Event
The Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society will host its annual Remembrance Day service for Allied soldiers imprisoned by the Japanese in Taiwan during World War II. The event begins at 11am on Nov. 13 at the former Kinkaseki POW Camp at Jinguashi (金瓜石) in New Taipei City. There will be six family members of the former Taiwan POWs returning for the event. The service will be in English with a Chinese and English printed program.
■ Chartered bus transportation to and from Jinguashi is available for NT$400 each person (includes a picnic lunch).
Photo courtesy of Freckles
■ Reservations can be made by contacting Jewell Hsu at the New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office, tel: (02) 8758-3604 or email to: Jewell.hsu@mfat.govt.nz. The deadline for booking is Wednesday.
Contemporary
Funk/blues/alternative band Iron Punch (鐵擊), indie pop outfit Freckles (雀斑), Night Keepers (守夜人) and Sen (仙樂隊) will take the stage on Thursday at Legacy Taipei, a venue that hosts top Taiwanese pop performers and international acts.
Photo courtesy of Kris Kuan
■ 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).
■ Show starts at 8pm
■ Admission is NT$200. Tickets available through www.indievox.com and at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
Photo courtesy of Tut
Metal outfit Masquerader plays a gig tonight at the The Wall (這牆), a prominent venue in Taipei for indie rock artists. On Sunday it’s solo rocker Hung Sheng-hao (洪申豪), punk band Wayne’s So Sad (傷心欲絕) and Midnight Ping Pong (午夜乒乓). At Korner, a club located inside the The Wall that is currently celebrating its four-year anniversary, it is a night of techno and house with Romanian producer and DJ Cosmin TRG. Support will be given by A Burro, Toska, Sonia Calico, No Death No Tomorrow among others. Tomorrow the techno and house party continues with a little ambient and experimental thrown in for good measure. The line up includes Alva Noto and Byetone, both from Germany, Anne James Chaton from France and Russia’s Dasha Rush, among a whole host of others.
■ 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: thewall.tw
■ Shows at The Wall start tonight at 8pm and Sunday at 5:30pm; Korner shows begins at 8pm tonight and 10pm tomorrow
Photo courtesy of Unavantaluna
■ Tickets for The Wall cost NT$500 tonight and NT$1,100 on Sunday; Korner tickets are NT$400 tonight and NT$750 tomorrow, available online through thewall.tw
It is an evening of hip-hop on Sunday at Legacy Mini, a spin-off of Legacy Taipei, with LEO37, SOSS and Barry. Pop rocker Kris Kuan (管罄) takes the stage on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for the venue’s Cabaret night.
■ Legacy Mini at Amba Taipei Ximending (台北西門町意舍), 5F, 77, Wuchang St Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市武昌街二段77號5樓)
■ Shows start at 8pm
■ Admission is NT$600 for each show. Tickets for the venue’s concerts can be purchased online through www.indievox.com and at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks
Four-piece boy band Bison Country (必順鄉村) performs tomorrow at APA Mini (小地方展演空間). DJ Dada plays on Sunday with avant-garde rock/post grunge group You-S (你們你們) and indie rock group Alluvium.
■ 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
■ Shows start 8pm
■ Admission is NT$450 tomorrow and NT$400 on Sunday, available through www.indievox.com
It is a night of grunge, post-grunge and punk tonight at indie rock club Revolver with Countervalve (逆瓣膜), Mr. Dirty (骯髒先生) and Japan’s Draw into Disorder. Saturday features early and late evening performances. The night starts off at 8pm with alternative metal, alternative rock and rock hop with ChicKNUP (奇克拿), and Japan’s Sabaku — Bakuhatsu and Jidori. Later in the evening, DJs Ocean, Illpa and Afuro George will throw down some party dance music. Shoegaze, rock and post rock are on the menu on Sunday with Pseudo, Islanders (島嶼樂團) and psychedelic folk/grunge combo WSSM (午休失眠).
■ 1-2, Roosevelt Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路一段1-2號), tel: (02) 3393-1678. On the Net: www.facebook.com/revolver.taipei
■ Show starts tonight at 9pm, tomorrow at 8pm and 11:45pm and Sunday at 8:30pm
■ Admission is NT$500 tonight, NT$350 tomorrow at 8pm and NT$200 at 11:45pm and NT$300 on Sunday
Metal act Zangief (桑吉爾夫), emo rockers ZANI (渣泥) and The Next Morning play on Sunday at Pipe Live Music, a major venue for indie music and parties. War Convict (戰犯音樂) plays on Wednesday.
■ 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 7pm on Sunday and 8pm on Wednesday
■ Admission is NT$400 Sunday and NT$600 on Wednesday. Tickets available online through www.indievox.com, pipemusic.kktix.cc and at FamilyMart (全家) FamiPort kiosks
Electric-Delta and hill country blues quartet The Wild Alibis will play tomorrow at Bobwundaye (無問題), a small pub in Taipei.
■ 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
Tonight at Witch House (女巫店), an intimate coffeehouse-style venue in the National Taiwan University area, it is an evening of shoegaze, noise pop and dream pop with Tut (杜爾與索克). Quiet Quartet (靜謐時光) perform with pipa, drum, guitar and cello tomorrow.
