Contemporary
Legacy Taipei hosts top Taiwanese pop performers and international acts. Tonight’s spotlight is on Hong Kong singer Yoyo Sham (岑寧兒). Tomorrow, the venue hosts a matinee by pop folk act Wu Wen-fang (吳汶芳) and an evening show by Mando-pop artist Queen (魏如昀), as part of the ongoing Voice Up Concert series
■ 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 Neko Jam
■ Show starts at 8pm tonight, 2:30pm and 7:30pm tomorrow
■ Admission is NT$1,000 tonight, NT$800 and NT$1,000 tomorrow afternoon, NT$900 and NT$1,200 tomorrow evening. Tickets for the venue’s concerts can be purchased online through www.indievox.com and at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks, or www.kham.com.tw for the Voice Up Concert
Metal act Dark Charybdis (暴噬者) celebrates the release of its debut EP tomorrow at The Wall (這牆), Taipei’s most prominent venue for indie rock artists, supported by post-hardcore band Seeking the Ocean (尋找海洋大樂隊), scream outfit Faded Moment (凋零瞬間) and deathcore group Beyond Cure (病入膏肓). American melodic metalcore band We Came as Romans arrives on Sunday.
Photo courtesy of Sangpuy
■ 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
■ Show starts at 7:30pm tomorrow and 8pm on Sunday
■ Admission is NT$450 tomorrow and NT$1,800 on Sunday. Tickets for the venue’s concerts can be purchased online through thewall.tw or www.indievox.com
Photo courtesy of Misi Ke
Pipe Live Music, a main venue for indie music and parties, hosts an electronica event with DJs Phie Lee, Wolfy and Jimmer tonight, followed by electronic rock bands Neko Jam (妮可醬) and Chemical Monkeys (化學猴子) tomorrow.
■ 1 Siyuan Rd, Taipei City (台北市思源路1號), tel: (02) 2364-8198. On the Net: www.pipemusic.com.tw
■ Show starts at 11pm tonight and 8pm tomorrow
Photo courtesy of Spot – Taipei Film House
■ Admission is NT$500 tonight and NT$400 tomorrow. Tickets for the venue’s concerts can be purchased online through www.walkieticket.com, www.indievox.com and at 7-Eleven ibon and FamilyMart (全家) FamiPort kiosks
The Jelly Roll Affair plays upbeat roots music at Bobwundaye (無問題), a small pub on Heping East Road (和平東路) in Taipei, tonight. Tomorrow, garage/pop/psychedelic outfit Blind Acid Date (迷幻的瞎眼約會) shares the stage with ska-punk group Mary Bites Kerry (瑪莉咬凱利).
■ 77, Heping E Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市和平東路三段77號), tel: (02) 2377-1772
■ Shows start at 10pm
■ Admission is NT$300 and NT$500 for both shows
Tonight’s lineup 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, include indie pop artists Smoke Ring (煙圈樂團) and South African Horned Frog (南非角蛙). Psychedelic electronic duo Mr. Nice (好好先生) throws a party to celebrate its fifth anniversary tomorrow.
■ 2F, 2, Ln 244, Roosevelt Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路三段244巷2號2樓). On the Net: www.kafkabythe.blogspot.tw
■ Shows start at 8pm. Cafe/bookstore opens noon to midnight Sundays through Thursdays, noon to 2am Fridays and Saturdays
■ Admission is NT$350. Tickets must be purchased in advance through www.indievox.com
It is a hip-hop night tonight with L.C. (小光), Revival (溫故知新) and 4 Play (四少) at indie music venue APA (小地方展演空間). Composed of well-known indie musicians such as Enno Cheng (鄭宜農) from Chocolate Tiger (猛虎巧克力) and Tif Chang (張凱婷) of Elephant Gym (大象體操), Lucky (小福氣) plays its debut performance tomorrow. Indie pop rocker Misi Ke (柯泯薰) is scheduled on Sunday.
