Punk bands foray into burgeoning hipster enclave

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Wed, December 6, 2023 | 14:46

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Punk bands foray into burgeoning hipster enclave

Posted : 2022-02-22 18:49

Updated : 2022-02-22 18:49

The members of 18Fevers / Courtesy of Jenikah Joy

By Jon Dunbar

After almost three decades, Korea's punk scene remains inextricably linked with the area near Hongik University, known as Hongdae ― but that's despite many attempts to escape and disperse or relocate scene activities.

"Hongdae is going through a personality crisis and has been for a while," Mathew Nolan, guitarist of the punk band 18Fevers, told The Korea Times. "The pandemic just made it worse."

His band is attempting to break free from Hongdae's orbit this Saturday, heading to eastern Seoul's Seongsu-dong (no, not Sangsu-dong) for a show.

"Seongsu has the reputation of being a hot place with tons of hipster culture like cafes, art galleries, graffiti," Nolan said. "Apparently it's called the Brooklyn of Seoul ― that could be debatable. But it lacks aggressive and energetic live music."

To fix that problem, he's organizing a show, titled "Punk City: Seongsu," at the new venue Club Music Space.

"I haven't been in Korea that long and really haven't done much in the scene until recently but even so I remember a time where there were some venues outside of Hongdae. They never seemed to last but it was cool to not have everything so centralized and I think that could still be possible," Nolan said.

"Punk is supposed to be infiltrative and get in people's faces to let them know it's here and it has something to say. When I was a kid we would have shows anywhere we could: Elks lodges, YMCAs, community centers, backyards, you name it. In high school we drove three hours to a small town to play a show at a venue we only knew as The Laundromat. It was literally a laundromat. People were diving off of the machines while we played. Why not Seongsu?"

He mentioned that he needed some convincing, after the venue owners reached out to him a few months ago about putting on a show there.

"At first I thought it was a crazy idea," he said. "Who is going to see a punk show in Seongsu? It probably is a crazy idea but they were really cool and the space looks like a Hongdae venue with good equipment and a nice setup."

Nolan stressed that he tried to keep the price low to make the show accessible.

"Nowadays you have shows with three or four local bands from 25,000 to 35,000 won and I understand things are weird and difficult now but I'm really worried this is the new normal and once we're out of this mess it'll stay that way," he said. "Punk rock is a hard sell for people that don't know much about it and it's even harder here in Korea where most people don't know underground music like it exists. If you're charging 30,000 won for a few bands then you aren't attracting new fans that may be curious."

Tickets cost 15,000 won for five bands, which comes to 3,000 won per band. The punk bands include Sweet Gasoline, Punk on Fire, Vanmal and the hardcore band Get to the Point. His own band, 18Fevers, was formed last year, a ragtag bunch of foreign guys and Korean women who all wear too much eye makeup and get along like a house on fire.

"I wanted kind of a mixed lineup with different styles represented like when I was a kid," Nolan said. "Really I just tried to think of bands I want to see and hang out with. When all your friends are musicians and you're a musician it's hard to see them play sometimes unless you play together."

Tickets are limited to 50 people, and all COVID-19 requirements will be followed at the show. Doors open at 5 p.m. Visit fb.com/18fevers for more information or 18fevers.bandcamp.com to listen, or go to tinyurl.com/punkcityseongsu to RSVP for the show.

jdunbar@koreatimes.co.kr