Despite facing continuous accusation of producing fake rock music, the pop rock band Mayday still played their largest concert to date in front of a capacity 80,000 crowd at Shanghai Stadium on Saturday.

Fake rock or not, the five-piece band from Taiwan certainly has a lot of fans in Shanghai, mostly teenage girls and university students. Fans started lining up hours before the concert.

They occupied all the restaurants, shops and markets around the stadium.

As with all Mayday concerts, fans stood for the entire three-hour duration. Those in the VIP area were standing on the arms of their chairs in order to get a view of the performance.

Luckily, nobody fell or was injured.

"I'm just so happy to be here, although I don't know where to go and what to do after the concert," noted Linda Zhou, a university student who had traveled all the way from Wuhan, Hubei Province.

Like many others who flew to Shanghai just for the concert, Zhou planned to spend the night on the street and take a train home the next day. Zhou was one of the luckier ones, many who couldn't get tickets had to make do with listening to the show from outside the stadium.

The band performed all of their popular songs, covering topics from Chinese legends like the Monkey King to the girl next door.

While their early songs have a more vibrant edge with a greater variety of subjects, the more recent ones are increasingly emotional and love centric.

These were apparently the more popular judging by the audience accompaniment levels.

Saturday's Mayday concert attracted the biggest audience of any musical concert so far this year in Shanghai.

(上海日報 2007-10-25)

It's been a little cooler in town in recent days compared with last week because of the effect of Typhoon Pabuk as it heads toward Fujian Province. However, the multi-functional room on the ninth floor of Super Brand Mall in Pudong was totally heated up by the band May Day (Wu Yue Tian) from Taiwan and their young, passionate, and courageous fans.

Nobody expected the event to be so grand before entering the room. It was filled with more than 1,000 fans and lots more were waiting outside.

The night was just to announce Mayday as the new face for the male line-up of "Kobron," a local clothing brand targeting young men. A mini concert was supposed to follow the announcement but the one-hour "mini" ended up being a warm-up for the band's concert in Shanghai in October.

"I like them because they have very simple but good songs that just makes me happy to agree with them," said Angela Lu, a seventh grade fan waiting outside trying to find a ticket for the party inside. "And they are like their songs too, simple and innocent."

True, with all five members over 30, the band still manages to project an image of boyish innocence, with which many teenagers identify themselves. The contrast between the discreet wisdom about life and love in their lyrics and the naive appearance of the band on stage is probably why most of their fans are adolescent girls.

Unlike the image of many rock bands, the million-selling Mayday have never been seen smashing instruments on stage, drinking or doing drugs, getting angry with their fans or gambling.

Their songs, with common themes for youth of love, innocence, self-fulfilling loneliness and memories of childhood, attract many young people. Instead of presenting an angry face to those subjects, they sing happily and vividly, sometimes with a hint of slight melancholy.

"I've been to their concerts before - it has always been a great experience," says 16-year-old fan Ben Li. "They sing out the thoughts that have always been in my mind which I couldn't verbalize. So I identify with their songs right away."

"Love-ing," one of the most popular songs by the band, is a good example of their style. The melody is simple that everyone can follow and the lyrics simply illustrate what love and a lover mean to them - "water, air, vitamins" - a metaphor everyone can understand. On the other hand, they also had some rather encouraging and not-so-soft songs that sang about confidence and determination about oneself.

Officially founded in 1998, the five members - lead vocal and songwriter Ashin, guitarist Stone, guitarist Monster, bassist Masa and drummer Ming - had been singing together in pubs and lounges.

Their first songs were all in Minnan dialect, said to be much more emotional and touching compared with their mandarin songs. With the single "Peter and Mary," a song version of the story of "Romeo and Juliet" written by Ashin, the band shot to stardom in Taiwan. Soon, they also swept surrounding regions with their concerts, during which fans can be seen standing and hopping on chairs for the whole two hours and more.

In 2001, the band took a temporary break because three members were called up for military service. The other two members did collaborations with underground musicians while waiting for the reunion which happened in 2003.

"I like them even more after their reunion," said Li. "Their songs are softer but happier."

After the mini concert in Pudong, the band stayed for another couple hours to sign and sell the T-shirts for their upcoming concert in October.

(上海日報 2007/08/09 )

THE boys have become men, but eight years after their debut, the rockers from Taiwanese outfit Mayday are more popular here than ever before.

While other groups have succumbed to the short life span curse for rock bands, Mayday is still being hailed as 'Asia's Heavenly Band'.

From its album sales to concert box office and autograph sessions, the quintet has drawn no less than overwhelming response.

