1 00:00:01,520 --> 00:00:05,240 Speaker 1: Mayday's beautiful singalong melodies get a huge response from the crowd, 2 00:00:05,640 --> 00:00:08,319 Speaker 1: just about all of whom are holding these flashing led 3 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:11,319 Speaker 1: light sticks, which are links to a smartphone app. 4 00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 2: Before the show started, there was like repeated. 5 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:15,960 Speaker 1: Trailers being shown on the big screens showing people have 6 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:18,320 Speaker 1: a link their phone to the light sticks. So it's 7 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:20,919 Speaker 1: this whole interactive element which is a huge part of 8 00:00:21,480 --> 00:00:24,920 Speaker 1: Asian pop in general and certainly may Day's fan base. 9 00:00:32,240 --> 00:00:34,880 Speaker 3: From The Australian, this is the weekend edition of The Front. 10 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:38,920 Speaker 3: I'm Claire Harvey. If you staged a gig at Sydney's 11 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:42,560 Speaker 3: forty thousand seat Acor Stadium, could you get a full house? 12 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:46,919 Speaker 3: That's the question, making one of the world's biggest bands nervous, 13 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaker 3: which is kind of surprising given just a few months 14 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:55,080 Speaker 3: ago may Day played ten consecutive eighty thousand seed gigs 15 00:00:55,400 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 3: to delirious fans at Beijing's National Stadium. So why the nerves? 16 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:05,120 Speaker 3: Because may Day sings in Mandarin and most Australians have 17 00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:09,360 Speaker 3: never heard of them. Today, can Asia's rock gods pull 18 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:16,880 Speaker 3: off this wildly ambitious crossover? All bands can be traced 19 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:25,560 Speaker 3: back to humble beginnings before the Beatles became more popular 20 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 3: than Jesus. They paid their dues in the CD clubs 21 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:33,319 Speaker 3: of Hamburg. Ed Sheeran and Tracy Chapman started as buskers 22 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 3: the Temper Trap. All met working at the same General 23 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:40,800 Speaker 3: pants store in Melbourne. The start was also humble for 24 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 3: may Day, the Taiwanese musical juggernaut that's one of Asia's 25 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 3: biggest acts. Here they are talking to our music editor 26 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:52,120 Speaker 3: Andrew McMillan after a recent gig in Singapore. 27 00:01:53,480 --> 00:01:54,800 Speaker 2: We start paying school. 28 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:59,680 Speaker 4: We are a classmate, so we really know each other 29 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:04,280 Speaker 4: for long time. We start to perform in a park. 30 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:09,680 Speaker 4: Only one person's there and it's the Aborss, the. 31 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:10,640 Speaker 5: Owner of the pub. 32 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:15,640 Speaker 4: Yes, and we passen on the spree and there's no 33 00:02:15,800 --> 00:02:19,600 Speaker 4: one and it's pouring rain there and no one wants 34 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:20,799 Speaker 4: to listen to us. 35 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:30,280 Speaker 3: Despite starting out singing to no one in the pouring rain, 36 00:02:30,720 --> 00:02:33,320 Speaker 3: may Day aimed high when it came to their ambition 37 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 3: as a band, like really high. Here's a guitarist Stone 38 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:40,160 Speaker 3: also known as Si Chinhan. 39 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:46,400 Speaker 4: We always want to achieve the achieved amount of Beatles. 40 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:51,120 Speaker 3: Well, in terms of longevity, they've outdone their idols. The 41 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:54,200 Speaker 3: Beatles lasted less than a decade. May Day has been 42 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:58,839 Speaker 3: together a quarter century something. Bassist Massa also known as 43 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 3: Saishen Yen has a theory. 44 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 2: About we don't have your cal. 45 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:12,280 Speaker 3: And they've evolved over those years. The setup is traditional rock, 46 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:15,960 Speaker 3: two guitars, a bassist, a drama and a singer. May 47 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:20,080 Speaker 3: Day's early stuff is clearly Beatles inspired, with traces of 48 00:03:20,200 --> 00:03:29,400 Speaker 3: U two and the roller Stares. It's rock now may 49 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:34,680 Speaker 3: Days producing melodic, even syrupy pop like the Beatles, but 50 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:35,960 Speaker 3: with glow sticks. 