Kaohsiung should win the most improved city in Taiwan award. Parks, weather, and public architecture (especially the MRT stations) aside, this past weekend the southern city was alive with sights and sounds: from the Gay Pride Parade in Central Park (more lively than last year, boasting more pretty boys dressed to the nines and showing their behinds) to live music ranging from the surreal to offerings of blood and sweat, if not tears.
The owners of Brickyard were at Gay Pride promoting their new Thursday gay nights with rainbow hued cards (and wearing tank tops which showed off their muscled bodies to the delight of several young men). “We’re more open-minded than a lot of guys in Kaohsiung,” said Brickyard co-owner Graham Dart, as a boy ran a quick hand over his bicep. Tomorrow, The Combobulators from Tainan will be playing live reggae at the Brickyard with reggae, dancehall, and Latin music by Pro Res, and duo The Bomb.
Reggae Party tomorrow at 11pm at Brickyard, 507, Jhongshan 2nd Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市中山二路507號). Admission: NT$300 for guys, NT$150 for gals including a drink; Gay night is every Thursday, cover is NT$300.
Photo: Alita Rickards
The sweltering hot enclosed rooftop of the Dog Pig Art Cafe Saturday night featured a visual and auditory addition to Michelle Wilson’s art exhibit and book release A Tale of Two. Black-and-white silent films edited down into shorts had locally-based musicians provide a live soundtrack for each that ranged from comedic to haunting.
Eddie Chow of Squids improvised a dark and dirty score of synths and samples using Ableton live and an MPC sampler for Dr. Jeckll and Mr. Hyde (1912), while the Squids’ front man Campbell Burns triggered orchestral sounds on an iPad and Robbie Steel (of Loose Lions) created looping and effects using a Kaoss pad for the classic Nosferatu (1922).
The evening turned into a surreal, trippy noise event where old classics were reborn through modern soundtracks.
Dog Pig Cafe will host a lecture and discussion about the Seventh Golden Sugarcane Film Festival (第七屆金甘蔗影展) on Oct. 6 and Oct. 7 from 5pm to 9:30pm.
Dog Pig Art Cafe (豆皮文藝咖啡館) 2F, 131 Wufu 4th Rd, Kaohsiung (高雄市五福四路131號2樓)
Liger Attack lived up to its name with a full power show Saturday at Rocks that saw lead singer Nick Boeglin, who was dressed as a pirate, accidentally smash his face into a fan’s skull while head banging. But that wasn’t enough to slow Boeglin down and he continued to sing through a bloody nose and blood-filled mouth. He gave himself a little wipe with a towel and then stage dived. The band’s founder Jon Hemmings thrashed away on drums, shirtless in all his tattooed splendor, with Paul Squires on guitar ripping up riffs drenched with sweat and new bassist Jon Younghusband funking it up. They are young, hot and ready to rock, with tremendous energy and stage presence. The move from being a cover band to playing a set more heavily reliant on original material has brought them into the big boy world of being a band to reckon with.
Catch them next Saturday from 6:15pm to 7:25pm at the draft-beer swilling and live music event Oktoberfest with a line up of bands including Squids and DSR (Dirty Southern Rituals), who played at and hosted the Rocks show.
Oktoberfest is from 4pm to 4am Oct. 6 at Pier 22 near the end of Hsinkuang Road, Kaohsiung (高雄市新光路底22號碼頭海洋之星). Cover is NT$300 for women, NT$400 for men
Taipei was supposed to kick it with a free alternative music festival tomorrow and Sunday in the plaza at the Museum of Contemporary Art. This has been postponed until Oct. 20 and Oct. 21 due to the torrential rains expected this weekend. A change of venue will be announced on the event’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/C.Fallfest).
Contemp Fallfest will feature a full line up of bands including Sorrow of Youth, Sonic Deadhorse, and Tomodachi, as well as street art, graffiti, film screenings by Urban Nomad, photography and sound installations, and performance art throughout the day.
Midweek, Revolver’s Thursday nights offer fans of live music a line up of bands for NT$200 including a drink and a happy hour from 8pm to 10pm that has beer and wine for NT$50. Yesterday was the Okay Cars EP release party with Wildeer, Forests and Luxury Apartments, and next week features the monthly Sit Down and Shut the Fuck Up event. Floaty’s release party for the band’s new LP Fuck You I Love You with Roxymoron is tomorrow.
9pm Saturday at Revolver, 1-2, Roosevelt Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路一段1-2號). Admission is NT$300 including one drink.
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