis have come to China to perform at the Strawberry Music Festival which will take place in Beijing (Tongzhou Canal Park) and Shanghai (World Expo Park) from 29 April to 1 May. The estimated audience for this three-day music festival is 200,000.
Britain is the world’s greatest market for music consumers, buying more albums per head than anywhere else globally. Music is an important pillar of British creative industries. The value of UK music exports exceeds £17 billion every year and British artists account for almost 12% of global sales of recorded music.
British Ambassador Sebastian Wood spoke before Travis' performance.
Travis performed a selection of songs at the Ambassador’s Residence to a group of 50 local music fans.
Travis are one of a number of British artists that have come to China in recent years. The increasing number of cultural exchanges between the UK and China is expected to enhance future cooperation in trade, investment, education and tourism.
British Ambassador Sebastian Wood said:
I’m delighted to welcome Travis to China. British music is a global success story and it is incredible how widely-known and admired our leading musicians are. Travis are a great example of the UK’s culture of creativity and I hope that music fans in China will have the chance to see them for themselves.
Travis performed a selection of songs at the Ambassador’s Residence to a group of 50 local music fans.
Further information
Travis are one of the most important bands in Scotland. They were the main stage headliner at Glastonbury in 2000. Travis are a post-Britpop band from Glasgow, comprising Fran Healy (lead vocalist, rhythm guitar), Dougie Payne (bass guitar, backing vocals), Andy Dunlop (lead guitar, banjo, backing vocals) and Neil Primrose (drums, percussion). They named themselves after the Harry Dean Stanton character Travis Henderson from the film Paris, Texas.
The GREAT campaign is designed to use the platform of the Games in 2012 to showcase Britain’s capabilities, to promote and enhance our reputation abroad and to maximise the economic potential of the Games. It was announced by Prime Minister David Cameron in New York on 21 September 2011, and supports the marketing and public diplomacy efforts of UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), Visit Britain, the British Council, the Foreign Office and other government departments overseas.