Bands in costumes are nothing new. Death-metal Goth-rockers Chthonic (閃靈) and metalheads Anthelion (幻日) rival Kiss with white-and-black paint obscuring the identity of bandmembers. Expat acts such as Point 22 (.22) in tennis whites and Public Radio in prison stripes follow in the footsteps of former expat group Milk, which, like Nirvana, wore dresses.
As Gene Simmons said in his best-selling book Kiss and Make-Up: “[W]e needed to keep pushing the visual appeal of the band. We weren’t content to just stand there and strum our guitars. That wasn’t enough. We wanted to make a big splash.”
Even if wearing makeup and silly outfits is only a gimmick, tonight is the one night when it’s completely justified.
All Hallow’s Eve has become a huge event in Taipei. Costumes are available all over, from the crowded streets of Ximending to mom-and-pop shops.
And there are plenty of parties to dress up for. One of the more interesting, Nightmare in Paris (驚魂夜巴黎萬聖派對), is offering an NT$10,000 prize for best costume. After the huge success in July of the Campo party at Paris Night Club (夜巴黎舞廳) — which was a disco parlor 40 years ago — and the Spin revival there earlier this month, tonight’s extravaganza promises a ghoulishly good gathering. Equally vintage are the drink prices: beer and spirits for NT$100.
Organizer Moshe Foster of Public Radio has lined up six bands: local acts Skaraoke, an eight-piece ska and reggae band; funk rockers Coach (教練); and live instrumental dub group Taimaica Soundsystem (台買加大樂隊); along with foreign acts Public Radio, alt-rock group Johnny Fatstacks and funk/rock outfit New Hong Kong Hair City. There will also be a performance by a new troupe called the Rockin’ Ho Burlesque Show.
Each band will play for half an hour, with DJ Marcus Aurelius spinning between sets and after.
Aurelius is looking forward to mingling between sets. “Having a bunch of different small times to play will be fun because I can riff off what the band’s last song was or just totally play funk for one set and then old school hip hop for another. But it will all be spooky,” he says.
For those looking for a harder, louder, scarier party, check out the Metal Massacre at The Wall (這牆) with one of Taiwan’s treasures, death-metal gods Chthonic, winners of the Best Band prize at the 14th Golden Melody Awards in August. They will be joined by Revilement, a Cannibal Corpse-inspired grind-metal band, and death-core masters Beyond Cure. The cherry on this sundae of molten metal is Blood Orange, an instrumental hard-core group with tight stops and a creative sense of rhythm.
For those wanting a funkier night of the dead, Pan Africana is playing drums, reggae, soca, funk and hip-hop at VU Livehouse, with DJ Mixter-T spinning a mashed up set of jungle, hip hop and dancehall to follow.
“[Halloween] is all the freaky people’s official holiday,” says Foster, “and all the freaky people make the beauty of the world.” So get your freak on tonight.
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