Ready to be jealous? Back in late March, Taiwan — a country that's endured just over 1,000 COVID-19 cases and a mere 12 recorded deaths since the pandemic began — hosted the return of their annual Megaport Festival. Local metal heroes Chthonic headlined the whole bonanza, and as a way to commemorate their country's restoration of large-scale live music events and give fans throughout the world a piece of the action, the band are releasing their set as a live album aptly titled, Chthonic Megaport 2021.
Today, we're premiering a live music video of their song "Set Fire to the Island," which is guaranteed to make you miss the thrill of the festival environment. It also happens to be a terrific performance by Chthonic, who are fronted by Megaport's founder Freddy Lim, a subcultural hero of sorts who's been an elected member of Taiwanese Parliament since 2016. Fans in the West might recognize him and his Chthonic bandmates from their action-comedy movie, Tshiong, which features a cameo from none other than Lamb of God's frontman Randy Blythe. However, after watching the above performance of "Set Fire to the Island" via YouTube, you'll likely remember Lim for ripping his shirt off while rocking out in front of a blazing inferno.
"I have always maintained [my fitness] in the past," Lim tells us. "But after entering politics, and especially [after] having a baby in 2017, I didn't have enough time to exercise, so I was a little out of shape. But my daughter went to kindergarten last year, so I had a little more time to work out. Last year, I promised the fans that if the Megaport Festival was held as scheduled, I will get my fit body back and take off my shirt in this show. So, I take off my shirt later in the song! Good to have my fit body back!"
Chthonic Megaport 2021 is due out in full on May 19th.
