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| Rock ‘N' Roll Radio is a four-member Korean indie band. / Courtesy of Rock ‘N' Roll Radio |
By John Redmond
Popular Korean indie band "Rock ‘N' Roll Radio" is touring France to promote their new release "Shut Up and Dance."
The award-winning quartet formed in Seoul in 2011 and quickly began attracting attention with expat audiences with their brand of dance-rock.
By 2012, the group was already earning invites to large-scale outdoor festivals like the Ssamzie Sound Festival and the Korea Live Music Festival.
Summer and fall of 2013 saw Rock ‘N' Roll Radio gracing the stages at more Korean festivals including the Green Plugged Festival, Jisan World Rock Festival, and Grand Mint Festival.
Released in October 2013, "Shut Up and Dance" was received well by Korean music fans and critics alike, offering 14 tracks with an up-tempo blend of rock, post-punk, and pop.
The album helped Rock ‘N' Radio Radio take top place at the "Hello Rookie" finals in December 2013. The competition highlights Korea's most up-and-coming bands.
The Korea Times spoke with the band's guitarist and vocalist Kim Nae-hyun before the group left for France.
Q: Are you excited Rock ‘N' Roll Radio will tour in France?
A: This will be our first time performing in Europe, and we're really grateful for the opportunity. We're also excited about experiencing France's culture and music scene.
And we're really excited about meeting beautiful French women! We're going to play as part of the "K-Pop Night Out" showcase on June 6 at the Midem Festival in Cannes, and then do club shows at Thunderbird Lounge in Saint-Etienne on June 11 and at Le Buzz in Paris on June 15.
We think this tour is going to be a lot of fun! And while we're in France we're also going to record a new EP in Paris too.
Q: What can audiences in France expect from your concerts there?
A: They can expect to dance! The combination of our energetic rhythms and chorus lines will make for good time that will definitely have the French grooving along.
Q: What are your plans for the summer and fall?
A: In July, we'll play at the Ansan M Valley Rock Festival and hope to do some shows in other parts of Asia. In late summer or early fall we'll release our new EP, and then in September we're planning to do a nationwide tour of Korea.
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