334. Mayday Life; movie review

MAYDAY LIFE
Cert TBA
120 mins
BBFC advice: TBA

Who knew? There is a Taiwanese band called Mayday who are have been absolutely huge for 20 years.
Well, it seems most people in Asia knew because their concerts are sell-outs - indeed, they managed ten consecutive dates in Hong Kong on their Life Tour.
The latter is the focus of Muh Chen's film which, I have to report, is one of the most impressive concert movies I have seen.
My only reservation is what I presume is the literal subtitling of the band's songs. It renders most of them senseless.
The notable exception is the one about an old fella looking back on the love of his life. It is so brilliantly conveyed that the audience are in tears!
Actually, the songs, tuneful as they all are, are just a part of a Mayday concert.
Fortunately, the subtitles are far more readable for the many extravagant short films, most on the theme of Mayday saving the world, which punctuate the event.
And then there is the audience interaction for which the band are apparently famous. The dialogue is so deep that, once more, tears flow.
Ashin, the band's lead singer has clearly developed an empathy with Mayday's devoted fans and they hang on every well-aimed word.
His dialogue is so deep that, once more, tears flow.
I have seen many concerts over the years and was at Glastonbury, the daddy of them all, this summer but Mayday seem to have developed the zenith in one-off stadium gigs - honed after 20 years on top of their game.
I have not been to a Take That concert but it had that vibe with a band as opposed to just singers (yes, I know Gary can play piano).
Mayday Life has opened my eyes.

Reasons to watch: Stunning stage show
Reasons to avoid: Bizarre translations

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? While military conscription is compulsory for every Taiwanese man between the age of 19 and 36, three of Mayday’s members have avoided the draft. Ashin, Monster and Stone were all exempted from enlistment, because of flat feet, the blood disorder thalassemias and congenital heart arrhythmia, respectively.

Final word. Ashin: "Each concert lasts nearly three hours, and one of their most interesting characteristics is that the five of us love speaking on stage, making jokes and trash-talking to each other. We wanted these scenes to appear in the movie, which made the editing a major project in itself." China Daily

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