TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese bands and artists recently wrapped up shows for the Taiwan Beats Showcase at SXSW 2024, in the U.S. state of Texas.
Punk, rap, pop, psychedelic rock, and other genres were featured on the Taiwan Beats Showcase stage, which is organized by a bureau of Taiwan's culture ministry. For many of the artists, it was their first time in the U.S., as well as a chance to play for international audiences, and to see acts from around the world.
Taiwan News asked Fire Ex., The Dinosaur's Skin, Mong Tong, Chih Siou, and Gummy B about the differences between Taiwanese and international audiences, crowd favorites, and the highs and lows of playing SXSW.
Fire EX.
Fire EX. was formed in Kaohsiung in 2000 by Sam Yang (楊大正), Orio Cheng (鄭宇辰), JC Chen (陳敬元) and KG Ko (柯志勛). They have won multiple indie rock awards over more than two decades of performing, and performed at the presidential inauguration in 2020.
The band plays “punk rock with lyrics that reflect the experience of everyday life and captures the vibes of the current zeitgeist,” according to the group’s bio.
TN: How did performing at SXSW and the Taiwan Beats Showcase compare with your expectations?
KG: It was exactly as I had heard, but more fun than I expected. Everywhere you go there are so many stages and people. There were a lot of different themed stages also, for example there was a Japanese stage selling Japanese food.
TN: What song do you think was best received by the audiences?
Sam: Maybe “Stand Up Like A Taiwanese,” because this song has some elements of traditional Taiwanese music, and the guitar riff is really exciting.
Orio: Simple and clear!
TN: What was your best experience when you were there?
KG: After watching some shows I found that people were actually very casual and not as rigid as us. It might be because they were local and could make small adjustments throughout their performances. It feels very free.
Orio: Once I was drunk in a bar with Sam, was not careful, and fell asleep. I got kicked out.
TN: What is the difference between U.S. and Taiwan audiences?
Orio: The audiences are very high (energetic), much higher than Taiwanese people, and really enthusiastic. Some audience members are very happy to come up and tell you after the performance how great it was, and which part impressed them the most. They are really happy to share - Taiwan people can be a bit shy in this regard.
The Dinosaur's Skin
TN: Who are you?
Triceratops: We are two dinosaurs from the Cretaceous Period. One of us is Triceratops, and the other is Tyrannosaurus. Tyrannosaurus can’t speak Chinese.
When the meteorite hit the earth, we passed through a mysterious wormhole and arrived on the streets of Taipei. Finding out all the other dinosaurs went extinct was devastating, so we started making music. Through music, I hope we can find all the remaining dinosaurs in the world.
TN: Is it your first time performing at the Taiwan Beats Showcase?
Triceratops: The first time! I originally thought it would be like (Kaohsiung’s) Megaport Festival, but on arriving discovered the festival had been integrated into the local culture of Austin.
There are endless live performance venues, and almost every bar has a stage that can host gigs. During the week of SXSW, all kinds of music were played all over, that was really interesting.
TN: What was your best experience at SXSW?
Triceratops: We found dinosaur friends. On the KUTX Rock the Shore stage four dinosaurs were watchingrehearses our performance; it made me cry with joy. I was so touched.
When we sang “In My Dreams (you’re not extinct)” they came on the stage and we danced. Everyone on and off-stage was elevated together, it was so awesome.
TN: Worst experience?
Triceratops: When I was rehearsing at one small venue I was kicking balloons all around, and accidentally kicked someone in the face. I then realized it was a PA … which was a shame. I felt really sorry.
TN: Are there any differences between Taiwan and U.S. audiences?
Triceratops: American audiences can better understand what Tyrannosaurus is talking about (though sometimes they can’t). Many Americans who saw us for the first time were really enthusiastic. There were also many children watching the performance.
The little human friends all wore earmuffs and paid great attention to ear health. They were very cute.
TN: Was there a song you played at the Taiwan Beats Showcase that audiences particularly liked?
Triceratops: It’s really hard to say one in particular. I think it was probably the last song in the set, “All My Friends are Dead.” Humans can understand that dinosaurs lost their companions and dinosaurs can understand the loneliness of human souls.
Mong Tong
Hom Yu (洪御) and Jiun Chi (郡崎) are brothers who make up the psychedelic rock band Mong Tong, and performed at SXSW as one stop on a U.S. tour to promote their new EP, "Epigraphy.“ They combine traditional Southeast Asian music with electronic beats inspired by videogame soundtracks, synthesizers, and guitar.
TN: Was it your first time at SXSW? How was it?
Hom Yu: It was my first time to perform there, and there was a lot more going on than I expected. Throughout the week something different was happening every minute.
Jiun Chi: It was my first time in the U.S. and at SXSW. I thought the festival would be much more concentrated in one area, but it was going on around the entire city. The performances and sights were really good.
TN: What was something that impressed you there?
Jiun Chi: The “Jaded Presents FRIENDS: FOREVER Showcase”: an international promotion organization for Asian artists, I liked it a lot.
Hom Yu: Most of the time when we were not performing we could spend time wandering around and watching different performances, which is a rare experience in Taiwan.
TN: Was there anything you did not expect from your experience at SXSW?
Hom Yu: I found out that this year’s festival was funded (in part) by the U.S. military, which caused many bands to withdraw from the show. Someone said the audience was half the size it was in recent years.
TN: What song do you think audiences liked the most?
Hom Yu: Probably “Fire Wind Wheel (風火輪)”
TN: Did any band leave a particularly large impression on you?
Jiun Chi: Liar, an Indonesian band on the same label as ours that perfectly combines Indonesian traditional music with rock music. The six-member live performance was pretty mind-blowing, the best live show I have seen recently.
Chih Siou
TN: Who are you?
Chih Siou: I’m Chih Siou (持修), a Taiwanese singer-songwriter.
TN: What did you make of SXSW and Taiwan Beats Showcase?
Chih Siou: I did not have any specific thoughts about what it would be like beforehand, so everything was just really fresh to me.
TN: Best and worst experiences at SXSW?
Chih Siou: Performing. Performing was the most fun part. But the roads at night are scary; the solution is just to not go out at night … haha.
TN: How about something unexpected?
Chih Siou: I never expected to see people with European and American faces in the audience singing my songs.
Gummy B
TN: Who are you?
Gummy B: I’m Gummy B, a native of Taipei, and I have been making music for about five years.
TN: Was it your first time to SXSW?
Gummy B: This is my first time. I originally thought it would be like other music festivals: a large open space set up around stages, but I discovered that the stages were in fact around every corner of every street in the city center. It felt like the whole city was involved in the festival.
TN: What were the best and worst things about the experience?
Gummy B: The best thing has to be the moment of the performance - the sense of accomplishment was indescribable.
The worst thing was that for a few days in the U.S., I was unwell. I had a cold a few days before setting off and coupled with the jet lag I was a bit overwhelmed.
Fortunately, thanks to adrenaline and cough medicine, I was able to get through the performance on the day.
