Megaport Festival and Taiwan Music Festival are two big music festivals in Taiwan that are held in the beginning of April every year. Both festivals feature more than a hundred indie bands and performers, attracting thousands of music lovers to Kaohsiung and Kenting. 

The Taiwanese indie music industry began to blossom in the 1990s when artists started writing their own music. Taiwanese artists used to cover the music of others; however, a venue called SCUM started encouraging artists to write and perform their own songs. After that, artists like Lim Giong and Wu Bai, and bands like Double X and TOLAKU saw huge success. 

Furthermore, more venues, called live houses, have opened to help boost Taiwan’s indie music scene. These include the Witch House and the Wall. The indie music industry in Taiwan is now attracting more fans than ever. 

Among the great indie bands in Taiwan, here are three bands that you must listen to:

Amazing Show (美秀集團):

One of the best indie groups is a band out of Chiayi called Amazing Show. They label themselves “tai (台),” which means they are very Taiwanese but in an out-of-fashion and sort of cringey way. The band’s Chinese name “Mei Show” was taken from two of its members, Gou Bo and Guan You’s moms’ names, which are the most common names you hear in Taiwanese traditional markets. This name creates a sense of kinship with many Taiwanese people. Although their reputation for being “tai” makes them corny, it also gives their music a craziness and warmth that feels uniquely Taiwanese. 

In “You Are My Crazy Lover (我要你愛)” the lyrics say, “我要你愛，我要你為了我變壞，世界那麼大，宇宙那麼寬，我只是你想要的浪漫“ (I want your love, and I want you to become naughty for me. The world is so big, and the universe is so wide. I am the kind of romance you’re longing for.) At first glance, the lyrics seem clumsy. However, when these lyrics were paired with the song’s vintage-style music video and the sound of the “Xuan Pao (炫砲)” – a wild-looking instrument that Amazing Show invented – the song became an iconic hit. 

Other songs like “Xin Bun (心悶)” and “A Rooster (一隻雞)” are performed in Taiwanese and feature Taiwanese rap verses that show the beauty of the Taiwanese language. 

Amazing Show presents the possibility of a rock band being both gentle and wild at the same time and Taiwanese fans deeply relate to their music. Amazing Show’s songs gush with vintage Taiwanese spirit and fans love how they have revived old-fashioned Taiwanese music culture. 

Wayne So Sad (傷心欲絕):

Wayne So Sad is a band that sounds playful yet jokes about life all the time. The band is named after their former guitarist Liu Wei, whose English name was Wayne, who passed away in 2023. Their songs express their anger, loneliness, and confusion in a direct way. For example, in their song “Oh I Got No Soul (喔我沒有靈魂)”, the lyrics say, “20歲之後我沒有開心過，現在我到哪裡都跪著走，人際關係該怎樣，喔 I don’t know” (I haven’t been happy since I was 20. I’m kneeling on my knees everywhere I go. How should I deal with relationships between people, oh I don’t know.) 

Wayne So Sad’s music is deeply influenced by punk rock, alternative rock, and folk rock. The band said its brand is “manic electronic guitar and psyched distorted cracked voice,” both of which are present in most of their songs. For instance, their more recent songs like “Illusion of Love (月光灑落的地方)” and “Sincerely, Me (無名氏敬)” feature wildly distorted vocals and unique guitar performances. Being a representative of the “desperate generation,” Wayne So Sad’s music never tells people to just be happy or positive; instead, they are not afraid to explore anger and hopelessness. 

In Wayne So Sad’s music, no failure is judged and every mistake is accepted. All you have to do is get drunk on the music and enjoy the fun before oppressive reality pulls you back. 

No Party For Cao Dong (草東沒有派對):

No Party For Cao Dong is one of the most iconic Taiwanese indie bands. This group first came together in 2012 and released their first album The Servile (醜奴兒) in 2016. The album received seven Golden Melody Awards that year, and they have only become more famous since.

In “Empty(空)”, the lyrics say: “在成人之前，真想先成為自己，在世界毀滅之前，真想先毀滅自己” (I hope to become myself before I live as a human, and I want to destroy myself before the apocalypse comes.) No Party For Cao Dong’s music consists of straightforward emotions and exquisite music composition. The emotions include self-doubt, frustration towards society, and desire for freedom. Their music is a reflection of contemporary society with its direct lyrics and grunge-style rhythms, which has become a pain-killer for people who are experiencing similar moods.

Besides “Empty”, No Party For Cao Dong has other songs like “Wayfarer (山海)” and “Damn (但)”, which also paint the negative feelings of their generation. No Party For Cao Dong is not only famous for their music, but more importantly, people can find sustenance in their work. No matter which kind of negative emotions people are experiencing, No Party For Cao Dong songs provide a musical shelter for them. 

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Besides these three indie bands listed above, there are many other Taiwanese bands worth listening to, including  the Hermione Boys, Deca Joins, Old Slut Distortion, and many more. 

Every band can touch fans in different ways through their distinctive music. The Indie music industry in Taiwan is still thriving and, believe it or not, everyone is able to find themselves in these beautiful and distinctive worlds of music.