The four members of Modern Cinema Master leaned in, waiting for me to answer. I took a second to think before responding, “Toby’s Estate has good coffee.” They nodded to each other before shyly replying, “Thank you”. 

I had just finished my interview with Taiwanese punk/noise band, Modern Cinema Master, for SXSW Sydney. During our chat, I was surprised by their reserved, quiet demeanours. Up to then, I’d only heard their frantic brand of alt-rock through official audio videos uploaded to their YouTube channel. Wrapping up, I went over to their manager to let her know I was coming to their ‘Taiwan Now’ showcase later that evening. With a cheeky smile, she told me to “have fun,” as if she knew what I was in for.

Fast-forward to later that evening, and any semblance of the bashful guys I had spoken with earlier was long gone. Lead singer Huang Yuan Mao stepped up to the microphone and shouted the opening lyrics as if he were addressing a raucous crowd at a protest. With the machine gun chatter of a snare drum, the band launched into their set. They powered through their songs, playing with a ferocious intensity and laser focus. At one point, lead guitarist Tian Qi Jia seemed to enter a trance, his body shaking as his fingers danced up and down the neck of his guitar. It was easy to see how they had garnered such a cult following in the Taiwanese music scene, as well as nominations from the Golden Melody Awards and the Golden Indie Music Awards. As their set drew to a close, Huang wiped the sweat from his forehead and curtly thanked us for coming out. In just under 8 hours, I got the complete Modern Cinema Master experience.

Is this your first time in Sydney? 

(Huang Yuan Mao) It’s not my first time being here. I actually came during my senior year of high school. 

Did you come on a holiday?

(Huang Yuan Mao) I travelled around Australia for four months.

Oh, really?

(Huang Yuan Mao) I came with my two best friends. 

Is it different from how you remember it? 

(Huang Yuan Mao) We just landed (laughs), so I’m not sure. 

I want to know where did the name for the band come from?

It came from a poster. One day, we went to a bookstore and saw a poster where the title translated to ‘Modern Cinema Master’ in English. 

It’s cool.

Yeah, we like it.

Back in 2015, you (Huang Yuan Mao) came back to Taiwan after studying abroad. Were you inspired to start the band from your time overseas? 

(Huang Yuan Mao) I started playing in a band when I was in college. Actually, I was playing in three bands. I played guitar and drums. At that time I also started writing songs. I think when I finished college and went back to Taipei, I suddenly realised I needed to start a band. So, I just did it. 

Did you all meet during college? 

We met online.

Online?

We all responded to a post in an online forum. 

I was reading the band’s biography, and it mentions that the Arctic Monkey’s were a huge inspiration of yours. 

Yeah!

Coincidentally, I just listened again to their first record. 

The first album. So good.

For sure. I also read that you love Radiohead. 

Yeah. 

I was wondering what were some of the other bands that inspired you, both locally and internationally?

Punk music has always inspired us a lot. Also, bands like Joy Division and New Order. They’re very cool.

Do you like the Velvet Underground and Lou Reed?

We actually haven’t listened to a lot of Lou Reed. He has too many songs (laughs). 

I read that the Taiwanese band Touming Magazine was a huge inspiration for you guys. Can you talk about them and the Taiwan alt-rock scene in general?

Touming Magazine is the reason we started a band. They’re kind of like our idols. They have a huge name in the Taiwanese punk scene. They combine so many different styles into their sound, like American and Japanese punk, post hardcore. You can hear Taiwan’s culture in their music. 

What’s the punk scene like in Taiwan at the moment?

The scene’s getting bigger. I think it’s in trend at the moment. It feels like younger people are starting punk bands. 

Do you guys also like hardcore music too?

Mainly punk music. Hardcore?

Do you know the Australian band Speed?

Are they really big in Australia?

They’re supporting Turnstile in America at the moment. 

Turnstile, really? Oh, that’s cool.

On a tangent, a lot of people have criticised Turnstile’s last two albums for not being “authentic hardcore”. Does that idea matter to you at all? 

It doesn’t. It’s just self-expression. They still play the old songs. When they make new songs, it makes sense that it’s not just metal or hardcore music anymore. So, yeah, it doesn’t matter.

Actually, this works into my next question. Recently, you won best new artist at the Golden Melody Awards. You’ve gotten industry recognition and grown a substantial following. What does it mean to stay authentic as a band?

It means keeping the music simple. We think that everything is simple. Some people think that authenticity is about being true. But for us, it’s not about being true or false. It’s about expressing yourself fully. The journey then becomes about being able to express yourself better and better. 

Do you think about these types of things when you go into the studio? 

We always begin by jamming together. When we jam, we can feel each other’s emotions. We don’t take turns playing chords or anything. It’s more like we’ll play something and respond to each other. We’ll record these jams and then come up with the lyrics and meaning of the songs. 

It sounds like this process requires a lot of trust. Have you guys always had that?

We’re still building trust (laughs).

Do you think it’s hard to be a band in the age of social media?

It’s not really important. There are so many artists making music quicker and quicker. If audiences want to, they can listen to their music. For us, being patient is most important. The bands that inspire us, like Radiohead, have released many albums. On their third or fourth albums, people questioned what the albums were about and why they made them. In the end, time proved them right. If you’re a really good artist, whether in the past or in the digital age, you’ll always be good. 

As one last question for you, what do you think of Taiwan’s independent music scene? 

When you went to the showcase last year, did you think it was popular? 

I think it’s on the way up.

We think so too. I think more and more independent music is getting into the mainstream. Independent acts are winning awards and getting more popular. It feels very natural. However, with all the new technologies, we’re concerned about the fact that anyone can sound like a professional musician. It can create a challenge for the audience and artists. Music is becoming too common, we’re listening to it too fast. People might forget artists and songs quicker.

Special thanks to Modern Cinema Master, Thinking Loud and SXSW Sydney for making this happen. All photo courtesy of Roger Lin, NPCC.