TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Two days prior to the release party for The Admonished Trio's (孝順一族) self-titled album last Sunday (June 11), the band suddenly canceled it due to "temporary health issues of band members." The next day, tragic news of guitarist Wayne Liu's (劉暐) passing was reported.
Liu was born in Taipei, 1985. He briefly studied in the U.S. and graduated from the Department of Visual Communication Design at the Taiwan University of Arts. His music career launched at the age of 17. He was invited by Hom Shenhao (洪申豪) of Touming Magazine to join the emo/hardcore band Fall of This Corner (一隅之秋) and transitioned from drummer to bassist.
From this point, he primarily played as a guitarist in various bands such as Children Sucker (表兒), Angry Young Man (生氣的年輕人), BB Bomb (BB彈), The Deported, Wayne’s So Sad (傷心欲絕), Baozi Tiger (包子虎), for winners (勝利一族), and Sledge City Slashers.
His early creations were influenced by the direct and concise sound of the legendary American punk band, The Ramones, from the 1970s. He once said, "I've always felt that I'm a punk rocker."
Although his songs were simple in their sad and despairing lyrics and melodies, they carried a unique sense of self-deprecating humor. He was once quoted as saying:
"If I don't drink, I don't know what I'll do next. Whether I should have another bottle, or where I should go, what I should eat, I have no idea what I should do. But if I drink, I’ll know exactly what my next move is going to be."
As the guitarist of Wayne’s So Sad, he left behind many representative works. For a period of time, he and vocalist Hsu Zheng-tai (許正泰) would often write songs in a Tianmu park, such as the works on their early EP "Oh I Have No Soul" (喔 我沒有靈魂).
Later, the two had a disagreement and the band went on hiatus until they reunited in 2015. During the hiatus, Liu participated in several projects, including for winners, and Sledge City Slashers.
In 2020, Liu left Wayne’s So Sad and formed a new band with other punk veterans called The Admonished Trio. The power trio released a self-titled album, and were active at major music festivals and venues.
Wayne also went on to record his solo album. It is an acoustic guitar re-recording of his musical works in Wayne’s So Sad, for winners and The Admonished Trio.
Liu was sincere, talented, cute, angry, and a humble punk rocker. Drunk to the core, but even so, he somehow managed to compose and play some of the most exciting riffs ever written on Taiwan’s music scene.