Like its vocalist Ashin, 32, said recently, Mayday has left its golden age, but it is now embracing its diamond era.

His bandmates are: Guitarists Monster, 31, and Stone, 31, bassist Masa, 30, and drummer Guan You, 34.

One would expect their popularity to dip after so many years in the music business, especially after both Stone and Guan You got married and started families.

Some members, like Ashin, have also embarked on solo activities. (See report, below.) But, surprisingly, Mayday's fan base has grown stronger in recent years.

Proof? Mayday's autograph session at IMM in Jurong last Friday evening drew some 6,000 fans - one of its biggest crowds to date.

Its new album, Born To Love, has shifted 20,000 copies within three months, despite the slump in the Chinese music industry, said its record label Rock Records Singapore.

This is almost triple the sales of its last album, Falling Angels With A Flying Soul. It sold 7,000 copies in late 2004.

Also, Mayday's upcoming Jump World Tour in June has sold 80 per cent of 7,000 tickets within three days.

This is twice the speed of ticket sales for its last concert here in December 2005, said Rock Record's managing director K H Ngiam.

'Obviously, Mayday's popularity has jumped quite a lot. Besides its loyal fans, it has also attracted new fans.'

On radio, the band achieved a new high when its new single, Angel, hogged the top spot on Radio 1003's weekly music chart for the past two weeks, despite facing strong competition from the likes of Elva Hsiao, Show Luo and Tank.

So, how did Mayday manage to outlive the limited shelf life trap feared by most bands?

Hong Kong rock legend Beyond, for one, lost its shine after losing its vocalist in 1993.

In Taiwan, Mayday's rock counterparts Shin and Backquarter have also quietly retreated into the shadows. Backquarter debuted in 1999 and Shin, in 2002.

But, industry sources agree that Mayday's healthy, down-to-earth image, never-ending music creativity and Ashin's insightful lyrics are key to its unwavering survival.

Radio 1003's music director Connie Woo said Mayday's biggest appeal is its members' unity and cohesiveness, not only in their stage performance but also their camaraderie.

'Their band spirit is very strong... When one of them jokes, the rest will join in to spice up the mood,' she said.

'They have a certain mo qi (chemistry, in Mandarin), that's why they can last so long.'

My Paper's entertainment journalist Cheryl Loh added that Mayday's earnest image also sets them apart from other angst-ridden, vulgarities-spewing rock acts.

Their brand of music is positive, varied and encourages fans to never give up and to chase their dreams.

Also instrumental in raising the band's profile in Asia is its decision to put out full Mandarin albums to cater to the China market, instead of its usual half-Mandarin-half-Hokkien works.

Ms Loh said: 'Ashin wrote so many good Hokkien songs, like Gong Lang (Fool), but our radio stations here cannot plug them, so the familiarity (with these songs) suffers.'

FIVE MOTORS RUNNING

Rock Record's Mr Ngiam added it also helps that all five members now compose music, instead of relying solely on Ashin like in the early days.

'It's not just one motor running but five, which is so much more powerful.'

Credit should also go to Rock Records for its aggressive efforts in marketing and promoting Mayday in recent years.

Mayday's last hit single, Love-ING, was the theme song for a SingTel 3G advertisement in late 2005.

Mr Ngiam claimed that it helped the band reach out to the English-speaking crowd here.

Even Mayday's own fans have noticed that the interest in their favourite rock band has grown significantly in the past few years.

Customer service officer Sardonna Yan, 22, said she can now discuss Mayday with some 15 friends, and they sing the band's songs together at karaoke sessions.

As for corporate communications officer Lim Bee Ling, 31, she will be going to Mayday's concert in June with five friends.

She became a convert after attending the band's concert in 2005.

'Seeing them perform live was amazing. The mood was so high and everyone stood up to dance.'

Both fans said they hope Mayday will stay as a group and not split up or go solo.

Ms Lim said: 'It's livelier to have more people and it won't be the same (without the rest).'

Ms Yan added: 'I hope they'll sing until they're old, and I'll support them until I'm old.'

Radio 1003's Ms Woo and My Paper's Ms Loh also agreed that Mayday should stay together, but there is no harm in each of the members pursuing solo activities.

Ms Loh said: 'It's a plus point if fans can see their other talent, but their biggest appeal is still the five of them on stage, performing live.'

Rock Record's Mr Ngiam predicts that Mayday can sustain its popularity for another three to five years.

'I don't deny that bands will eventually split, but Mayday has not reached its peak yet,' he said.

'The guys are only starting to embark on ``their journey. They've conquered China, and this year, they will focus on breaking into new markets like Japan and Korea.'

