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 act is post-rock hero Sugar Plum Ferry (甜梅號).
■ Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), Center Five Hall (中五館), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市八德路一段1號)
Photo courtesy of Legacy Taipei
■ Show starts at 8pm
■ Admission is NT$800. Tickets for the venue’s concerts can be purchased at ERA ticketing outlets, online through www.ticket.com.tw, www.legacy.com.tw and at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
Tonight’s spotlight at The Wall (這牆), Taipei’s most prominent venue for indie rock artists, is on Mando-pop artist Rayray (劉軒蓁), accompanied by pop rockers Soundboss (騷包). The venue hosts a five-hour group concert by six bands tomorrow, including deathcore act Sideffect (賽德費), punk group Random (隨性樂團) and emo/post hardcore outfit Faded Moment (凋零瞬間). On Sunday, alternative rock band The Subway Unhappy Boys Club (地下道慘綠少年俱樂部) performs songs from their new album. The New Year’s Eve party features garage rock favorites 88 Balaz (88顆芭樂籽), electro-punk foursome Go Chic and drum and bass/electro house act OVDS on Tuesday.
Photo courtesy of The Wall
■ B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1), tel: (02) 2930-0162. On the Net: www.thewall.com.tw
■ Show starts at 8pm except tomorrow which begins at 6pm tomorrow
■ Admission is NT$450 tonight, NT$700 tomorrow, NT$400 on Sunday, NT$600 on Tuesday. Tickets for all shows, with discounts on advance tickets, can be purchased online through www.thewall.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
It is a metal night tonight at indie rock club Revolver, featuring djent/progressive metal outfit Lyra (萊拉樂團), death metal/deathcore act Geometry (幾何) and Dying Chelsea (垂死喬絲). On Sunday, a troop of bands and DJs take the stage including ambient/indie-electronica act Heartones (心電樂) and dub/reggae/stoner rock group Taimaica Soundsystem (台買加環繞音效) as well as DJs fakedrugs, NeonKidz and Ice City. Together with DJs Floaty, Translation and Mellow Kuo & Mellow Juan, blues/garage rock/punk group Wake Up Explosion (威愷爆炸), psychedelic rock band The Gigantic Roar (巨大的轟鳴) and The Junk (帆人) welcome the new year on Tuesday.
■ 1-2, Roosevelt Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路一段1-2號), tel: (02) 3393-1678
■ Show starts at 10pm tonight, 5pm tomorrow, 10pm on Tuesday
■ Entrance is NT$300 tonight, free tomorrow, NT$100 before midnight and NT$200 after midnight on Tuesday
Electronic duo Dronetonics, punk rockers Inhuman Band (非人物種), Midnight Ping Pong (午夜乒乓) and grunge rockers lack Tide get together for the New Year celebration at Roxy Rocker, a basement hangout for indie rockers and fans in Taipei, on Tuesday.
■ B1, 177, Heping E Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市和平東路一段177號B1), tel: (02) 2351-8177. On the Net: roxyrocker.com
■ Show starts at 10pm. Roxy Rocker is open daily from 8pm to 4am, closed on Mondays
■ Entrance is NT$500 before midnight and NT$600 after midnight
It is a night of dub and roots music with O-Brothaz Sound System tonight at Bobwundaye (無問題), a small pub on Heping East Road (和平東路) in Taipei. An ensemble of expat musicians, Fugue State (神遊狀態) brings a mix of neoclassical, jazz, blues and rock music on New Year’s Eve.
■ 77, Heping E Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市和平東路三段77號), tel: (02) 2377-1772
■ Show starts at 10pm tonight and 10:30pm on Tuesday
■ Admission is NT$100 tonight and NT$200 on Tuesday
Hello Nico and shoegazing band TuT each plays a set tomorrow at Witch House (女巫店), an intimate coffeehouse-style venue in the National Taiwan University area. Indie singer-songwriter Deserts Chang (張懸) holds a two-day concert on Monday and Tuesday.
■ 7, Ln 56, Xinsheng S Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市新生南路三段56巷7號), tel: (02) 2362-5494. On the Net: www.witchhouse.org
■ Show start at 9:30pm tomorrow and on Monday, 10:30pm on Tuesday. 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 is NT$350 tomorrow, NT$700 for Deserts Chang’s shows
Pop/electronic rock band Morning Call(輕晨電樂團) is scheduled tomorrow at Kafka on the Shore (海邊的卡夫卡), a coffee house-cum-music and arts venue in the National Taiwan University area. On Tuesday, the New Year Eve’s lineup features experimental singer-songwriter Wang Yu-jun (王榆鈞), noise experimental rock group The Sign of Human (記號士) and twin indie pop singers Yi-cheng, Yi-ching (依錚依靜).
■ 2F, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號2樓). On the Net: www.kafkabythe.blogspot.tw
■ Show starts at 8pm tomorrow and 8:30pm on Tuesday. Cafe/bookstore opens noon to midnight Sundays through Thursdays, noon to 2am Fridays and Saturdays
■ NT$450 tomorrow and NT$180 on Tuesday. Admission includes a drink
Biung Tak-Banuaz, a Golden Melody Award-winning singer from the Bunun tribe, performs tonight at Riverside Live House (河岸留言西門紅樓展演館).
■ 177 Xining S Rd, Taipei (台北市西寧南路177號), tel: (02) 2370-8805. On the Net: www.riverside.com.tw
■Show starts at 8pm
■ Entrance is NT$500. Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Tomorrow’s roster at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言) include happy-go-lucky indie band Relax One (輕鬆玩) and Green Field (綠野仙蹤樂團), while it is Indie rock group La Petite Nurse (小護士樂團) and garage rock favorites 88 Balaz (88顆芭樂籽) on Sunday. On Tuesday, the venue welcomes the New Year with jazzy celebrations with Riverside founder Geddy Lin (林正如), Japanese guitarist Shun Kikuta and drummer Dafu.
