Punk Band NOFX Blitzes Sympathetic Crowd
By Slater Knowles
Contributing Writer
Last week, the devoted turned out, along with the has-beens, the posers and the tag-alongs, to witness a performance by one of the most prolific punk rock bands ever to take the stage in Korea. A near capacity crowd at the Rolling Hall in Hong Dae moshed and mangled to the dysphonic blitzkrieg of power chords and two-tone skank rags endemic to the legendary band, NOFX.
In a country where tradition is valued so highly, these antediluvian patriarchs lived up to their subversive reputation, taking wide open shots at anything in sight, namely: religious beliefs, racial inconsistencies and the American military presence here in Korea, as well as elsewhere in the world. Controversial and progressive though they were, they found little opposition from the sympathetic crowd.
Despite the band’s admission of having ``Seoul Doubt,’’ a cleverly phrased pun of their song title ``Soul Doubt,’’ meant to be an expression of the economic risks the band took by performing in Korea, both the Korean punk scene and the ex-pat contingency showed up in convincing numbers to hear the lead singer, Fat Mike, wail out the lyrics to the afore mentioned, and a slew of other, classic songs.
A blast from the past to some, NOFX playing Korea was, to most fans here, a dream come true. The band’s presence was a reminder that the Western rock scene is live and well _ and as cynical as ever.
The concert itself was an oasis in this culturally conservative desert. With no regard for professionalism, the members of NOFX _ Fat Mike, Eric Sandin, Eric Melvin and El Hefe _ brought a refreshingly careless attitude to the stage, drinking, joking and being, well….. punks. At one point the band lost their flow and stopped abrubtly mid-song, with the two lead singers then exchanging jibes over who was responsible for the mix-up.
In a dry venue, void of any alcohol, the band passed out bottles of Soju to the thirsting crowd. More importantly, the band delivered some explicitly poignant criticisms of our modern world; and like the rice derived liquor, the crowd gulped down every last drop.
That is the beauty of punk rock _ the ability to deliver razor-sharp criticism, while remaining a laugh or two distant from the actual issue. With their newest album, entitled ``Wolves in Wolves Clothing,’’ NOFX has taken a decidedly political stance, while on stage still retaining an attitude of drug-induced oblivion.
Korea was just one stop on an exhausting tour of Asia. Towards the end of the hour and a half long set, NOFX said they were tired, and would conclude the show after a few more songs. Though it is disappointing for this fan to imagine the group admitting fatigue, there’s no doubt they rocked the Rolling Hall and disrupted, for a moment, the morning calm.