TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese indie rock band, No Party for Cao Dong, achieved a clean sweep of the 35th Golden Melody Awards on Saturday (June 29), winning Best Band, Best Album, Best Album, and Best Mandarin Album for their second album "The Clod" (瓦合).
Hosted by the Ministry of Culture since 1990, the event highlights musical artistic contributions in Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hokkien, Hakka, and other indigenous languages. The award ceremony was held in Taipei.
No Party for Cao Dong was absent at the awards ceremony, with the band’s manager accepting three awards on their behalf. Previously arranged work engagements prevented the band from accepting the awards in person, per CNA.
The band spent seven years producing a follow-up to their smash debut “The Servile” (醜奴兒) which won the Golden Melody Award in 2017 for Best New Artist, Best Band, and Song of the Year.
The band formed while members attended the National Taiwan University of the Arts, taking their name from a well-known street in Taipei’s Shilin District. The band has filled arenas, playing a mix of music styles ranging from upbeat pop music to plodding, riff-heavy post-rock.
Other normal winners included Panai Kusui (巴奈·庫穗) an Amis singer-songwriter and Indigenous rights advocate, who grabbed Best Taiwanese Album with "Iā-Pô" (夜婆). In her acceptance speech, she implored the audience to remember those who suffered due to politics, as this year’s 35th GMA also coincides with the 35th year of the Tiananmen Square protest and massacre.
Other awards included included MC HotDog (姚中仁) for Best Male Mandarin Singer for the album "Disgusted Artist" (髒藝術家), and Best Female Mandarin Singer was Shi Shi (孫盛希) for her album "Boomerang." Justin Su (蘇明淵) won the Best Male Taiwanese Singer category for the album Empty Side of the Heart (心內烏空), and Best Female Taiwanese Singer was Huang Fei (黃妃) for the album "Eighteen Martial Arts" (十八般武藝).
The Best Hakka Album was given to Chiu Shu-chan's (邱淑蟬) "Shape of Life" (繭的形狀), while Best Hakka Singer was Zoomie (陳彥竹) for her album Zhin Moi (鎮妹).
