Audio feasts

During the upcoming May Day holiday, two Chinese cities－Beijing and Shanghai－will hold Strawberry Music Festival over April 29-May 1. Chen Nan reports.

China's live music scene has become a mass of outdoor music festivals. The last decade has seen a growing number of outdoor music festivals, which draw hundreds of thousands of fans and artists from home and abroad.

During the upcoming May Day holiday, two Chinese cities－Beijing and Shanghai－will hold Strawberry Music Festival over April 29-May 1, and the two events are expected to attract a total of more than 100,000 fans.

According to Modern Sky, one of the largest indie music labels in the country and the organizer of the festivals, more than 200 musicians representing a variety of music styles－pop, rock, folk and electronic－will perform on a total of 12 stages at the three-day festivals in Beijing and Shanghai.

UK indie rock band Alt-J, which won the British Mercury Prize for its debut album An Awesome Wave in 2012, will perform in Shanghai on April 29 and in Beijing on May 1, while Japanese music group, Wednesday Campanella, also known as Suiyobi no Campanella in Japan, will perform in Shanghai on April 29 and in Beijing on May 1.

On April 30, Taiwan pop icon Tsai Chin will make her debut at the Beijing event.

The 60-year-old Tsai started out by winning a singing competition at 19 and has released about 60 albums in her four-decade career.

Speaking about her upcoming performance, Tsai says: "I am performing at the festival not only to sing, but also to meet young people."