Theater
Part of the Taipei Fringe Festival (台北藝穗節), the three-day Taipei Frank Festival is composed of a series of performance art shows, exhibitions, music performances, film screenings, art fairs and lectures. For more information, go to taipeifrank.blogspot.com
■ Urban Core Art Block (城中藝術街區), Ln 85 to 91, Zhonghua Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市中華路一段85至91巷)
Photo courtesy of Yubon Theatre
■ Today to Sunday from 1pm to 10pm
■ Tickets are NT$480 in advance, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw. Admission at the door is NT$500
An update of his Shimmery the Stars: Night With Anarchist Ghosts From 1920’s Taipei (星之暗湧), which premiered in the capital 20 years ago, veteran theater director Miguel Li’s (黎煥雄) newest work explores the themes of anarchism and colonialism through a group of dead anarchists and revolutionaries who sacrificed their lives for their political beliefs.
■ Guling Street Avant-Garde Theatre (牯嶺街小劇場), 2, Ln 5, Guling St, Taipei City (台北市牯嶺街5巷2號)
■ Tonight at 8pm, tomorrow and Sunday at 7pm and 9pm
■ Tickets are NT$600, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw.
Puppet artist Godoli Peli Massimo from Italy’s Teatro del Drago will introduce audiences to three iconic Italian puppet characters through a series of performances that runs through November. The first character to take to the stage is Sandrone, a hungry farmer who likes to play mind games.
■ Nadou Theater (納豆劇場), 79 Xining N Rd, Taipei City (台北市西寧北路79號)
■ Every Saturday at 2pm through the end of this month
■ Tickets are NT$200, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
For his new work Reenactment (重演), Taiwanese choreographer Chou Shu-yi (周書毅) teams up with fashion designer Lin Ching-ju (林璟如) and nine dancers to examine the concepts of memory and time.
■ Taipei Fine Arts Museum (台北市立美術館), 181, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市中山北路三段181號)
■ Tomorrow at 5pm and 7pm
■ Free admission
In Yubon High School (魚蹦中學), comedy troupe Yubon Theatre (魚蹦興業) takes audiences on a journey through adolescence.
■ Red House Theater (西門紅樓), 10 Chengdu Rd, Taipei City (台北市成都路10號)
■ Tonight, tomorrow and Sunday at 7:30pm
■ Tickets are NT$400, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Classical music
Satellite Chamber Music (來自東歐的室內樂禮讚 — 衛星室內樂集) will be performed by a quintet composed of cellist Victor Coo (高炳坤), violinists Huang Mei-ching (黃美菁) and Lin Tse-ping (林子平), viola player Huang Guan-chen (黃冠蓁) and pianist Yang Chian-yin (楊千瑩). The program includes Dvorak’s String Quartet Op. 96 “America” and Brahm’s Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34.
■ Today at 7:30pm (Taipei) and tomorrow at 7:30pm (Kaohsiung)
■ National Recital Hall, Taipei City and National Chiang Kai-shek Cultural Center, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市中正文化中心至善廳), 67 Wufu 1st Rd, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄五福一路67號)
■ Tickets are NT$300 to NT$800 for Taipei and NT$200 to NT$500 for Kaohsiung, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com
CYC Wind Orchestra Annual Concert — The Beauty of Moonlight (幼獅管樂團年度公演 — 月夜樂美麗) sees the orchestra performing under conductor Yeh Shu-han (葉樹涵). The program includes many classical and pop favorites including Eric Coates’ The Dam Busters March, Percy Aldridge Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy, Handiman’s Lord of the Dance and The Symphonic Beatles, arranged by John Cacavas.
■ Thursday at 7:30pm
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tickets are NT$200 and NT$800, available through NTCH ticketing or online at www.artsticket.com
Contemporary
Legacy Taipei, located in a former warehouse at Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), hosts top Taiwanese pop performers and international acts. Tonight’s show featuring popular Aboriginal rocker Chang Chen-yue (張震嶽) is already sold out. Beloved indie-pop band Tizzy Bac performs tomorrow night. On Thursday, Mando-pop singer Shin (信) gives a concert in support of his new album Before the Dawn (黎明之前).
■ Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), Center Five Hall (中五館), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市八德路一段1號)
■ Shows start at 8pm
■ Sold out tonight, NT$600 tomorrow (NT$500 in advance) and NT$1,200 on Thursday (NT$1,000 in advance). Tickets for the venue’s concerts can be purchased at ERA ticketing outlets, online through www.ticket.com.tw or www.legacy.com.tw or at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
Insecteens (昆蟲白) appear tonight at The Wall (這牆), Taipei’s most prominent venue for indie rock artists. The group, the side project of a member of the post-rock group Sugar Plum Ferry (甜梅號), is celebrating the release of a new CD. Opening the show is garage rock band Bowztiger (包子虎). Tomorrow, the venue hosts Japanese rocker J, best known as a former member of the popular band Luna Sea. Later in the evening it’s Organik X Reboot Taipei, an event featuring DJs Peter van Hoesen of Belgium, A.Mochi of Japan and Vertigo from Taiwan. Japanese all-girl pop rock band Scandal takes to the stage on Sunday.
■ B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1), tel: (02) 2930-0162. On the Net: www.thewall.com.tw
■ Shows start at 8pm, 11:30pm for tomorrow’s DJ event
■ NT$500 tonight, NT$1,800 tomorrow (NT$1,600 in advance), NT$900 tomorrow for the dance party (NT$800 in advance) and NT$1,500 on Sunday (NT$1,300 in advance). Tickets for all shows can be purchased online through www.thewall.com.tw or tickets.books.com.tw
Tonight Witch House (女巫店), an intimate coffeehouse-style venue in the National Taiwan University area, hosts indie pop duo U.TA (屋塔) and electro-rock band Nintendo Generation Blues (任天堂世代憂鬱). Tomorrow, it’s Cicada, which uses chamber music instruments to make ambient and post-rock music. Vita Eterna (唯異新民樂), a classical Chinese music ensemble that also dips into new age fusion, takes to the stage on Thursday.
■ 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號), tel: (02) 2362-5494. On the Net: www.witchhouse.org
■ Shows start at 9:30pm. Restaurant/bar, with queer/feminist bookstore and large collection of board games, open 11am to midnight Sundays through Wednesdays, 11am to 1am Thursdays through Saturdays
■ Entrance for music shows is NT$300
Tonight Underworld (地下社會), a small basement club in Taipei, hosts reggae-rock group Hang in the Air (盪在空中) and indie rock outfit Sunset Rollercoaster (落日飛車). Tomorrow is a night of live metal with Goatknight and Brain Corrosion, and on Wednesday, upstart pop-rock band Maria (瑪莉亞) performs a set.
■ B1, 45 Shida Rd, Taipei City (台北市師大路45號B1), tel: (02) 2369-0103. On the Net: www.upsaid.com/underworld
■ Shows run from 9pm to 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Underworld is open daily from 9pm, closed on Mondays. Happy hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays before midnight
■ Entrance for music shows is NT$300 on Fridays and Saturdays, , which includes one drink. Entrance for Wednesday shows is NT$100
Soy La Ley performs Cuban jazz tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言). Tomorrow, it’s Mando-pop singers Elmer Ou (歐育齊) and Filipe King (杜俊瑋). On Sunday Toffee ( 太妃堂) and Jazz Plus take to the stage. Monday is the venue’s weekly open jam.
■ B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號B1), next to Taipower Building (台電大樓), tel: (02) 2368-7310. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Show starts tonight at 9:30pm, 9pm on all other nights. For a list of standard songs and ground rules for the open jam, visit the venue’s Web site
■ NT$400 tonight, tomorrow, NT$350 Sunday and NT$150 Monday. Tickets can purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Post-punk/gloom rock quartet Macbeth plays tonight at Riverside Live House (河岸留言西門紅樓展演館). Tomorrow the venue hosts happy-go-lucky indie band Relax One (輕鬆玩) and ambient electronica-rock band Plover.
■ 177 Xining S Rd, Taipei City (台北市西寧南路177號), tel: (02) 2370-8805. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■ Shows start at 8:30pm
■ NT$400 tonight and tomorrow. Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw/livehouse or tickets.books.com.tw
Earl Hines II Jazztet performs cool jazz tonight at Sappho de Base, a late-night lounge bar that hosts live jazz and blues performances. Tomorrow, bassist Fan Hsu (徐梵) takes to the stage with a quintet performing the music of guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel. On Tuesday, it’s fusion group Reazon, and on Wednesday another fusion ensemble, Lemon Whirl Jazz (檸檬味兒爵士樂團), takes to the stage.
