Korean Punk

This is just a short post, and again features fairly little about what I'm up to, as it's largely the same thing as it was last time I posted, and will be for the next 16 months or so. It might however be of some interest to some people.

It's not often that I get to dip my head under the surface of Korean mainstream culture. I'm making this comment with a degree of ignorance, but there doesn't seem to be the same depth of alternative and sub-cultures as there is in the UK; at the very least they don't have the same pervasive influence on the mainstream as indie and rock culture. Still, such cultures do exist, and when I got sent an advert for a show about a fictional North Korean punk hero it seemed like it was worth going to take a look.

Flyer

The gig was part of an exhibition which imagined "What if there was a punk rock club in Pyongyang?" and tracked the possible rise and fall of its hero, Rhee Sung Woong. It featured four bands, but sadly I only got to see three of them.

I walked in to hear the sounds of a guitar, drums and Korean traditional percussion being mangled underneath a wall of shrieking. Almost exactly what I wanted to hear actually - but a little surprising to actually discover. Not knowing all that much about punk I can't really tell you who they sound like, or even if they do sound like anyone else. They certainly didn't look like anyone else I've ever seen, as peering over the heads of the crowd I could dimly ascertain what seemed to be two haystacks with instruments playing in a tent. Fortunately, someone with a better camera than I was at the gig - check out daehanmindecline's excellent photos of all of the bands.  It just leaves me to show you what Mookiemookiemanmansu, for that is their name, sound like:

Next up were Pavlov, who I thought were just a bit too needy for my tastes, but I think that the gaggles of young girls at the front may have been more the target audience. A word of advice to the singer though - if you're not Steven Tyler you shouldn't really be taking your shirt off, and it might be better to leave the crotch dampening to said gaggles:

And the final band that I got to see were probably my favourite of the evening. Named Paryumchiakdan, they had a Western indie-ish sound that was still firmly rooted in Korean traditional music, especially Trot. They also looked like a proper indie outfit - floppy haired keyboard player with excellent economy of movement, moody girl on bass and a drummer convinced he was the coolest man in the room. The singer was the real star though, with a great voice and awesome presence. I'd actually make an effort to see these guys again:

After that I left, partly because I didn't realize that the final band hadn't played yet, and partly because the poncy pizza restaurant my language exchange partner (who had dutifully accompanied me) wanted to go to was closing. Perhaps not my punkest exit ever, but never mind. I'll leave you with a parting gift, a video of some real North Korean musical footage that was being played at the exhibition.:

I'll keep you up to date with any further musical adventures soon.

Until then,

A