The motley crew looked relaxed -- if rather out of place -- in the sleek surroundings of In House, the minimalist, trendy bar/restaurant just down the road from Warner Village as New Aspect prepared to announce them as the latest big name act that they had brought to Taipei. It's not the first time that Stomp has come to town, the success of their last show in 2000 having sparked a flood of physical theater acts that have been more or less successful at the box office. The organizer's expectations that Stomp's appeal has not waned is somewhat backed up by the fact that the cheapest tickets for the show have already sold out for the weeklong visit.
Two members of the current team of Stomp players were with Stomp during the group's 2000 visit to Taipei and recalled the massive reception they received on that occasion. The performers, percussionists and dancers from a wide variety of nations, looked the part of the buskers from which Stomp emerged 11 years ago, and created their own space at the end of In House's lounge, emanating a street energy that was in stark contrast to the reserved, almost constricted atmosphere of the up-market eatery.
It is this energy that goes to explain Stomp's popularity, an energy that has kept the show popular for over a decade, transcending individuals and becoming a regular date in the entertainment calendars of many cities across the globe. According to Rory Flores, a three-year veteran of Stomp's Asia and Europe tour, it is really all about the rhythm. "Everyone can relate to rhythm," he said, and it was this that brought the drummer and surfer into the group.
The incredible energy that Stomp is able to generate has a lot to do with the scope it allows individual performers. Although the music does not change much from show to show, "Every person brings something new to the show," Rory said. As performers are constantly changing year by year, you never really see the same show twice.
The Stomp show revolves around eight characters, each with certain well-defined attributes. "You have the serious one, the funny one, the leader and so on," Rory said. Some people specialize in one role, some can take on two or three. Group members are shifted between touring companies if there are injuries or other problems. This organization is the reason why the original Stomp, created 11 years ago by buskers Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicoles in Brighton, has been able to survive a decade-long run.
The group's street origins are particularly evident in the instruments they use, notably garbage cans and pipes. The garbage can section is tightly scripted, for there are plenty of big movements and injury is a real possibility in the barely suppressed violence as the performs go at each other with drum sticks and garbage can lids.
In this respect, they are quite different from the other percussion group that recently visited Taipei, namely the Korea-based Cookin, which relies more heavily on humor and narrative elements. While highly popular with Taipei audiences, it didn't have the frenetic energy that drives Stomp. Stomp's performers are on the very edge of being totally out of control, but chaos is always just kept at bay, creating a sense of tension that bolsters the energy high created by the pounding rhythms.
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