■ B1, 1, Ln 102, Anhe Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市安和路一段102巷1號B1), tel: (02) 2700-5411. On the Net: www.sappho102.biz
■ Shows start at 10pm. The venue is closed on Sundays and Mondays
■ Entrance is NT$150 tonight and NT$200 tomorrow, free other nights
Tonight indie rock club Revolver hosts a night of Latin sounds with live music from Taipei Latin Soul. Tomorrow it’s a lineup of DJs, including Chamber, La Luka, Robi Roka and Subtle, who bill themselves as English Breakfast and spin breaks, break beats and drums ’n’ bass [see The Vinyl Word].
■ 1-2, Roosevelt Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路一段1-2號), tel: (02) 3393-1678
■ Shows usually start after 10pm. Contact venue for precise times
■ Entrance is NT$200 tonight and NT$300 tomorrow, which includes one drink
EZ5 Live House hosts Mando-pop singers backed by a live band every night. Highlights for the week ahead include male crooner Shin Lung (辛龍), who performs every Saturday. Acclaimed Aboriginal singer Samingad (紀曉君) performs on Thursdays.
■ 211, Anhe Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市安和路二段211號), tel: (02) 2738-3995. On the Net: visit www.ez5.com.tw
■ Shows run from 9:45pm to 12:30am
■ Entrance fee (includes two drinks) ranges from NT$600 to NT$850, depending on the performer
Italian restaurant Capone’s hosts Taipei Swing’s weekly social on Fridays. All are welcome to join and a beginner’s lesson is offered. Music is provided by electric blues band Bopomofo (ㄅㄆㄇㄈ). Tomorrow, drummer Abe Nbugu Kenyatta leads a band playing music from his hometown of New Orleans. On Wednesday nights, it’s Latin music from guitarist Roberto Zayas and bassist Rick Taira.
■ 312, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路四段312號), tel: (02) 2773-3782
■ Live music from 9pm to 11:30pm on Fridays, 8pm to 11:30pm on Saturdays
■ On Fridays, minimum charge of one drink. On Saturdays, minimum charge is NT$300
The Village Cafe (村落餐廳), a bar and cafe located at the Taipei Artist Village (台北國際藝術村), hosts live music performances every Saturday. Taking to the stage tomorrow are indie rock groups Vampire Watching Television (吸血鬼看電視), Far From Answer and Aan (安樂團).
■ 7 Beiping E Rd, Taipei City (台北市北平東路7號), tel: (02) 3393-7377, X207
■ Tomorrow at 9pm
■ Entrance is NT$300, includes one drink
Tomorrow, The 3 Baboons Sports Bar & Grill, an expat hangout at the Taimall Shopping Center (台茂購物中心) in Taoyuan, hosts Alice and Her Musicians, which play rock, pop and country hits.
■ Taimall Shopping Center (台茂購物中心), 112, Nankan Rd Sec 1, Lujhu Township, Taoyuan County (桃園縣蘆竹鄉南崁路一段112號), tel: (03) 212-2150. On the Net: www.3baboons.com
■ Starts at 8pm
■ Entrance is free
The Wall (這牆) programs regular live rock shows at Kaohsiung’s Pier 2 Arts Center (高雄駁二藝術特區). Tonight the venue hosts garage rockers Mary See the Future and alt-rock band The Silent Toads. Tomorrow, psychedelic indie rockers Flat Club (假文藝青年俱樂部), neo-folk singer Enno Cheng (鄭宜農) and low-key indie-rock duo Zag Lope share the bill.
■ 1 Dayong Rd, Yancheng Dist, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市鹽埕區大勇路1號). On the Net: pier-2.khcc.gov.tw, www.thewall.com.tw
■ Shows start at 7:30pm
■ NT$300 tonight and tomorrow
Acoustic folk-pop group The Angles (角落) takes to the stage tomorrow at The Mercury (水星酒館), an indie rock club in Kaohsiung.
■ 46 Liwen Rd, Zuoying Dist, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市左營區立文路46號), tel: (07) 550-8617. On the Net: mercurybar.blogspot.com
■ Starts tomorrow at 9pm
■ Entrance is NT$250, which includes
one drink
Beady Eye, the band composed of the former members of Oasis, minus guitarist Noel Gallagher, performs on Wednesday in Taipei at Studio 18.
■ 5F, 22 Songshou Rd, Taipei City (台北市松壽路22號5樓), tel: (02) 2723-5671
■ Show starts at 9pm
■ Tickets are NT$3,500, available through taiffon.net and at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
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