51 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 1: They are superstars in really throughout Asia, throughout the whole continent. 52 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 1: They start in Taiwan, they moved over to mainland China 53 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 1: to find a huge audience there, and they're very well 54 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 1: known throughout all of the Southeast Asian countries. I would 55 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:52,960 Speaker 1: say so while most Australians have almost certainly never heard 56 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 1: of them, they are the equivalent of someone like U 57 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:58,720 Speaker 1: two or Coleplay within that part of the world, but 58 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:03,440 Speaker 1: with beautiful sing along melodies which get a huge response 59 00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:05,480 Speaker 1: from the crowd, just about all of whom are hol 60 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:09,160 Speaker 1: in these flashing led light sticks, which are links to 61 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:10,440 Speaker 1: a smartphone app. 62 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 2: Before the show started, there was like repeated. 63 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:14,960 Speaker 1: Trailers being shown on the big screens. Strange people have 64 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:17,280 Speaker 1: a link their phone to the light sticks. So it's 65 00:04:17,279 --> 00:04:19,880 Speaker 1: this whole interactive element which is a huge part of 66 00:04:20,440 --> 00:04:22,600 Speaker 1: Asian pop in general and certainly may. 67 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:23,800 Speaker 5: Day's fan base. 68 00:04:23,839 --> 00:04:26,320 Speaker 1: They kind of come to expect to wave their glow 69 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:28,320 Speaker 1: sticks and sing along together, and that's been a part 70 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:29,920 Speaker 1: of their show for a decade or more. 71 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:33,040 Speaker 3: Baps and now they sing in Mandarin. Right. Are there 72 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:34,719 Speaker 3: any English lyrics in their songs? 73 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:39,200 Speaker 1: There is very Occasionally they do have some English I 74 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:41,760 Speaker 1: guess melodies or catchphrases. 75 00:04:41,839 --> 00:04:44,360 Speaker 5: One that comes to mind is spelling out the word love. 76 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:48,320 Speaker 1: There's a big chanted l ove kind of section throughout 77 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:58,360 Speaker 1: one of their songs. But by and large they are 78 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:04,320 Speaker 1: entirely Mandarin, and they obviously have a huge audience within. 79 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:07,239 Speaker 2: That part of the world. So the fact that they're. 80 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 1: Coming to Australia and trying to pick up some English 81 00:05:10,880 --> 00:05:13,840 Speaker 1: speaking fans who may be interested in their music is 82 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:16,240 Speaker 1: a part of what interested me in wanting to report 83 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:18,919 Speaker 1: this story. 84 00:05:20,279 --> 00:05:24,080 Speaker 3: Nich Just like the Beatles, desperate to make it beyond Hamburg, 85 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:27,760 Speaker 3: beyond Liverpool, beyond the UK, there's a yearning in may 86 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:31,479 Speaker 3: Day to go bigger. It's this giant leap may Day 87 00:05:31,480 --> 00:05:34,719 Speaker 3: will be attempting on February twenty two when they headline 88 00:05:34,839 --> 00:05:40,680 Speaker 3: Sydney's Apple Stadium. 89 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 4: Hello, we are mayde Well so excited to bring our 90 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:50,159 Speaker 4: twenty fifth anniversary concert to Australia. Tickets are up for 91 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:50,919 Speaker 4: sale now. 92 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:52,000 Speaker 5: Who can blame them? 93 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:52,279 Speaker 2: Right? 