By all accounts, Sigur Rós was amazing the other night in Taipei. While I didn't attend the show ($$$), I did enjoy watching them from my DJ perch as they drank, mingled, and relaxed with fans at 操場Fucking Place after the show. They were gracious about photos and the vibes were pleasant - but what else would one expect?
It is hard to pick the best event for the coming weekend, but I know I'll be at Underworld Friday for the new CD by Skip Skip Ben Ben, who is teaming up with 人 Human Beings. Different music between them, but both equally awesome. It's a must.
Skip Skip Ben Ben will also be participating in another epic Vicious Circle Night with six other bands. To accommodate all the action, it is being held at APA Lounge 808, in Ximending. Expect a lot of sweat and a lot of fun.
Next weekend Taipei will enjoy another edition of the Simple Life Festival, starring many local heroes such as 伍佰 Wu Bai, 陳珊妮 Sandee Chan, 楊乃文 Faith Yang, 旺福 WonFu, Matzka, Random, and recent Golden Melody winners My Skin Against Your Skin. Additionally, other performers like MC Hotdog, 董事長 Chairman, and even S.H.E. will be doing unplugged sets. It is always a good time with plenty of vendors and young artists/designers featuring their work. The official website is here - http://simplelife.streetvoice.com/2012/market
Finally, today is America's best holiday, Thanksgiving. In the spirit of ruminating on gratitude, I'd like to give my thanks for all the awesome musicians creating and sharing their sounds, both native and foreign, famous and unknown. And I'm thankful I can still hear 'em!
- Floaty
A few additions to Floaty's report…
Shelter is closing. Yes, those busybody pricks from the Shida Self Help Ass. pressured authorities into giving the quiet little Taipei venue repeated fines and so Shelter will shut its doors, to live music at least, in December.
There has been a string of very decent international bands announcing shows in Taiwan lately, including Gotye, Japandroids, Grimes, My Bloody Valentine, Citizens and the return of both Stars and Shugo Tokumaru.
Don Quan who you might remember I interviewed waaay back about his documentary 'Voices From The South' about Kaohsiung's indie music scene, is working on a follow-up called 'Dig The New Breed (Voices From The South Part II)'. Go check out the trailer and join the Facebook page. We're really excited to see the finished film!
- Steve
