The Living Stream of Mandopop from the Ocean: Gongliao International Marine Music Festival

▲ The Gongliao Marine Music Festival attracts a large number of music enthusiasts every year. (Photo courtesy of New Taipei City Tourism Bureau, the same applies to the following images)

Reported by Chen Rui-zhong / Comprehensive report

The Golden Melody Awards ceremony in late June showcased the influence of Taiwanese pop music in the Mandopop scene. This influence stems from decades of continuous innovation in Taiwan’s music industry, which has driven waves of progress in Chinese-language music.

▲ Enjoying music with a few friends on the beach is one of the great joys of the Gongliao Marine Music Festival.

The highlight of the Gongliao International Marine Music Festival, the “Ocean Indie Music Awards,” has long emphasized the independence and originality of the contestants’ creations, as well as the strength and charm of their live performances. It is a dream award for Taiwanese bands, and the festival is regarded as a sacred temple and dream stage by bands from Taiwan and across the Mandopop music scene.

▲ Through the stage of the Gongliao Marine Music Festival, more great music gets the chance to be heard by fans.

On the other hand, the Marine Music Festival is also the most widely participated music event in Taiwan, providing a platform where indie bands can gain recognition from the largest audience in the shortest time. The festival also allows fans to experience the greatest variety of new and diverse music in a short period. The creativity stemming from indie and non-mainstream music, once amplified through the Marine Music Festival, further injects fresh or transformative energy into the mainstream market.

▲ The annual Gongliao Marine Music Festival can be described as the most important event on Gongliao Beach each year.

This year’s Gongliao International Marine Music Festival “Come Back Stage” invites past winning bands of the “Ocean Indie Music Awards” to return to the festival stage and perform the spirit of the past 15 years of the event. Over these 15 years, many bands have gone through various trials, and some, like “Fake Death Cat Pee,” have even disbanded. The organizers went to great lengths to invite these bands or musicians back to the festival, where they reunited with their dreams and original passion for music. Bands including Fat Tiger, White Eyes, 88 Balaz, Casual Band, Fake Death Cat Pee, Boxing (拳), Monkey Little Day ft. Spinning Butterfly, Totem Band, and headliner MATZKA will all return to the main stage of the festival. Their performance not only marks the 15th anniversary of the festival but also serves as a testament to the development of Taiwan’s music scene in recent years.

▲ This year’s Marine Music Festival features bands and musicians of various styles, presenting a diverse range of performances.

This year’s festival also includes performances by a-mei (張惠妹), Crowd Lu (盧廣仲), Cheer Chen (陳綺貞), Luan Tan A-Xiang (亂彈阿翔), Yeh Nai-wen (楊乃文), Fire EX (滅火器), and Chang Chen-yue (張震嶽), showcasing a variety of domestic and international music styles. There’s also the finals of the festival’s highlight event, the “Ocean Indie Music Awards,” allowing audiences to witness the “future of Taiwanese music.”

▲ On the stage of the Marine Music Festival, every band gives their all to showcase their passion for music.

What is the connection between the Golden Melody Awards and the Marine Music Festival? Do you know which bands have won the “Ocean Indie Music Awards”? Aside from the blue sky, sea, sand, beer, and beautiful women, what other features of the Marine Music Festival make it an event that no band wants to miss?