With South By Southwest now in hindsight and the official music festival season ready to start, we can look back at some of the highlights. Bands from all over the globe once again descended on Austin, Texas. One such show that stuck out was the Taiwan Beats Showcase on Tuesday night, March 14th
That night, the six-act lineup at Elysium consisted of LÜCY, The Chairs, deca joins, SiNNER MOON, 9m88, and Elephant Gym. The buzz had spread throughout the Austin scene, and fans were lined up outside, waiting to get in. To add some foreign flavor, the theme of the show was inspired by the “Ka-tsi bag,” a woven grocery bag commonly seen in traditional markets in Taiwan. The visuals brought us all right into the Southeast Asian mystique.
LÜCY opened up the night with her unique laid-back sound on tracks like “Cactus” and “EYE(s).” The set also included an interesting rendition of the again popular “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush. The Chairs also played the classic “Paris, Texas” to please the local crowd.
‘Cactus’ by LÜCY
This was SiNNER MOON’s first North American appearance, and they brought it. By the end of their show, the crowd was singing along to “Bleed It.” The music of deca joins stood out as well. They even invited surprise guest Yokkorio to join them on stage for a captivating rendition of “Wave.”
‘Shadow’ by Elephant Gym and 9m88
As the night got late, 9m88 electrified the SXSW crowd with a sizzling performance of her new hits “Sleepwalking” and “Tell Me” alongside classics such as “Beyond Mediocrity” and “Waste Of Time.” The electric delivery proved that 9m88 was worth the Music Spotlight slot that The Austin Chronicle gave them. To close the show, Elephant Gym was brought up to help perform “Shadow” to the crowd’s delight.
The Taiwan Beats Showcase was one of the highlights of SXSW 2023. Here’s hoping the show will return next year with even more phenomenal artists from Taiwan.
Keep up with the showcase at http://taiwanbeatsshowcase.com/