■ 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$350
Folk rock artists Ayen & Friends (韓賢光& Friends) perform tonight at Riverside Cafe (河岸留言). Folk group A Root (A Root 同根生) is on the bill tomorrow. Folk, pop and rock act the Mash (緋紅樂團) take to the stage on Sunday.
■ 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 start at 9pm
■ Admission is NT$400 tonight and tomorrow and NT$350 on Sunday, available online through www.indievox.com and tickets.books.com.tw
The Taku Yabuki Trio, featuring Japanese pianist, keyboardist, composer and arranger Taku Yabuki, will perform tonight at Sappho Live, a late-night lounge bar that hosts mostly jazz shows. Tomorrow it is the Nick Javier Group featuring Nick Javier on trombone and vocals. Bandleader, bluesman and singer DC Rapier plays on Wednesday.
■ 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 at 9:30pm
■ Entrance is NT$400 tonight and tomorrow and NT$200 on Wednesday
Pop songstress Senhuai Jan (詹森淮) plays tomorrow at Uri-Sabaki-Jo (The Wall, 賣捌所), a historical building-turned-music venue in Yilan.
■ 38 Kangle Rd, Yilan City (宜蘭市康樂路38號), tel: (03) 935-2493.On the Net: thewall.tw
■ Show starts at 5pm
■ Admission is NT$400, available online through thewall.tw
Classical
Brahms: Academic Festival Overture is a tribute to the great composer with a program that includes Piano Concerto No. 2 and Brahms: Symphonic No. 1. The concert will be performed by the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra (長榮交響樂團) under Gernot Schmalfuss with pianist Chen Hung-kuan (陳宏寬).
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tonight at 7:30pm; tickets are almost sold out as press time, with only NT$1,500, NT$800 and NT$500 tickets available. Through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Music from a Mediterranean Island features traditional Sicilian music played by an ensemble of five musicians, Unavantaluna. The group incorporates singing, bagpipes, lutes, guitar, Jew’s harp and a variety of hand drums in rendering Sicilian ballads, dance music, and sea shanties. Since its foundation in 2004, Unavantaluna has given tours throughout Europe and has been a popular guest at international music festivals, where they introduce a modern Sicilian music that connects the past and present.
■ National Recital Hall, Taipei City
■ Tonight at 7:30pm, tickets are NT$500; NT$700 tickets sold out, available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
The Last Sublimation of Romanticism features pianist Tsai Shih-hao (蔡世豪) playing a program that includes Reinhold Gliere: 8 Duets for Violin and Cello, Op.39, Ernst von Dohnanyi: Serenade in C major for String Trio, Op.10 and Georgy Catoire: Piano Quartet in A minor, Op. 31.
■ National Recital Hall, Taipei City
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm, tickets are NT$400 to NT$800, available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
National Theater & Concert Hall and the Taipei Philharmonic Chamber Choir invite you to join them tomorrow for a night of classic ballads under the silver moonlight. Loving the Year Round, Honey Life, How Can I Not Miss Him and other popular ballad masterworks in China and Taiwan are presented a cappella, solo and with piano accompanied renditions.
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Tomorrow at 7:30pm, tickets are NT$500 to NT$700; NT$900 to NT$1,600 are sold out; available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
The renowned Vienna Boys’ Choir is to begin a concert tour around the nation today, performing everything from classical and world music to pop and songs from movies. The Pingtung performance tonight and Taichung performance tomorrow are sold out and ticket’s for Monday’s Taipei performances are selling fast.
■ Tuesday at the National Concert Hall, Taipei City and Wednesday at the Municipal Cultural Center (台南市立台南文化中心國際廳原生劇場) at 332 Zhonghua E Rd, Tainan City (台南市中華東路3段332號)
■ Tickets for the Taipei venue are NT$1,000 to NT$2,000; NT$500 and NT$800 are sold out. Tainan tickets cost NT$400 to NT$1,500; available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
French flutist Philippe Bernold will hold a recital on Thursday with Japanese pianist Chika Nishiwaki playing a program that includes Astor Piazzolla’s Histoire of Tango, Claude Debussy’s Syrinx for solo flute and W.A.Mozart’s Sonata KV 301, Allegro con Spirito and Allegro.
■ National Concert Hall, Taipei City
■ Thursday at 7:30pm, tickets are NT$700 to NT$2,500, available through NTCH ticketing and online at www.artsticket.com.tw
Taiwan’s post-World War II architecture, “practical, cheap and temporary,” not to mention “rather forgettable.” This was a characterization recently given by Taiwan-based historian John Ross on his Formosa Files podcast. Yet the 1960s and 1970s were, in fact, the period of Taiwan’s foundational building boom, which, to a great extent, defined the look of Taiwan’s cities, determining the way denizens live today. During this period, functionalist concrete blocks and Chinese nostalgia gave way to new interpretations of modernism, large planned communities and high-rise skyscrapers. It is currently the subject of a new exhibition at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Modern
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The Suhua Highway (蘇花公路) is one of Taiwan’s most famous — and most infamous — roads. Winding its way along marble cliffs high above the Pacific Ocean, the scenery is unparalleled. However, this narrow road is full of blind turns and prone to rockslides, so for years, many avoided this section altogether, where the only thing stopping you from plummeting into the Pacific below is a thin metal guardrail. The newest iteration of the road is the “Improved Suhua Highway” (蘇花改), which opened in 2020 and now carries the Highway No. 9 designation. Through a more inland route and a collection