來自菲律賓馬尼拉的夢幻流行樂隊Megumi Acorda，由主音及結他手Megumi Acorda為核心，目前以五人組合活躍。2018年發表首張EP《Unexpectedly》，其淒美而迷離的夢幻情歌，迅速吸引了全球樂迷的注意。2023年，他們推出了首張專輯《Silver Fairy》，蘊含了東南亞潮濕空氣中的微醺感，瞬間滋潤了我們的心靈。
這次受香港唱片店Desperate Infant Records的邀請，讓我有機會與Megumi Acorda進行電郵訪問，了解樂隊的創作概念和想法，也希望能讓大家在12月8日The End Is Beautiful Festival 2024舉行前，對樂隊有更多的認識。
Megumi Acorda :
Megumi Acorda – Vocals, Guitar
Evee Simon – Guitar, Vocals
Kevin Ingco – Guitar
Bijan Gorospe – Bass
Jerros Dolino – Drums
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訪問 / 編輯 : Bloody Mary
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Q. Listening to the songs of “Silver Fairy", we feel as if we‘re tipsy in the humid air. Could you share with us the creative concept behind this album?
Q. 聽著"Silver Fairy" 的歌曲，能感受到一種在潮濕空氣中微醺的感覺。可以與我們分享這張專輯的創作概念嗎？
“Silver Fairy" reflects on love through the bittersweet taste of grief. When I was writing the melody and lyrics, the songs already demanded that dreampop experience, nostalgic yet haunting, so that became the foundation of our sound. I wanted it to immediately feel sad but hopeful at first listen.
“Silver Fairy"透過苦樂參半的味道反思愛情。當我寫旋律和歌詞時，這些歌曲就已經需要那種夢幻流行的體驗，既懷舊又令人難忘，因此這成為我們音樂的基礎。我希望在第一次聆聽時就能立即感受到悲傷但又充滿希望的感覺。
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Q. Your lyrics explore themes of love, forgetting, and leaving. Where do you draw your inspiration for them?
Q. 你們的歌詞主要圍繞著愛情、遺忘及離開的主題，你們會從哪裡汲取靈感？
All the songs are descriptions of real life situations. I see songwriting as a form of introspection, helping me understand my reaction to these experiences.
所有歌曲都是現實生活情境的描述。我將創作歌曲視為一種內省形式，幫助我理解自己對這些經歷的反應。
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Q. How would you describe your songwriting process? Do you flesh out ideas through jamming or use another method?
Q. 可以分享你們的歌曲創作過程嗎？你們是透過即興演奏還是使用其他方法來創作？
The lyrics are mostly a self-reflection of significant memories, while the music is inspired by sections from pop songs that I’ve mentally bookmarked over time. By the time the demos reach my bandmates, drum and guitar parts are mostly final, and then they offer suggestions to enhance the songs.
歌詞主要是對重要記憶的自我反思，而音樂的靈感則來自於我長期以來在腦海中收藏的流行歌曲片段。當我的樂隊成員收到樣本歌曲時，鼓和結他部分大致已經完成，然後他們會提供一些建議來優化歌曲。
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Q. You recently toured in Japan. How did it feel to perform there? Are there any interesting things you can share with us?
Q. 你們最近到了日本作巡迴演出，在日本演出的感覺如何？有沒有一些有趣事情可以與我們分享？
Oh, it was definitely a memorable experience because it was our first tour as a band and our first time playing in Japan. We instantly fell in love with the music community there for so many reasons, but personally, it felt like I had finally found my people. Their songwriting style and arrangements are so similar to mine that, despite the language barrier, music became our common tongue. Watching Belinda May perform, in particular, was the first time I ever cried from hearing a beautiful song live. We even joked about finally being able to relate to what our listeners say about our music.
One thing that really surprised me was how the dreampop and shoegaze bands we played with didn’t use in-ear monitors as much as the bands in the Philippines. But when we stepped onstage, I understood why—they had better equipment than the venues here, and the live house interiors were clearly designed with bands in mind.