■ B1,147, Hangzhou S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市杭州南路一段147號B1), tel: (02) 2327-8658. On the Net: www.facebook.com/apamini
■ Show starts at 7:30pm tonight and on Sunday, 8pm tomorrow
■ Admission is NT$600 tonight, NT$400 tomorrow, NT$450 on Sunday, available through www.indievox.com
Award-winning Puyuma musician Sangpuy (桑布伊) headlines a charity concert tonight at Riverside Live House (河岸留言西門紅樓展演館). Bass maestro Jeff Berlin holds a lecture on Monday.
■ 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
■ Show starts at 8pm tonight and 7pm on Monday
■ Entrance is NT$500 tonight and NT$250 on Monday. Tickets can be purchased online through www.ticket.com.tw
Three veteran guitarists — Yang Teng-yu (楊騰佑), Jeff Yen (嚴和邦) and Geddy Lin (林正如) — team up for a show tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言), while Finnish guitar player Petteri Sariola plays with fingerstyle guitarist Okapi from Japan tomorrow. Garage/blues band General Vinyl (黑膠上將) and Rosy (玫瑰紅) each plays a set on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Utopia (世外桃源) puts on a show mixing chill step, ambient pop and trip-hop, while Western Moon (胡月) swings from electronic, psychedelic rock to jazz and Chinese pop. Thursday’s lineup is formed by experimental musician and sound artist Wang Yu-jun (王榆鈞) and alternative/folk group Missy Mute (吃頻小姐).
■ 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
■ Shows start at 9pm except for tonight which begins at 9:30pm
■ Admission is NT$400 tonight, NT$500 tomorrow, NT$350 on weekdays. Tickets can be purchased online through www.indievox.com and tickets.books.com.tw
Jazz ensemble Draft performs tonight at Sappho Live, a late-night lounge bar that hosts mostly jazz shows. Tomorrow, Cosmic Inversion brings the jam band scene with a psychedelic blend of Grateful Dead, Phish and Widespread Panic. Tony Taylor and The Rockits lay down a smooth groove of electric blues on Sunday, and it is Beauty and Snakes Trio (美女與蛇三重奏) on Thursday.
■ 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.sappholive.com
■ Shows start 9:30pm except for tomorrow which begins at 9pm
■ Entrance is NT$400 tonight and tomorrow, NT$200 on Sunday and Thursday
Formed by four British musicians in Hong Kong, The Sleeves hit the stage at Sound Live House (迴響音樂藝文展演空間), an independent venue for music and art exhibitions in Taichung, on Sunday, with folk rock act Young David (青春大衛) and grunge rocker group You-S (你們你們) also on the bill. Thursday’s roster include Tainan-based nu-metal/alternative rockers Orange and Between the Savage.
■ B1-1, 429, Henan Rd Sec 2, Taichung (台中市河南路二段429號B1-1), tel: (04) 2451-1989. On the Net: soundlivehouse.msmusic.com.tw
■ Shows start at 7pm
■ Admission is NT$450 on Sunday and NT$300 on Thursday. Tickets for the venue’s concerts can be purchased online through www.indievox.com
Tonight, TCRC (前科累累俱樂部), a small venue for independent musicians and local artists in Tainan, hosts alternative rock outfit Goosander (川秋沙). Tomorrow, Japanese musician Kota Masumoto shares the stage with Taiwan’s hip-hop artist Aristophanes (貍貓).
■ B1, 314, Simen Rd Sec 2, Tainan (台南市西門路二段314號B1), tel: (06) 222 3238.
■ Show starts at 9pm tonight and 9:30pm tomorrow
■ Admission is NT$300 tonight and NT$250 tomorrow, available at www.indievox.com
Post-punk rockers Macbeth (馬克白) tour to Paramount Bar (百樂門酒館), an indie rock club in Kaohsiung, on Sunday.
