Original Nuno's

By Courtney Donovan Smith Translated by Ann Lee

Lovers of live, original music and the hot, sweaty experience of human creativity channelled through instruments and blasted through loud speakers really have only two dedicated homes here in Taichung. Downtown, Grooveyard dishes up a wide range of bands both local and foreign, and across many styles. The other home is Nuno's in the Tunghai Bieshu area, with less foreigners but more local talent, especially in the rock and punk genres.

Great acts from all around the island come to play Nuno's, including all the well-known alternative acts. On my first visit I caught two well-known Taipei acts, the playful and talented Freckles and up-and-coming punk powerhouse B.B. Bomb. The NT$150 cover charge (includes one beer) was well worth it.

The crowd at Nuno's is largely students and friends and fans of the bands. The youth of the crowd makes drinking at Nuno's a great deal--the prices are closer to tea house than pub standards. Taiwan Beer sets punters back a paltry NT$50 and most other drinks run NT$100 to NT$150 for large beers, imported beers and cocktails.
The decor is exactly what I had expected--a classic underground music venue with a dark basement with plenty of soundproofing, a smallish stage, a DJ booth, album covers on the walls and a small bar area.

Owner Nuno is also the man behind Gamaa Music, producer of CDs by bands like ciacia, LTK, and Children Sucker. Upstairs from Nuno's Live House is a combo shoe store and record store featuring Gamaa's collection. Curiously, while most record stores don't carry Gamaa's music, Eslite Bookstores do.

Not many know the scene as well as Nuno, so I asked him about the state of Taiwan's music scene. Encouragingly, he stated that Taichung's scene is improving, but the bad news is that in general he feels the overall Taiwan scene is losing its local flavour and too many songs are now written in English.
If you have any interest in music, Nuno's is a must-visit. If not, come for the cheap beer!