This year’s edition of Freak Out Beast (吵年獸), the annual outdoor art and music festival held during the Lunar New Year holidays, is the biggest ever, with more than 60 indie bands performing over two days.
“We aim to present music that’s as diverse as possible,” Cheer Hsieh (謝青翰), one of the event’s music curators and a member of KbN (凱比鳥), told the Taipei Times.
The sixth Freak Out Beast Lunar New Year Music and Art Festival Project (2011吵年獸立春音樂藝術季) takes place at Da-an Forest Park (大安森林公園) from 2pm to 10pm on Feb. 5 and Feb. 6.
Photo courtesy of Freak Out Beast
The music runs the gamut from hip-hop and rock and punk to electronica and folk, performed on four stages: Ta (大), Chiao (吵), Nian (年) and Shou (獸).
This year’s lineup includes hot acts such as Zion Express (錫安特快), High Tide, Skaraoke, Random (隨性樂團), 88 Balaz (88顆芭樂籽), Forced Grrl (強迫女孩) and Touming Magazine (透明雜誌).
“Although they might not all be commercially successful yet, most of these indie bands boast a very mature sound,” Hsieh said. “We’re glad to give them this space to perform.”
Aside from the performances, there will be a creative market section that showcases independent designers, handicrafts, stationery and fashion accessories. Participating designers include Woodman, Blue Bird, H-Zoo and Triple Peacock.
The festival is named after the Lunar New Year tradition of dancing and setting off firecrackers to scare away the mythical creature Nian Shou (年獸), which rises from the sea during the holiday to prey on humans and livestock.
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