94 00:05:52,839 --> 00:05:55,760 Speaker 1: With a band like this that starts as high school 95 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:58,599 Speaker 1: friends or university friends and their first few gigs to 96 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:01,240 Speaker 1: no one and nobody wants to hear them that learn 97 00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:04,760 Speaker 1: come to their shows to then gradually get to the 98 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:08,120 Speaker 1: point where they're playing eighty thousand or one hundred thousand 99 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:12,320 Speaker 1: strong stadiums every night throughout Asia. Why wouldn't they want 100 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:14,040 Speaker 1: to be able to do the same thing in the 101 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:17,719 Speaker 1: likes of Australia or the US or throughout Europe. Once 102 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:19,719 Speaker 1: you've conquered Asia, don't you want the rest of the world? 103 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:24,120 Speaker 6: Or you might just be happy with Asia, Especially if 104 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:26,920 Speaker 6: it's maybe a bit of a hard ask, like do 105 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:31,440 Speaker 6: you think English speaking audiences in places like Australia are 106 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:33,600 Speaker 6: going to go to their gigs are going to become 107 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:34,960 Speaker 6: massive may Day fans? 108 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:37,720 Speaker 1: I was thinking about this, and I think it's a 109 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:41,440 Speaker 1: hard ask, particularly in this economy. Where people want to 110 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:43,960 Speaker 1: see shows by artists that they know and love. They're 111 00:06:43,960 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 1: happy to spend two hundred dollars on a ticket for 112 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:50,880 Speaker 1: Luke Combe's or Taylor Swift or The Weekend, these kind 113 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:53,160 Speaker 1: of established names that are big in our culture. 114 00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:54,040 Speaker 5: I think it's. 115 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:59,040 Speaker 1: Quite a tall ask for Australian listeners potential Australian fans 116 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:01,200 Speaker 1: to plump down two hundred dollars to go along to 117 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:05,000 Speaker 1: home Bush Stadium and spend three and a half hours. Claire, 118 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:07,480 Speaker 1: it's a really long show that they do. It's it's 119 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:11,600 Speaker 1: serious investment of time and money and efforts. So bless 120 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:13,480 Speaker 1: them for what they're trying to do here, But I 121 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:14,480 Speaker 1: think they're up against it. 122 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:17,840 Speaker 3: Yeah, so do you think they will get the crowds 123 00:07:17,840 --> 00:07:21,200 Speaker 3: they want? But they'll be Asian Australian people, people who 124 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:21,920 Speaker 3: speak Mandarin. 125 00:07:22,440 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 1: That is my supposition that the vast majority of the 126 00:07:25,080 --> 00:07:27,360 Speaker 1: crowd will be those who know one love them. And 127 00:07:27,760 --> 00:07:29,720 Speaker 1: while of course they're talking to people like me to 128 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:32,600 Speaker 1: try to increase their awareness throughout our market, I think 129 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:35,480 Speaker 1: it's pretty hard asked to get people to come along 130 00:07:36,000 --> 00:07:39,280 Speaker 1: just on a punt statisticy if they like this band, 131 00:07:39,320 --> 00:07:42,680 Speaker 1: although their music is highly engaging and beautifully melodic. And 132 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:44,920 Speaker 1: I know they've made at least one found on our 133 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:46,880 Speaker 1: staff since I've been talking about this in recent weeks, 134 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:49,320 Speaker 1: and that's Biancare Video Edit has become a convert to them. 135 00:07:49,320 --> 00:07:52,520 Speaker 3: Apparently will be seeing l Ove around the office soon 136 00:07:56,000 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 3: coming up. So how do Asian megastars win over the world? 137 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:00,320 Speaker 5: World? 138 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:21,000 Speaker 3: Any Australian under the age of twenty five will have 139 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:25,240 Speaker 3: heard of Black Pink or Bts, both Korean pop acts 140 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:30,080 Speaker 3: who are absolutely massive throughout both the Asian and English 141 00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:34,560 Speaker 3: speaking worlds. They have well and truly crossed over in 142 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:39,600 Speaker 3: a way may Day is dreaming of. Is there a 143 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:42,640 Speaker 3: generational aspect to this? Do you think, Andrew that there's 144 00:08:42,679 --> 00:08:44,679 Speaker 3: a younger generation now who are going to be much 145 00:08:44,720 --> 00:08:47,439 Speaker 3: more open to this than say the forty or fifty 146 00:08:47,480 --> 00:08:49,600 Speaker 3: year olds who are the age of may Day. 147 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:53,200 Speaker 1: Yes, and I believe a big factor in that appeal 148 00:08:53,240 --> 00:08:57,880 Speaker 1: to younger audiences is through social media platforms, particularly TikTok. 