Paiwan duo regroups for gig at The Wall

Long-serving and pop combo, Power Station (動力火車) will make a rare live appearance at Taipei's The Wall this evening. Formed by A-Bon (尤秋興) and Yan Chih-lin (顏志琳), in Pingtung in 1996, both artists hail from the Paiwan tribe (排灣族). The band was one of the first non-record label manufactured acts to hit the big time in the 1990s.

Beginning days playing in any spit and sawdust pub that would book them, the pair became one of the most sought-after acts in Taiwan almost overnight.

Less a year after Power Station signed to What's Music (華唱片), the combo's mild rock-laden 1997 debut Loveless Book (無情的情書) -- which sold over 700,000 copies -- shot to number one in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and China. That same year the combo racked up a string of awards. Power Station was voted the top act of the year by MTV, Channel V and ICRT, as well as scooping the top slot at regional music awards in Singapore, Malaysia and Shanghai.

Despite seven studio and four live albums, the combo failed to repeat its early successes. Apart from guest appearances at year-end and Christmas benefit shows, the pair has been relegated into the minor leagues and can, more often than not, be caught playing 20-minute shows at promotional gigs up and down the nation.

But it's not all bad news, as the pair's acting careers have eclipsed their musical day jobs, with A-bon playing an award winning pianist and Yan playing his buddy in Azio TV's (東風) popular daytime soap opera Friends (揚四海).

Performance Notes

Power Station (動力火車) and So What will be appearing at The Wall between 7:30pm and 9pm tonight. The venue is at B1, 200, Sec 4, Roosevelt Blvd, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路4段200號B1). Tickets cost NT$300 at the door.