During the just-passed May Day holiday, at the shores of Taihu Lake in Qidu Town, Wujiang, Suzhou — far from the hustle and bustle of the city — a three-day music carnival allowed tens of thousands of music fans to forget the pressures of work, the trivialities of life, and the burdens of emotions. They freed their bodies and souls, enjoying music and love, as well as the boldness and passion that should always be part of youth. This is the Midi Festival — the most important festival in the hearts of Chinese rock music fans.
Over the course of the three-day performances, top domestic and international bands took turns on the Tang, Warring States, and Youth stages. Legendary names from China’s rock scene such as Painkiller (痛仰), Xie Tianxiao (谢天笑), Reflector (反光镜), Life Pie (生命之饼), Sound Toy (声音玩具), and Twist Machine (扭曲机器),Burning Soda,Team Ghost,Lacuna Coil,Veil of Mayaand other outstanding bands from around the world — recommended by the Busan Music Festival and part of the China-France Spring of Culture events — transformed this idyllic paradise of lush water plants and lakeside boats into a utopia where music played through the night and revelers sang and drank until dawn.
Most importantly, at this place,2016during the year's Taihu Midi Festival, every nonconformist was no longer alone, and every naturally proud soul held their head high. Over the course of three days — from bright sunshine to impending rain — a group of fearless youths arrived in the sunlight, greeting ordinary life with passionate hearts and muddy clothes. They smiled, believing that with Midi and rock music by their side, they would stay young for a very long time.
On the first day of the festival, Sound Toy, who swept four Midi awards last year, performed their festival theme song “Tomorrow You’ll Still Be By My Side” and received a full-house singalong from the audience. Following them, Twist Machine — an irreplaceably iconic band in the history of Chinese rock — took the stage. That day happened to be the 10th birthday of their bassist Laodao’s son. He dedicated his most rock-and-roll vocals to his son, and to what he called “the only truly rock-and-roll Chinese music festival in my heart.” Painkiller closed out the first day. Those young people who danced exuberantly during the annual carnivals at the Midi Music School over a decade ago might never have imagined that, on such a brilliant stage today, they would be singing praises of the most beautiful day of life alongside tens of thousands, expressing the love, hate, reunions, and farewells of so many.
The highlight of the second day was the performance by Life Pie, who have been making music for twenty years. As their signature bagpipe sound rang out, fireworks lit up one after another beneath the stage, and people danced in circles around the lights. Over twenty years, Life Pie has influenced an entire generation of music fans, evolving from leaders of the Wuhan punk scene to undisputed pioneers of Chinese punk. Lead singer Wu Wei raised a glass on stage — on that night, countless others joined him in toasting the past twenty years of Chinese punk. Xie Tianxiao lived up to his title as the “King of Live Performances,” shifting between deep intensity and fierce ferocity. His dynamic stage presence gradually pushed the crowd’s emotions to a fever pitch, until the final, sudden burst of guitar riffs came to an abrupt halt, leaving reverberating echoes between the audience’s eardrums and the air.
The final performance day brought heavy rain, but it could not dampen the fans’ enthusiasm.Nova HeartThe image of lead singer Feng Haining covered in mud from her last performance here was still fresh in memory. This time, she once again led the crowd in a collective “wild spree.” Mud became the badge of rock ‘n’ roll, and passion and youth shone even brighter after being washed by the rain. From Italy,Lacuna Coilis one of the world’s most famous female-fronted metal bands and the biggest headliner of this year’s Taihu Midi Festival. Fans, whose enthusiasm had been building throughout the three-day event, were quickly ignited the moment the band’s dual lead vocalists let out their first roar. Midi Festival fans responded to these global rock titans with world-class fervor.
The performances on stage were wildly exciting, but even more details offstage highlighted the unique charm of Midi. More than two thousand fans had already set up camp at the Midi Campsite a day before the performances officially began, spending the night drumming, playing guitars, drinking, and singing to declare their uniqueness to the world. Some drove thousands of kilometers to attend this appointment with youth, measuring thousands of miles of highway — through both splendor and desolation — to show the world how different they are. An elderly man accompanied his vibrant daughter, trying his best to understand the boldness of youth, willing to do anything beyond his own understanding for her. With his unsteady steps, he guarded her, and with the image of the two of them helping each other through the muddy rain, he declared to the world his uniqueness — and the greatness of love.
Because of this uniqueness and love, every Midi gathering becomes a reunion back home. Because of youth and sincerity, there is nothing to fear — rock music keeps music and youth alive. Fortunately, the next reunion isn’t far away.6The Midi Electronic Music Festival in [Month]7and the Tenglong Cave Midi Festival in [Month] will once again raise the banner. May no one miss out on their own youth. (Text: Chen Xiaobei / Photography: Yan Min, Yuxuan, Yuzi,kitty)
