The mother of all music fests

You see some silly things at press conferences, but usually not a WWF-style smack down. Tuesday, though, at the media event for Formoz Festival 2007 (野台開唱), which starts today and is billing itself as the largest rock 'n' roll event of the year, two burly men grappled on stage. As a DJ spun hip-hop and breakbeats, there was a judo hold, some arm-twisting, and the good guy got kicked. Then the bad guy, a shirtless fellow with black and white paint on his face named Azrael, buried his opponent backwards with a pile-driver. Seated among print and television reporters in the audience, four similarly painted members of death metal band Anthelion (幻日) applauded, chains and buckles clanking against leather.

Organized by TRA Music, Formoz has long been known as having a bit of something for everyone, but this year it's upped the ante. There will be more than 100 bands - representing every genre from hip-hop and heavy metal to indie pop and techno - playing simultaneously on seven stages sprawled across the Taipei Municipal Children's Recreational Center, and, new this year, a Tao (道) Stage across the street at Zhongshan Soccer Stadium. Last year Formoz sold 10,000 tickets, and festival staff recorded more than 50,000 entries to the festival grounds.

This year there will be seven stages for music, one for movies, and one for wrestling. That's right, wrestling, between guys in funny masks with names like King Kong Wolf (金剛狼), Ghost Kick and the aforementioned Azrael. The action ends Sunday night in a Battle Royale (大亂鬥) on the Fight (炎) stage.

Although this might make Formoz 2007 seem like it's only a few elephants and a dancing bear short of a circus, the festival is actually a refreshing change of pace - Spring Scream being the other notable exception - from the mushrooming horde of copycat music festivals organized and funded by local governments that may showcase a foreign act or two but otherwise have the same local bands singing the same songs, the only changes being the festival's location and name.

The quality comes at a price. Last year, weekend passes at the gate were NT$1,800 and single-day tickets were NT$1,000. This year, door damage is NT$1,600 per day or NT$3,200 for the entire weekend. Purchase tickets at the Zhongshan Soccer Stadium, then proceed to the Youth Activity Center for an admission bracelet.

Before Formoz 2006, TRA Music head and Chthonic (閃靈樂團) frontman Freddy Lim (林昶佐) said he would ensure the 2007 lineup was as fresh as possible by only signing local acts who didn't perform at any of the other summer music festivals. While this did not exactly happen - Soda Green (蘇打綠), for example, played two weekends ago at Ho-hai-yan, and 1976 has been playing festivals like they're going out of style - the local lineup is more than solid. Added to this is an impressive roster of Japanese talent. The only disappointment - aside from skyrocketing ticket prices - is the lack of a Western band with the oomph of Super Furry Animals, the Welshmen who put on a psychedelic extravaganza last year, or as well-known as electonica superstar Moby, who rocked Formoz with an energetic set in blazing heat the previous year.

That is unless you count Yo La Tengo. The New Jersey indie-rock legends are returning for their second Formoz. When Yo La Tengo played Formoz seven years ago, Lin paired them with Megadeth. It was his way of sticking it to snobbish hipster music critics - they liked Yo La Tengo but wouldn't be caught dead at a heavy metal concert - but it also nearly bankrupted him.