This Taiwanese indie rock band issued its first public statement since drummers Fan Fan and Fan Tsai were reported to have died on October 30
Since their drummer Cai Yifan (also known as Fan Fan and Fan Cai) was reported dead last month, no party has issued their first public statement to Cao Dong.
On October 30, Taiwanese media reported that Cai was found dead in an isolated hotel in Taipei. The 26-year-old musician returned from China and checked into the hotel on Monday, October 25. He did not answer the staff's call on Saturday.
NME tried to contact No Party For Cao Dong for comments, but learned that the band did not speak to the media at the time.
Yesterday (November 25), the band broke the silence with a statement on Facebook. In the message, they recounted their grief and thanked the fans for their support.
"We can't seem to learn how to say goodbye correctly. These quiet days feel more tormenting than the usual busy days," they wrote in Mandarin. "Until today, we are still working hard to deal with our turbulent emotions about the event, which are difficult to express in words.
"Human beings have many complicated emotions to bear, but the beautiful ones are the memories rooted in love, and the journey of all things is always full of love.
"Wake up from a dream, sometimes laugh, sometimes cry. We don't know how long it will take to get used to these feelings, but we may need more time."
The band then appeared and spoke directly to Fan Fan. "From the bottom of my heart, we will not forget all the good times we spent together. Those are the best. Thank you for being in our lives."
Caodong No Party posted on Thursday, November 25, 2021
No Party For Cao Dong also announced that after “honest reflection and discussion”, they decided to cancel the concert "We Are All Born for Mother" 6.0 held at the Taipei Arena, which was removed from the concert due to the coronavirus pandemic. Postponed in May.
The band apologized for canceling the concert and thanked the fans for their long-term care and support. "May love be with you and those you love. Cherish everything they give you," they concluded.
According to Taiwan News, the police launched an investigation into Cai's death, but according to reports, the police ruled out the possibility of homicide because they found no signs of forced entry or trauma.
In 2019, Cao Dong played rock music in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, without a party. Photo Credit: Mauricio Santana/Getty Images
Cao Dongwudang was composed of lead singer Du Wu, bassist Xuanshi and drummer Liu Li in 2012, and was eventually replaced by Cai. Guitarist Zhu Zhu also joined them.
The band broke into Taiwan's independent music scene with a self-released EP in 2015, but it was their 2016 debut album "The Servile" that won them critical acclaim. The album was nominated for Best Album and Best Rock Album at the 7th Golden Independent Music Awards, and nominated for Album of the Year at the 28th Golden Melody Awards.
The single "Blowing Gale" won the Golden Independent Music Award for Best Rock Single Award and the Golden Melody Award for Song of the Year. The band also brought home the best band and best newcomer/newcomer gongs at two ceremonies.
The band has toured "The Servile" in Taiwan and around the world for most of the period from 2016 to 2019. In 2019, they participated in multiple music festivals, including SXSW, Glastonbury and Rock In Rio.
That year, Cao Dong's party also created and recorded the theme song for the horror video game Devotion of Taiwanese developer Red Candle Games. In 2020, the song "As usual" will be released.
Translation assistance from Jovi Ho and JX Soo
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