Linking bands and industry
Unlike many commercial music festivals, which focus mainly on ticket sales, LUCfest plays the role of go-between, linking up domestic independent bands with people in the music business overseas. Many forums and parties are held alongside the festival to create opportunities for the two sides to meet and interact. This type of event has been called a “showcase festival,” giving bands a great chance to put themselves out there and get noticed.
LUCfest was founded in 2017 by Hung Wei Ning and White Wabbit Records boss KK Yeh. Each year they select a Southeast-Asian country and invite music festival curators from that country to introduce their local bands to Taiwan. They also welcome music labels from that country to come to Taiwan and hold workshops and parties to encourage the two sides to get to know each other’s music better. “Taiwan is located in a central position in Asia, so it’s easy to get to other countries from here.” Hung believes that if Taiwanese can make good use of the island’s geographic advantages and build links with neighboring countries, this will facilitate the development of Taiwan’s music industry.
To help bands become familiar with the best ways to interact with overseas music production companies, each year LUCfest organizes “pre-event training sessions,” teaching bands how to prepare an “electronic press kit” (which is a kind of curriculum vitae for a band), how to send samples of their works and self-introductory messages to producers, how to behave and express themselves, and how to network with industry insiders during the festival. All the performers and industry professionals need to register on the event’s official website, after which they can see everyone’s contact information. If there is any interest felt by one party in another, they can make contact directly to arrange a meeting, and they can also stay in touch after the festival is over.
The band Huan Huan, which took part in LUCfest for the first time in 2019, is considered by Hung Wei Ning to be a “model student.” Not only did they enthusiastically participate in the pre-event training, they also attended all the forums during the festival. As a result they met “benefactors” right off the bat, and were invited to perform at overseas music festivals: MIL in Portugal and MOMO in the Netherlands. Sadly, neither performance came off because of the Covid-19 pandemic. But fortunately, through a Japanese distributor they got to know at LUCfest, they were able to release their first album, Water Can Go Anywhere, in Japan, and even got the chance to be interviewed by the Japanese TV network TBS.
Huan Huan, who released their debut EP in 2017, consists of lead singer Coco Hsiao, bass guitarist Paul Huang, and drummer Peng Yi-jen. Guitarist Myles Chang from the band Major in Body Bear joins them for live performances. They have worked in a variety of styles, from the “rather intense” post-rock and shoegaze of their early days to quieter and more introspective music at present. As Paul Huang describes them: “Making music is like living your life, it doesn’t exist only on one level. Our songs may have a very gentle sound, but if you get into the details, they are surging with emotion.”
Even though they have performed at many music festivals, Huan Huan believes that “every show is different.” Drummer Peng Yi-jen suggests, “LUCfest has a leisurely vibe, and you feel very laid back when performing there; without even realizing it, you get enveloped by the atmosphere of Tainan.”
LUCfest co-founders KK Yeh (left) and Hung Wei Ning (right).