NXNE, the most attentive annual music & art festival in Toronto, Canada, will celebrate its silver jubilee this year. To join this celebration, three Taiwanese bands, Queen Suitcase, April Red, and My Skin Against Your Skin, will be performing at the festival at June 11th.
Queen Suitcase formed in 2008 and the line-up consists lead vocal/keyboard player Carla, guitarist Hao Chuan Wu, and bassist Black Wheel. They combine R&B, surf rock, and blues with retro rock from 1960-70s, and the songs are full of humor and self-mocking. They try to transform dejected lives into black comedies and extract some pleasure from bitter things. The group won the first prize of Ho-hai-yan Rock Festival in 2010, and was named one of the 10 best new bands of the Next Big Thing live concert series hosted by StreetVoice. They have released two albums so far, The Happiness of the Macross Singer and Directions from Above.
Queen Suitcase.
Electronic music duo April Red is now in the sixth year of their career. Lead vocal Shao Shih and bandleader DJ Code use oriental instruments, like erhu, pipa, and zheng, in the music of the chillout, house, tech, and breakbeat styles. With the poetic lyrics by Shao Shih and her ethereal voice, their music sounds like ink wash painting and yet possesses the spirits of avant-garde and fashions. DJ Code is the first Taiwanese musician who has been invited to perform in Glastonbury. They released the You Render Me album in 2017.
April Red.
My Skin Against Your Skin was established in 2010. The group consists lead vocal Andrea and bassist YuSiLu, and roots in psychedelic/garage rock. They have been invited by NXNE in 2011 and won the Best Band, the Best Rock Song, and the Best Musician awards of GIMA (Golden Indie Music Awards) in 2012. They were also nominated for Band of the Year by GMA (Golden Melody Awards) in the same year. Their discography includes albums Question Mark and Andrea , and and EP Being Grey.
NXNE began in 1995, and patterned on the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. Actually, The SXSW organization is a minority ownership partner in NXNE. Musicians will perform at various venues, outdoor stages, and live houses that are scattered all over Toronto.