(新報 2007/03/22)

IT was an intoxicating night in more ways than one when singers Bobby Chen and Victor Wong took the stage with Taiwanese rockers Mayday.

For the 7,500-strong audience, ABC's three-hour True Friendship Music Concert on Wednesday night provided a heady brew of energy, excitement and great music.

As for the performers, it was a beery good night thanks to the antics of Taiwanese veteran singer Bobby Chen, 47 - known as the Bacchus (god of drink) of Chinese pop.

The Taiwanese veteran singer opened the show and got the crowd on its feet with hits like Kite and Don't Let Me Cry.

Later, he had the audience roaring with laughter when he took out two cans of stout from a cooler box on stage and said: 'Wong and Mayday are very good kids, so they have no need to drink so much. So one can for Wong, one can for all five members of Mayday, and the rest for me.'

Chen also partnered guest artiste, Taiwanese singer A-Von, for familiar tunes like One Night In Beijing and Summer.

Their energetic showmanship was a tough act to follow for Wong with his mid-tempo love ballads.

Still, fans sang along with the Malaysian balladeer as he performed songs from his new album Love Till Beyond Saving and radio-friendly hits from when he was one-half of duo Wu Yin Liang Pin.

Cheeky Chen popped up again, keeping the vibe bubbling along, by insisting the bespectacled singer down a can of stout.

However, it was Taiwan pop rock band Mayday who really took the cake on the night.

When the five-man group appeared, screams from fans were so loud that even banshees would admit defeat.

Vocalist Ashin quickly took charge with his powerful voice, belting out chart-toppers such as Sun Wukong and End Loneliness with drummer Guan You, bassist Masa and guitarists Monster and Rock.

Like something out of the National Day Parade, Ashin then led the crowd through a mass dance to the band's hit Romance-ING.

Things took a new twist when his bandmates, acting like college kids, ganged up to get the casual drinker to down a drink to celebrate his 31st birthday that very day.

Ashin really got into the spirit of things. He taunted scholarly-looking Guan You, who became a father in October, with: 'You will drink as much as you love your daughter.'

Guan You, usually a teetotaller, obliged, squirming as he poured a can of stout down his throat.

The climax came when the other performers returned on stage for the finale - with a gooey cake.

Chen somehow persuaded Ashin - along with Rock and Monster, whose birthdays are all around the same time - to dunk their faces into the cake.

(海峽時報 (新加坡) 2006/12/08)

YOU would think a baby changes everything, but for Taiwanese rock band Mayday, life is still a rock show.

Two weeks ago, the band's drummer Guan You had his first child, a baby girl.

Guitarist Stone's wife is also pregnant.

She is due to deliver in March.

In a teleconference from Taipei, band leader Monster told The New Paper that he only had praise for his bandmate's induction into fatherhood.

The 30-year-old guitarist said: 'We see what he is doing as something very brave. The responsibility (of fatherhood) is very big.'

Monster, however, was coy when asked if the other band members would soon start their own families.

'For the rest of us, we are like yin yue wan tong (music world's mischievious children),' he said.

Interestingly, none of the band's members has been chosen as godfathers for Guan You's baby.

Could this mean that Guan You doesn't see his friends as mature enough?

But Monster isn't feeling snubbed. Instead, he too was full of praise for Guan You in his new role as a dad.

He said: 'He is very happy now and his smile is bigger than usual these days.'

While some bands might have written a song for such a joyous event, Mayday has no plans yet for a little ditty for the baby.

'If we have an inspiration for a song, we may write it but it may not be anything specifically for her.'

To get a ticket to catch Mayday at the ABC True Friendship Music Concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 6 Dec, collect 28 ABC Extra Stout crowners or 56 ring tabs (with the Code AC6) and redeem them at the redemption booth at HDB Hub #03-14. The redemption period ends on 30 Nov or while stocks last.Hurley to marry in February

(新報 2006/10/31)

DRUMMER Guan You from Taiwanese band Mayday finally admitted that he is going to be a daddy by year-end.

The 33-year-old married his girlfriend Wang Hsing-chih on Sunday, the bride's baby bulge was so obvious that they couldn't keep it a secret anymore.

When he spoke to reporters at the banquet, he seemed pretty excited about fatherhood.

Guan You has been asking his wife not to look at him so much, lest the baby is a girl and might grow up to look like him.

He'll be taking over the singing of the lullabies from his wife as 'she is tone-deaf'.

He has also been playing soothing classical music in his car, and selected only softer ballads from his band's repertoire.

Guan You has big plans if the baby is a boy: 'I hope to have a son so that I can teach him to play the guitar.'

(新報 2006/06/30)