Iconic UK metalcore band While She Sleeps brought their electrifying energy to Legacy Taipei for a sold-out concert last week hosted by Icon Promotions. With a fervent audience of 1,200, including members of prominent local bands like The Destroyers and Flesh Juicer in attendance, the atmosphere crackled with anticipation even before the first riff.
As the doors opened, a snaking line of eager fans awaited entry, setting the tone for an evening filled with high-octane metal mastery. Setting the stage for the evening’s energy were the Japanese all-female openers, electronicore band Hanabie. Their vibrant Harajuku-core sound resonated strongly, evident in the enthusiastic reception they received. Their bouncy and brutal melodies, along with their colorful stage presence, added an exciting prelude to the night’s events.
Led by vocalist Lawrence Taylor, While She Sleeps delivered a performance that encapsulated 15 years of musical synergy. Taylor’s magnetic presence dominated the stage while guitarists Sean Long and Mat Welsh anchored the show with their intense focus on intricate metal arrangements. Drummer Adam Savage’s tattooed arms blurred in a speed inherent to Metalcore, expertly keeping the beat. Bassist Aaran McKenzie’s animated maneuvers and Taylor’s crowd-surfing antics added an unpredictable yet enthralling dimension to the spectacle.
Photo: Steven Vigar
The band’s setlist, a parade of hits including fan-favorites Sleeps Society and Silence Speaks, resonated deeply with the dedicated audience. Notably, a lucky fan joined the band on stage for a rendition of Systemic, showcasing the band’s commitment to engaging their followers.
While the musical quality was impeccable, the band’s connection with the audience was the highlight. Taylor’s playful banter and moments of audience interaction, like reminiscing about their previous sold-out show in Taipei and shouting the memorable “Can I get a Hoya?” fostered a sense of camaraderie between performers and fans. Taylor screamed, jumped off speakers, crowd-surfed, jeered and high-fived the crowd, keeping the packed house fully engaged from the anticipated beginning to the sweat-soaked end.
The concert acted as a prelude to While She Sleeps’ forthcoming album, SELF HELL, teased with the enigmatic single of the same name. This evolution in sound seemed to both intrigue and puzzle some fans, illustrating the band’s bold inspirations and experimentation, a move that might polarize their fanbase but showcases their growth after over 15 years in the industry.
Photo: Steven Vigar
The night concluded in an explosive encore, fueled by the crowd chanting the band’s name, securing an indelible memory for their devoted Taiwan fans. While She Sleeps, once more, affirmed their reign as metalcore heavyweights, melding artist and audience in an unforgettably passionate and evolutionary musical journey.
Photo: Steven Vigar
Photo: Steven Vigar
If you are a Western and especially a white foreign resident of Taiwan, you’ve undoubtedly had the experience of Taiwanese assuming you to be an English teacher. There are cultural and economic reasons for this, but one of the greatest determinants is the narrow range of work permit categories that exist for Taiwan’s foreign residents, which has in turn created an unofficial caste system for foreigners. Until recently, laowai (老外) — the Mandarin term for “foreigners,” which also implies citizenship in a rich, Western country and distinguishable from brown-skinned, southeast Asian migrant laborers, or wailao (外勞) — could only ever
Sept. 23 to Sept. 29 The construction of the Babao Irrigation Canal (八堡圳) was not going well. Large-scale irrigation structures were almost unheard of in Taiwan in 1709, but Shih Shih-pang (施世榜) was determined to divert water from the Jhuoshuei River (濁水溪) to the Changhua plain, where he owned land, to promote wet rice cultivation. According to legend, a mysterious old man only known as Mr. Lin (林先生) appeared and taught Shih how to use woven conical baskets filled with rocks called shigou (石笱) to control water diversion, as well as other techniques such as surveying terrain by observing shadows during
In recent weeks news outlets have been reporting on rising rents. Last year they hit a 27 year high. It seems only a matter of time before they become a serious political issue. Fortunately, there is a whole political party that is laser focused on this issue, the Taiwan Statebuilding Party (TSP). They could have had a seat or two in the legislature, or at least, be large enough to attract media attention to the rent issue from time to time. Unfortunately, in the last election, Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) acted as a vote sink for
About 130 years ago — as New Zealand women celebrated their world-first right to vote, athletes competed in the first international Olympic Games, and the first motion pictures were flickering into view — a tiny mottled green reptile with a spiny back was hatching on a small New Zealand island. The baby tuatara — a unique and rare reptile endemic to New Zealand — emerged from his burrow into the forest floor, where he miraculously evaded birds, rats and cannibalistic adult tuatara to reach his full adult size — nearly one kilo in weight and half a meter in length —