FINDING THE SCENE 7 7 more great live music venues in Seoul

Singaporean Punk band Iman's League performs for IT'S A FEST! at Baby Doll in western Seoul, June 15, 2024. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

By Jon Dunbar

• Published Jul 7, 2025 4:10 AM KST

When I listed the top 10 live music venues in Seoul last year, I warned that the fast turnover rate would likely make the list outdated very quickly. Amazingly, only one of those venues has since closed down. Over the past year, we've seen more venues open, and a few others rise in importance enough that they deserve mention. Here's a new list of more venues you should know about if you're looking for live shows.

7. Subriot

The Studio HBC closed at the end of last year, and the space was bought by the owner of nearby indie bar Pet Sounds and jazz venue Boogie Woogie. It was supposed to open in mid-February, but delays pushed the opening show to March 22. Follow @subriot_hbc on Instagram for more information.

6. Binary Studios

This venue is primarily a recording studio and practice space, but occasionally also hosts shows, with the audience usually capped at 50. It's a pretty small space, so even half of that makes the place seem full. It's run by Jeff Moses, frontman of melodic punk band ...Whatever That Means and co-owner with his wife Trash of punk label World Domination, Inc. Bands perform in the actual studio, and outside of that there's a waiting area with a TV and video games, along with a control room with recording equipment. They also sell albums recorded there. It's a much different experience from regular venues. There's no bar, so anyone who wants to drink has to bring their own. Follow @binarystudioskorea on Instagram for more information.

5. Skunk Itaewon

Skunk is one of those names that are central to the history of punk in Korea. With the opening of Skunk on the Sunset in Itaewon last October, Skunk has opened in five locations across Seoul over about 25 years — the previous ones being in Nogosan-dong, Sangsu-dong, Mullae-dong and Sindang-dong. The new spot is a bar specializing in cocktails served in bags. It's in a convenient location right off an alley, for the first time not in a dingy basement hidden away from the public. It does host live music, and has avoided noise complaints by using digital drums rather than the real thing. Follow @skunk_itaewon on Instagram for more information.

4. Senggi Studio

This venue has been around since March 2018, and while I knew about it when I listed venues last year, it didn't make the cut. I'd only been there once, and its name didn't come up in conversations often. But for the last several months, I've certainly been hearing a lot more about it, and it's hosted some great shows. Unlike most venues in Seoul, it's up at the top of a smallish building, with the venue space on the fifth floor and a rooftop bar. Follow @senggistudio on Instagram for more information.

3. Yogiga

It's now been over 20 years since the first Yogiga opened, offering a platform for experimental and avant-garde musicians with no hangups about borders or ethnicities. The venue has bounced around to many spaces, having had locations in Seogyo-dong, Hapjeong-dong, Mangwon-dong, Yeonnam-dong and Donggyo-dong. For a brief time recently, it even operated south of the river. But now it's back in the Hongdae area, located along Wausan-ro just a couple of doors down from Senggi Studio. Yogiga had an official "Re-Re-Re-Re-Start" party in its new location on April 6. Follow @yogigahanjoo on Instagram for more information.

2. Morene Sukha

Where do you put a live music venue so that it doesn't get barraged with noise complaints? One of the more interesting solutions in Seoul has been traditional markets, which usually close up shop before evening. Morene Sukha opened its doors early in the pandemic in western Seoul's Morene Market, a traditional market that has been losing vitality after massive redevelopment in the area. This venue originally focused on livestreaming performances, but came out of the pandemic well. The interior has a lot of character, and it's larger than all the preceding venues on this list. Follow @morene__sukha on Instagram for more information.

1. Baby Doll

This venue opened in western Seoul's Sinchon last year, a little after my first list was published. One of the first events it hosted, if not the first, was IT'S A FEST!, which was forced out of its original beachside venue last year. Baby Doll is noticeably larger than most other venues while also not quite as spacious as medium-sized venues like Rolling Hall. This is mainly a punk venue, specializing in garage, hardcore and anything else extreme and loud. Don't let the name fool you — according to an interview in Visla Magazine, it's named in honor of the owner's late former bandmate Pyong-an, whose catchphrase was "Hey baby doll, what's going on?" Follow @babydoll_seoul on Instagram for more information.