149 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:00,760 Speaker 1: I know that Live Nation released a state last year 150 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:05,640 Speaker 1: about the Asian pop market among Australian listeners and potential fans, 151 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:09,120 Speaker 1: and all of those people reported that they hear much 152 00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:13,600 Speaker 1: more non English speaking music than they did five years ago, 153 00:09:13,679 --> 00:09:17,200 Speaker 1: and that's purely through the algorithms on things like TikTok, 154 00:09:17,480 --> 00:09:20,600 Speaker 1: feeding them things that they might not have otherwise come across. 155 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:25,199 Speaker 1: So that willingness to take a punt, I suppose, is 156 00:09:25,240 --> 00:09:27,920 Speaker 1: a bit easier when it's your phone in your hand 157 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:31,440 Speaker 1: and you're being served an algorithm that's showing you things 158 00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:34,280 Speaker 1: you might come across. That's a bit different to putting 159 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:39,360 Speaker 1: down turndred dollars for a concert ticket, right. 160 00:09:40,679 --> 00:09:42,920 Speaker 3: But it sounds like two hundred bucks for a Mayda 161 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:46,600 Speaker 3: gig would be worth the investment. If Andrew's experience in 162 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:47,880 Speaker 3: Singapore is any guide. 163 00:09:49,360 --> 00:09:52,360 Speaker 1: That was one of the most extraordinary and spectacular gigs 164 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:56,079 Speaker 1: I've ever seen for several reasons, one of which is 165 00:09:56,200 --> 00:10:00,640 Speaker 1: that this show by may Day has the longest stage. 166 00:10:00,320 --> 00:10:01,600 Speaker 5: I've ever seen in my life. 167 00:10:01,679 --> 00:10:04,520 Speaker 1: It's about ninety meters long, and rather than playing a 168 00:10:04,559 --> 00:10:07,360 Speaker 1: one end of a stadium and facing the other three grandstands, 169 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:09,680 Speaker 1: they set up along the sideline as it were, and 170 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:13,840 Speaker 1: play to the stands facing them, which is a weird setup, 171 00:10:13,920 --> 00:10:17,000 Speaker 1: but it became apparent about halfway through the show. That's 172 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:20,439 Speaker 1: the reason why there's a big space on the floor 173 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:23,480 Speaker 1: is because these guys get on a full size bus 174 00:10:23,920 --> 00:10:27,560 Speaker 1: and play live music while being well being driven around 175 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:30,959 Speaker 1: the stadium slowly, but they kind of make a real 176 00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:34,400 Speaker 1: spectacle of not just being on this massive stage. They 177 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:37,600 Speaker 1: actually come out and get much closer to the crowd, 178 00:10:37,640 --> 00:10:40,400 Speaker 1: including right in front of me at the background stand 179 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:42,679 Speaker 1: after about ninety minutes into the show. 180 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:45,200 Speaker 5: So quite an extraordinary experience. 181 00:10:45,240 --> 00:10:50,360 Speaker 3: Claire, We'll give may Day's guitarist Stone the last word. 182 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:55,000 Speaker 4: Give me to your chance. If you only speak English, 183 00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:59,680 Speaker 4: just come to our commerce and you will known in 184 00:10:59,679 --> 00:11:04,840 Speaker 4: a mins. There's no language bound Tree, we oh sing 185 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:08,000 Speaker 4: the same language as Cole music. 186 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:18,280 Speaker 3: Andrew McMillan is the Australian's music writer. You can find 187 00:11:18,320 --> 00:11:21,160 Speaker 3: his work in our review section every Saturday and twenty 188 00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:29,800 Speaker 3: four seven at the Australian dot com dot au. Thanks 189 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:32,079 Speaker 3: for joining us this week on the front. Our team 190 00:11:32,240 --> 00:11:35,080 Speaker 3: is Jasper Leek, who wrote our music and produced and 191 00:11:35,280 --> 00:11:39,520 Speaker 3: edited this episode, plus Kristin Amyot, Tiffany dimac Leat Sammaglu, 192 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:46,800 Speaker 3: Joshua Burton, Stephanie Coombs and me Claire Harvey.