Taiwan's Manic Sheep connect Asia's indie music scene
Taiwanese indie pop band Manic Sheep / Courtesy of Manic Sheep
By Ali Safavi
Indie music is often seen as the wheelhouse of Western countries, but it hasn't stopped growing in Asia. What is taking more time is for musicians across Asia to form relationships between countries that have traditionally been insular. This is resulting in East Asian bands touring other countries within the region and finding new collaborative partners and inspiration.
“My favorite band is Sonic Youth, and I was a big fan of Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth's founding bassist) which made me want to start practicing bass,” says Chris Lo, vocalist and guitarist of
.
Despite a population of only 23 million _ less than half of South Korea's _ Taiwan produces a commendable number of indie and electronic bands every year, especially in the genres of shoegaze and dream pop that Manic Sheep do so well. After supporting international acts such as The Album Leaf and Kyte, the band found themselves being invited to prestigious festivals abroad such as SXSW, Clockenflap and Fuji Rock.
Chris says she's unsure why their music has found such an international following. “Probably because we try to combine different genres together,” she mused. “Our music is not traditionally shoegaze...we try hard to shape our own style.”
Guitarist Howard Yang adds, “We are not doing shoegaze music exactly; we have faster beats and catchy melodies too.”
Though Manic Sheep formed in 2010 their lineup has seen a few changes. Their music is a lush and emotionally charged affair, shifting regularly from dark and distorted to light and poppy but without ever sounding jarring or disruptive. Behind the gorgeous sounds coming from instruments and Chris' reverb-drenched vocals is a driving rhythm section that keeps their music lively and exciting.
Manic Sheep will be joined on both of their South Korean dates by
, a group that share many musical similarities with the Taiwanese band. Say Sue Me has regularly toured the United Kingdom, with another tour coming up in October, and has also traveled to SXSW earlier this year. This is their first hometown show in some months.
“It feels great to play in Busan again,” says Choi Su-mi, Say Sue Me's vocalist-guitarist as well as the inspiration for the band's name. “We feel more confident after touring...we're glad to have a show together with Manic Sheep. They are cool.”
The tour has been set up by
, an offshoot of
that has been supporting the Korean music scene for years. Under the umbrella name “Focus Asia,” they have already brought
and Gym & Swim (Thailand) to Korea. They hope to encourage more collaboration between Asian countries.
“The aim is to bring in cool bands from around Asia and introduce them to the Korean market. To build relationships between bands here and elsewhere in Asia as well,” says Patrick Connor, creator of DoIndie. “I hope to expand the project later to become more of a concert/tour exchange program, perhaps with split album releases too.”
Manic Sheep will play at
Someday near Pusan National University in Busan, Friday Aug. 24
. Then they hit
CJ Azit near Gwangheungchang Station in Seoul, Saturday
. Busan's Say Sue Me will serve as main support for both shows.
and
will also support Manic Sheep in Busan and Seoul respectively. Discounted tickets can be bought in advance for both shows.