那絕對是個難忘的經驗，因為那是我們第一次以樂團的形式巡迴演出，也是我們第一次在日本表演。我們因為許多原因，瞬間愛上了那裡的音樂社群，但就我個人而言，感覺就像是我終於找到了我的同類。他們的創作風格和編曲與我非常相似，儘管有語言障礙，但音樂成了我們共同的語言。特別是看 Belinda May 的演出，那是我第一次因為聽到一首美妙的現場歌曲而流淚。我們甚至開玩笑說，終於能夠理解聽眾對我們音樂的感受了。
讓我感到驚訝的一件事是，與我們一起演出的夢幻流行和瞪鞋樂隊，並不像菲律賓的樂隊那樣使用入耳式監聽器。但是當我們走上舞台，我就明白為什麼了–他們的設備比演出場地更好，而且演出場地的的內部裝潢顯然是為樂隊而設計的。
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Q. We have noticed that many new Filipino bands and compilation albums have been released in recent years. What are your thoughts on the independent music scene in the Philippines during this time?
Q. 我們留意到近年有不少新晉的菲律賓樂隊及合輯發表。對於近年來菲律賓的獨立音樂生態，你們有沒有什麼看法？
From my experience, the indie community is exactly what you’d expect from Filipino artists: warm, supportive, and fun to be around.
根據我的經驗，菲律賓的獨立音樂社群和你所期望的一樣：熱情、支持和有趣。
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Q. What bands artists have influenced you the most?
Q. 有沒有一些樂隊對你們的音樂創作路上產生影響？
While I would consider many artists as influences, our band’s sound and my songwriting in the past couple years were heavily influenced by The Radio Dept, Yuck, and Richard Hawley.
雖然我認為許多樂隊都對我產生影響，但過去幾年我們樂團的聲音和我的歌曲創作都深受 The Radio Dept、Yuck 和 Richard Hawley 的影響。
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Q. Could you share some albums you’ve been listening to recently?
Q. 可以跟我們分享一些最近聆聽的音樂作品嗎？
From my listening history, the most recent ones are “Riot on an Empty Street" by Kings of Convenience and “Lingering Gloaming" by Yonlapa.
從我的聆聽記錄來看，最近聆聽的是 Kings of Convenience 的 “Riot on an Empty Street " 和 Yonlapa 的 “Lingering Gloaming “。
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Q. In terms of music creation, do you have any direction or goals in the future?
Q. 在音樂創作方面，你們未來有什麼方向或目標嗎？
Not really. I don’t think of music or songwriting as work, so I don’t set specific goals. But if there’s something I suddenly want to express through songwriting, or if I want to try a different approach to music production, I’ll make a note of it and pursue it only if it starts to feel like an itch I need to scratch.
我不把音樂或創作歌曲視為工作，所以我不會設定具體的目標。但如果我突然有什麼東西想要透過創作歌曲表達出來，或是我想要嘗試不同的音樂製作方式，我就會把它記下來，只有當它開始讓我覺得是我需要抓的癢處時，我才會去追求它。
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Q. You‘ll be performing in Hong Kong soon. What are your thoughts on the city?
Q. 你們很快會來香港演出了，你們對香港這個城市有什麼想像？
Since I’ve never been to Hong Kong, the only insight I have into the city comes from friends who’ve been and a few movies I’ve watched. I’m really looking forward to meeting people from the music scene, and of course, trying the food!
由於我從未到過香港，我對這個城市唯一的認識，是來自到過香港的朋友和看過的幾部電影。我非常期待能夠認識這裡音樂圈的人，當然，也很想品嚐這裡的美食！
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《The End is Beautiful Fest 2024》
繼承去年TEIB宗旨，將亞洲地區最佳地下樂隊文化帶來香港，今年度2024年將菲律賓當地最火熱單位到港演出！
令人熱血沸騰的Emogaze網紅樂隊bird.、激情催淚Emo Punk代表Irrevocable、甜蜜感滿載的Shoegaze大團Megumi Acorda，並且加上最能代表香港的本土Post Hardcore樂隊The Priceless Boat！
必定能讓你情緒大釋放的晚上，就在12月8日，The End Is Beautiful 2024！
Full Lineup:
* bird. (PH, Emogaze)
* Irrevocable (PH, Emo Punk)
* Megumi Acorda (PH, Shoegaze)
* The Priceless Boat (HK, Post Hardcore)
Event Details:
* Date: December 8th, 2024
* Location: The Wanch, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
* Time: 7:00 PM
* Price: $400HKD (Adv), $500HKD (Door)
* Ticketing: https://www.ticketflap.com/teib2024
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Bloody Mary 