■ B1, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei (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 at 8:30pm tomorrow, 9pm on Sunday, 9:30pm on Tuesday
■ NT$500 tomorrow and on Tuesday, NT$250 on Sunday. Tickets can be purchased online through www.riverside.com.tw and tickets.books.com.tw
Self-dubbed LGBT band Isotope plays groovy jazz tunes tonight at Sappho de Base, a late-night lounge bar that hosts mostly jazz shows. Featuring Taiwanese-Canadian guitarist Denis Chang, Dark Eyes Gypsy Jazz Band takes the stage tomorrow, while on Sunday, Ian Franklin, an acoustic guitarist, singer and songwriter from the San Francisco Bay Area, performs a diverse sounds ranging from pop, roots to classic-rock and the 1970’s soul. The venue hosts a New Year’s Eve party with Caribbean music group Dread Rider on Tuesday.
■ B1, 1, Ln 102, Anhe Rd Sec 1, Taipei (台北市安和路一段102巷1號B1), tel: (02) 2700-5411. On the Net: www.sappho102.biz
■ Show starts at 9:30pm tonight, tomorrow and on Sunday, 10pm on Tuesday, Closed Mondays
■ Entrance is NT$200 tonight, tomorrow and on Sunday; NT$650 on Tuesday, a drink and snacks included
Aboriginal singer and Taiwanese folk legend Kimbo Hu (胡德夫) appears tomorrow at Tiehua Music Village (鐵花村), an arts village composed of a music venue, design and crafts shops and a weekend arts fair in Taitung City. On Tuesday, Aboriginal singing combo Lan-hsin Band (嵐馨樂團) joins hands with The Voice of Life (原味醞釀) to celebrate the new year.
■ 26, Ln 135, Sinsheng Rd, Taitung City (台東市新生路135巷26號), tel: (089) 343-393. On the Net: www.tw.streetvoice.com/users/tiehua
■ Show starts at 8pm tomorrow and 9pm on Tuesday. Music venue and crafts shops are open 2pm to 10pm Tuesdays through Sundays. Weekend arts fair opens 6pm to 10pm every Friday, 3:30pm to 10pm every Saturday and Sunday
■ Admission is NT$400 tomorrow and NT$350 on Tuesday. Tickets can be purchased online through tickets.books.com.tw
The Wall (這牆) programs regular live rock shows at Kaohsiung’s Pier 2 Arts Center (高雄駁二藝術特區). It is the release party of folk/pop act Hush!’s new album tomorrow, while post-rock hero Sugar Plum Ferry (甜梅號) celebrates the release of its fourth record on Sunday. The venue hosts a two-day New Year festivities featuring a troop of bands including indie folk singer Enno Cheng (鄭宜農) and her Chocolate Tiger(猛虎巧克力), four-piece boy band Bison Country (必順鄉村), math rock band Elephant Gym (大象體操), indie rock trio Fuguko (河豚子) and young rockers Mixer (麋先生) on Monday and Tuesday.
■ 1 Dayong Rd, Greater Kaohsiung (高雄市大勇路1號), tel: (07) 521-5148. On the Net: www.thewall.com.tw
■ Shows start at 7:30pm tonight, 7pm on Sunday, 5:30pm on Monday and Tuesday
■ Admission is NT$450 tonight, NT$800 on Sunday, NT$500 for one-day show and NT$700 for two-day show on Monday and Tuesday. Tickets can be purchased at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks, www.books.com.tw and www.indievox.com
In late October of 1873 the government of Japan decided against sending a military expedition to Korea to force that nation to open trade relations. Across the government supporters of the expedition resigned immediately. The spectacle of revolt by disaffected samurai began to loom over Japanese politics. In January of 1874 disaffected samurai attacked a senior minister in Tokyo. A month later, a group of pro-Korea expedition and anti-foreign elements from Saga prefecture in Kyushu revolted, driven in part by high food prices stemming from poor harvests. Their leader, according to Edward Drea’s classic Japan’s Imperial Army, was a samurai
Located down a sideroad in old Wanhua District (萬華區), Waley Art (水谷藝術) has an established reputation for curating some of the more provocative indie art exhibitions in Taipei. And this month is no exception. Beyond the innocuous facade of a shophouse, the full three stories of the gallery space (including the basement) have been taken over by photographs, installation videos and abstract images courtesy of two creatives who hail from the opposite ends of the earth, Taiwan’s Hsu Yi-ting (許懿婷) and Germany’s Benjamin Janzen. “In 2019, I had an art residency in Europe,” Hsu says. “I met Benjamin in the lobby
April 22 to April 28 The true identity of the mastermind behind the Demon Gang (魔鬼黨) was undoubtedly on the minds of countless schoolchildren in late 1958. In the days leading up to the big reveal, more than 10,000 guesses were sent to Ta Hwa Publishing Co (大華文化社) for a chance to win prizes. The smash success of the comic series Great Battle Against the Demon Gang (大戰魔鬼黨) came as a surprise to author Yeh Hung-chia (葉宏甲), who had long given up on his dream after being jailed for 10 months in 1947 over political cartoons. Protagonist
Peter Brighton was amazed when he found the giant jackfruit. He had been watching it grow on his farm in far north Queensland, and when it came time to pick it from the tree, it was so heavy it needed two people to do the job. “I was surprised when we cut it off and felt how heavy it was,” he says. “I grabbed it and my wife cut it — couldn’t do it by myself, it took two of us.” Weighing in at 45 kilograms, it is the heaviest jackfruit that Brighton has ever grown on his tropical fruit farm, located