Six Taiwanese groups are performing at music festivals in Britain and Germany in the next two months, bringing Taiwanese independent music to the world stage, the Ministry of Culture said.
Reggae-rock band Matzka, pop-rock band Echo and rock trio Tizzy Bac are performing in Britain at the Liverpool Sound City music and arts festival from Thursday next week to May 4, the ministry’s Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development said.
Garage rock band My Skin Against Your Skin, indie rock band Macbeth and experimental audiovisual group Empty Space on a Chessboard will later showcase their music at the C/O Pop International Musical Festival in Cologne, Germany, from June 19 to June 23, the bureau said.
Photo: Sung Chih-hsiung, Taipei Times
Since the establishment of the Ministry of Culture last year, the bureau has been trying to help more Taiwanese artists participate in international music festivals, bureau chief Chu Wen-ching (朱文慶) said.
“The European market is one of our main targets,” Chu said.
With the bureau assistance, Taiwanese artists have participated in the Marche International du Disque et de l’Edition Musicale music industry trade fair in Cannes, France, for several years, the Liverpool festival in the past two years and the C/O Pop festival last year, Chu said.
Chu said he hopes the six bands scheduled to go abroad this year will show the world the strength, passion and vibrancy of the Taiwanese music scene.
Meanwhile, singer-songwriter Matzka said his band would incorporate Aboriginal dances into its performance to share Taiwanese culture with the audience in Liverpool.
Lu Lu-ming, a member of Empty Space on a Chessboard, said his band would show videos of social issues, such as the nation’s anti-nuclear movement, during their performance to interact with the audience.
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