Looking for a quiet, peaceful seaside escape to enjoy the arrival of summer? Cross Fulong Beach (福隆海灘) off your list, at least for next week. The New Taipei City Government is expecting at least 800,000 people to visit the northeast coastal spot for this year’s Ho-Hai-Yan Gongliao Rock Festival (新北市貢寮國際海洋音樂祭), which starts on Wednesday and runs until July 10.
Now in its 12th year, Ho-Hai-Yan continues to thrive on a simple formula: live rock ’n’ roll, on the beach, for free.
The festival’s name is derived from an Aboriginal chant that refers to the beauty of the sea.
Photo Courtesy of Ho-Hai-Yan Gongliao Rock Festival
This year’s lineup comprises a who’s who of Taiwanese indie bands, from nakashi (那卡西) rock legends The Clippers (夾子電動大樂隊) and veteran indie pop stalwarts 1976 to new-generation bands like The White Eyes (白目樂團) and Go Chic. Also appearing are a handful of up-and-coming groups from abroad, including bands from Hong Kong, France and the UK.
Headliners include soul folk rocker Crowd Lu (盧廣仲), indie chanteuse Cheer Chen (陳綺貞) and rock band Sodagreen (蘇打綠) — all guaranteed draws for a mainly teenaged and college-aged crowd.
Lu, Chen and Sodagreen, along with many of this year’s performers, owe part of their fame to Ho-Hai-Yan. The three were past runners-up in Ho-Hai-Yan’s battle of the bands contest, which has been a core part of the event since 2001.
Photo: David Chen, Taipei Times
Around 180 aspiring rock and pop bands applied to participate in this year’s contest, with 30 groups making the cut and competing in an elimination round last month. The 10 finalists take to the stage on July 9 to vie for the NT$200,000 grand prize. The second place winner gets NT$50,000 and third receives a trophy cup.
The contest hardly ensures commercial success, but past winners generally move on to earn wider recognition.
Garage rockers The White Eyes, who won the contest in 2008, were among three bands chosen to represent Taiwan’s indie rock scene at Canada’s North by Northeast Festival. Reggae-rock group Matzka (瑪斯卡), which earned the top prize in 2009, won the Golden Melody Award for best band this year.
Photo: David Chen, Taipei Times
And it’s not only the bands that are getting bigger — it would seem that Ho-Hai-Yan’s crowds are larger than ever. The New Taipei City Government claimed a record 600,000 visitors over three days last year.
A spokesperson said that the government is expecting between 800,000 and 1 million people this year, as the festival has been expanded to five days in celebration of New Taipei City’s new status as a municipality (it was formerly Taipei County).
Some are bound to grumble that Ho-Hai-Yan has gotten too big and overly commercial. Those people have a point: Several years ago, Ho-Hai-Yan hosted Mando-pop artists A-mei (阿妹) and Stanley Huang (黃立行), a big departure from past festival headliners such as The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion in 2004 or Chinese rocker Cui Jian (崔健) in 2007. Now the festival is also associated with long lines for everything, whether it’s public transport, toilets, food vendors, or even just crossing Fulong’s pedestrian bridge.
But just as music is an integral part of Ho-Hai-Yan, so are the droves of young revelers ready to let loose and celebrate their summer vacation. After all, life’s a beach.
SCHEDULE OF PERFORMERS
Wednesday
■ 4pm MC Hot Dog
■ 4:55pm Go Chic
■ 5:45pm Kou Chou Ching (拷秋勤樂團)
■ 6:30pm The White Eyes (白目樂團)
■ 7:25pm The Clippers (夾子電動大樂隊)
■ 8:20pm Luantan A-hsiang (亂彈阿翔)
■ 9:30pm The Chairman (董事長樂團)
■ 10pm fireworks
Thursday
■ 4pm ManHan D (Malaysia)
■ 4:55pm Relax One (輕鬆玩)
■ 5:45pm Chou Pi Jiang (臭皮匠, Singapore Chinese hip-hop)
■ 6:30pm Daoji (刃記樂團, Macao)
■ 7:25pm Supper Moment (Hong Kong)
■ 8:20pm Miserable Faith (痛苦的信仰, China)
■ 9:30pm Crowd Lu (盧廣仲)
■ 10pm fireworks
Friday, July 8
■ 3pm Matzka
■ 3:55pm Wonfu (小旺福樂團)
■ 4:50pm Children Sucker (表兒樂團)
■ 5:45pm Samingad (紀曉君)
■ 6:40pm Zenkwun (神棍樂團)
■ 7:35pm Champion (強辯樂團)
■ 8:30pm 1976
■ 9:25pm Cheer Chen (陳綺貞)
■ 10pm fireworks
Saturday, July 9
(Battle of the Bands Competition)
■ 3:05pm Beright (做對樂團) * last year’s 3rd runner-up
■ 3:30pm Mystery (謎團)
■ 4pm SE (SE樂團)
■ 4:30pm Toffee (太妃堂)
■ 5pm Wallis Cho (曹震豪) and Joy Band
■ 5:30pm Issue Chen and Mornings (陳以岫&晨裡樂團)
■ 6pm Solidor (固定客) and The Silence (沉默之音) * last year’s 2nd runners-up
■ 6:50pm Wild Thing (野東西)
■ 7:20pm Wavelight (波光折返)
■ 7:50pm Slimo (黏菌樂團)
■ 8:20pm Dingding & Shishi (丁丁與西西)
■ 8:50pm Woody Woody
■ 9:20pm Queen Suitcase (皇后皮箱) * last year’s winner
Sunday, July 10
■ 3pm Good 4 Nothing (Japan)
■ 3:50pm Eloise (South Korea)
■ 4:40pm Van She (Australia)
■ 5:35pm Van Coke Kartel (South Africa)
■ 6:30pm Silverstein (Canada)
■ 7:25pm The Inspector Cluzo (France)
■ 8:15pm Kyte (UK)
■ 9:10pm Sodagreen (蘇打綠)
■ 10pm fireworks
GETTING THERE
The New Taipei City Government recommends using Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) trains to get to Ho-Hai-Yan. Additional services have been scheduled between Taipei Main Station and Fulong throughout the festival, which will be held from Wednesday to July 10. Trains run several times every hour between 11:30am and 9:30pm, with the last train leaving from Fulong to Taipei around midnight. View or download the full railway schedule (in Chinese only) at www.2011hohaiyan.tw/media/12traffic.doc
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