With the demise of the Formoz Festival last year, it looked as if Taiwan had lost its answer to Fuji Rock. But a new summer mecca has emerged for indie music fans.
Music Terminals, an all-day outdoor event that takes place tomorrow and Sunday at Taoyuan County Stadium (桃園縣立體育場), presents two headlining acts from the UK, glam alt-rock band Placebo and trip-hop legend Tricky.
The festival, named in reference to the nearby Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, features more than 30 Taiwanese and international bands on three stages, dubbed Terminals 1, 2, and 3.
The event was conceived by Ouch Wu (吳牧青) and his production company, Straight Music House (直的音樂舍), which has been organizing shows by high-profile international bands. They brought Oasis to Taiwan earlier this year and are organizing a concert by Nine Inch Nails next week [see tomorrow’s story on Page 16].
Wu aims to fill in the gap left by Formoz for a large-scale rock festival that aspires to the level of the UK’s Glastonbury or Japan’s Summer Sonic, events that feature both major pop and indie acts.
Even though Taiwan’s festival “market” is not yet “mature,” Wu wants to make Music Terminals an annual event. For this weekend’s shows, around 3,000 advance tickets have been sold so far. He hopes to sell twice that amount.
Neither Placebo nor Tricky command a mainstream following in Taiwan, but Wu, who is a former music critic for the alternative news publication Pots (破報), considers them worthy headliners for any rock fan.
“These kinds of bands, whether people actually like them or not, they really ought to be seen live,” he says.
Wu also sees Music Terminals as a chance to bring in indie artists who wouldn’t normally draw such large numbers in Taiwan.
The lineup includes Australian band Frente!, which effectively disbanded over a decade ago but reunites occasionally for one-off shows, Japanese singer Kojima Mayumi and German art-pop group Chicks on Speed.
Like Formoz, or any similarly sized event, there will be a number of bands unfamiliar to concertgoers. But one thing that sets Music Terminals apart, says Wu, is a focus on quality rather than quantity in terms of band lineup.
He says that in contrast to many festivals in Taiwan, where “80 percent of the program is bands that simply sign up to play,” Music Terminals has been more selective by choosing fewer bands, and only booking the ones “worth inviting.”
Local artists performing this weekend include Sandee Chen (陳珊妮), 1976, Tizzy Bac and LTK Commune (濁水溪公社).
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS:
Trip-hop pioneer Tricky (www.myspace.com/trickola), who headlines the festival, made a comeback last year after a five-year absence with his latest album Knowle West Boy, a chronicle of his upbringing in Bristol. After a brief association with Massive Attack, he propelled to fame with his debut album, Maxinquaye, which set the bar for trip-hop fans. The ever-restless and moody musician has spent much of his career dodging labels and genre jumping, delving into everything from aggressive punk to more accessible pop sounds.
Headliners Placebo (www.placeboworld.co.uk) add a twist of androgyny and glam rock to their sex-drugs-and-rock ’n’ roll ethos. Lead singer Brian Molko’s lyrics are full of angst-ridden, heart-on-sleeve musings over doomed relationships and references to blurred gender roles and homosexuality, and over the years band members developed a reputation for drug-fueled escapades and
in-fighting. What more could you want in a rock band? They’ve calmed down a bit recently but still play for stadium crowds in the UK and Europe.
Most know Frente! (www.myspace.com/frente) for its mellow acoustic version of New Order’s Bizarre Love Triangle. The Australian group stopped playing together over a decade ago, but is reuniting for a rare appearance tomorrow. Singer Angie Hart, who was in Taipei several years ago for the Simple Life music festival, currently performs as a solo artist and with another indie-pop band, Holidays on Ice.
Chicks on Speed (www.myspace.com/chicksonspeed) make fun and intelligent electronic pop music. It’s hard to pin down this Germany-based group of female artists, who mix film, installation art and fashion in their performances and also run a clothing label. They have some well-known fans in the art rock world: for their latest album, Cutting the Edge, they got Fred Schneider of the B-52s to contribute vocals through Skype on a track called Vibrator.
Those who like soul and swing with their rock ’n’ roll shouldn’t miss songstress Kojima Mayumi (www.kojimamayumi.com), whose sultry voice and eccentric songwriting have earned her a strong following in Japan. Her versatile backing band keeps the music cool but grooving, with American roots sounds ranging from Vaudeville and jazz to blues and rockabilly.
Zazen Boys (www.myspace.com/zazenboys) are sometimes labeled “math rock” in part for some odd and intricate rhythmic flourishes. But your brain won’t explode — the music is funky and catchy and cleanly executed with guitars and synthesizers. Guitarist and singer Mukai Shutoku is a former member of legendary Japanese alt-rock band Number Girl.
Singer-songwriter Liz Durrett (www.lizdurrett.com) brings her dreamy, neo-gothic sounds to the stage tomorrow night. The Athens, Georgia, artist filled her latest album, Outside Our Gates, with lush string arrangements and reverb-drenched atmosphere. Taoyuan County Stadium may not seem the ideal locale to catch Durrett — just hope the audience is quiet enough to hear her warm and husky voice.
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