Billed as the first large-scale outdoor festival featuring Chinese-language indie music in Malaysia, the inaugural Tian Kong Music Festival (天空音樂節) attracted over 1,000 indie music lovers who flocked to Malaysia's Ladang Blue Valley on July 28 and 29.
Organized by Malaysian indie record company Eargasm (耳福音樂) in cooperation with Taiwan's Ministry of Culture and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia, the festival espoused one core value ─ "to be wonderful (蘊含美好人事物)" ─ and invited many illustrious Malaysian and foreign singers and bands, including a Taiwanese indie band, No Party For Cao Dong (草東沒有派對), and 3 Taiwanese singer-songwriters, HUSH (陳家偉), Waa Wei (魏如萱), and Hsieh Ming-yu (謝銘祐).
Apart from 10 groups of marvelous singing performances from 12 at noon to 11 at night, 30 food stalls from all over Malaysia and a bazaar consisting of 47 indie handmade brands were at service. Festival-goers could receive massages, get tattooed, enjoy a barber's styling on the grass, or attend an exhibition on handmade dolls.
The joining of Taiwan's indie music artists brightened the festival and proved that music is truly borderless. The Tian Kong Music Festival was not exclusive for music lovers; people who desired to savor snacks or appreciate handmade works of art were also welcomed. With so many functions, this festival is poised to become Malaysia's very own brand of indie music fest.