■ 70 Minzu 1st Rd, Sanming Dist, Kaohsiung (高雄市三民區民族一路70號), tel: (07) 389-0501
■ Show starts at 8pm
■ Entrance is NT$400, available through www.indievox.com
Acoustic folk duo Crispy (脆樂團) takes the stage at In Our Time, a restaurant-cum-gallery located inside Kaohsiung’s Pier-2 Arts Center (駁二藝術特區), on Sunday.
■ 99, Penglai Rd, Kaohsiung (高雄市蓬萊路99號), tel: (07) 521-0017
■ Show start at 7:30pm
■ Admission is NT$400, available through www.indievox.com
Tonight, Jelly Lee (傑利), the lead singer from funk-rock ensemble Coach (教練樂隊), comes to 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.
■ 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. 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$250. Tickets can be purchased online at tickets.books.com.tw
Event
Taipei Discussion and Learning meets at Frog Free Cafe (蛙咖啡) to hear lectures and discuss topics such as philosophy, science, anthropology, globalization and alternative medicine. This week’s discussion is titled “Confucianism and Leadership: Building a Theory of Leadership on the Grounds of the Confucian Philosopher Xunzi (荀子),” a speech by Alex Stamatov. The discussion is likely to incorporate a number of ancient Chinese philosophers as well as some comparison to western philosophers as well. All discussions and lectures are conducted in English.
■ Frog Free Cafe (蛙咖啡), 5, Alley 9, Songjiang Rd, Taipei City (台北市松江路69巷5號)
■ Tomorrow at 8pm. Admission is free. Look for Taipei Discussion and Learning on Facebook
Bo Tedards, director of Amnesty International Taiwan, will give a lecture about how Amnesty International has helped Taiwan in the past and how it now works from Taiwan to help other countries in Asia.
■ Vinyl Decision ( 黑膠咖啡 — 上菜囉), 6, Ln 36 Chongde St, Taipei City (台北市崇德街38巷6號)
■ Sunday at 10am. Contact Jerome Keating at jkeating@ms67.hinet.net. Admission: Breakfast (NT$125)
Highlight
As part of the ongoing 2015 Taipei Literature Festival (2015台北文學季), Taipei Literature Film Festival (台北文學‧閱影展) opens today at SPOT — Taipei Film House (台北光點), and features a lineup of 15 films with a focus on Czech writer Bohumil Hrabal (1914-1997).
Regarded as one of the best writers in the 20th century, Hrabal enjoyed prolific collaborations with many members of the Czech New Wave in the 1960s, including Vera Chytilova, Jan Nemec and Evald Schorm. Among them, Jiri Menzel has made several acclaimed filmic adaptations from Hrabal’s works. His debut feature, Closely Watched Trains (1966), was adapted from the writer’s novel of the same title about a young man’s coming of age in German-occupied Czechoslovakia. The film won the Academy Award for Best foreign Language Film that year.
Also co-written by Hrabal, Menzel’s 1969 Skylarks on a String tells the story of a group of politically undesirable bourgeois elements forced to work in a junkyard for rehabilitation. The film was subsequently banned by the Czech government for 21 years before it was released in 1990 after the fall of the communist regime when it won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Apart from the Czech literature and cinema, four Taiwanese novelists — Lo Yi-chin (駱以軍), Essay Liu (劉梓潔), Wu Ming-yi (吳明益) and Huang Li-chun (黃麗群) — have beem invited by festival curator Wen Tien-hsiang (聞天祥) to pick their favorite films to be screened at the event. The selected works include Japanese master Masaki Kobayashi’s 1962 Harakiri, Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire (1987) and Cannes-winning Before the Rain (1994) by Macedonia-born, New York-based director Milcho Manchevski.
Taipei Literature Film Festival runs through May 28. Ticket costs NT$170 per screening, and festival package containing six tickets costs NT$900, available through 7-Eleven ibon, FamilyMart (全家) FamiPort and Hi-Life (萊爾富) Life-ET kiosks and online through www.artsticket.com.tw.
■ SPOT — Taipei Film House is located at 18, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市中山北路二段18號). For more information, go to the literature festival’s Web site at literature.festival.taipei.
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