Good times, good music, good memories

Entertainer Park Myung-soo, left, also known as “G-Park,” deejays at the Youth Festival at Seoul World Cup Stadium on May 10. / Courtesy of Micimpact

Let the music festivities begin

By Kwon Ji-youn

Day two of this year’s “Youth Festival” was set to begin at 11:30 a.m. on May 10 but lines at ticketing booths stretched out in front of Seoul World Cup Stadium’s North Gate as early as nine. At 11:30 sharp, festival-goers carrying armloads of mats and umbrellas entered the stadium that now resembled more a carnival arena than a football field, with game booths at the back and a makeshift stage up front.

The music festival season is upon us, with different events taking place almost every weekend over the summer months. An exhilarating fiesta awaits music fans, most of whom have spent a good portion of the winter locked up in offices or classrooms.

This will breathe new life into the spring/summer festival season, which last year was delivered a significant blow when casting wars and the ferry Sewol tragedy caused a series of cancellations.

Visitors to the Youth Festival take part in a “knock over the dining table” game.

Only two major rock festivals have been slated this season ― the “Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival,” set for August, and the “Ansan M Valley Rock Festival” in July. For now, it is unclear whether organizers will push ahead with the “Supersonic Rock Festival” this year.

Instead, a handful of indie music festivals will fill in the blanks. “Beautiful Mint Life” took place on May 2-3, and the Youth Festival took place on May 9-10. Many more are now in the works.

But rest assured, it won’t be the same experience over and over again ― each event will boast a different theme and lineup.

“We visited Beautiful Mint Life last week,” said Sun Ah-young, 29, a pharmacist, who swung by the Youth Festival on May 10 with friends. “My friends and I decided on two completely different festivals this summer, and they happened to be Beautiful Mint Life and Youth.”

Festival-goers blow bubbles at the Youth Festival.

Sun said it was the band Jang Gi-ha and the Faces that attracted her to the Youth Festival.

“I’m not an indie or rock enthusiast, and I personally think it has become less about the music and more about enjoying the festival experience,” said Sun Ah-young, 29, a pharmacist. “But I’m a big fan of Jang Gi-ha’s band, and it’s a great way to make the most of spring. It was an obvious choice.”

Less rock, more indie, EDM

The “Jisan World Rock Festival” took place just once in 2013, and then disappeared without a trace. The Supersonic Rock Festival last year was downsized because of financial troubles and it is unclear whether it will return this year. “Citybreak,” which drew crowds with incredible lineups over the last two years, will not take place this year.

Instead, EDM (electronic dance music), jazz and indie are all the rage.

Festival-goers cheer performances at the Youth Festival.

The “Ultra Music Festival," which attracted some 100,000 people last year, will return this year at Seoul Sports Complex in southern Seoul from June 12-13. DJs, including Hardwell, David Guetta, Alesso and Knife Party are set to make an appearance.

The “Seoul Jazz Festival” is set for May 23 through 25 at the Olympic Park in southern Seoul. It will feature an auteur-class lineup, including the likes of Gregory Porter, Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, Sergio Mendes, and Mika. Also set to appear are popular acts Basement Jaxx, Jeff Bernat and the Cardigans.

“Green Plugged," set for May 23-24, will bring the country’s most sought-after musicians to the stage for the sixth consecutive year. Under the slogan “music picnicking in the warmth of spring,” it will span all music genres, including rock, hip hop and indie, and visitors will be able to enjoy the music while lazing by the Han River.

Visitors cheer performances during the Ultra Music Festival 2014 at the Seoul Sports Complex in southern Seoul on June 13 and 14. / Courtesy of Ultra Korea

“Rainbow Island” meanwhile will feature Junggigo, Eddie Kim and the Kim Chang-wan Band, among others.

The organizers of the “Ansan M Valley Festival” announced on May 4 that this year’s headliner will be the Chemical Brothers; alternative rock band Foo Fighters and metal legends Motorhead are also set to appear. Seotaiji will headline the “Incheon Pentaport Festival”.

More than just music

In 2007, the Seoul Jazz Festival and the “World DJ Festival” kick-started the festival boom, but it wasn’t until 2010 that spring music fiestas like Beautiful Mint Life and “Green Plugged” began attracting audiences by the thousands. In 2011, Rainbow Island popped up and then in 2013 “Muse in City.”

Last week’s Youth Festival is the perfect example of a musical jamboree that comes with a side of something extra. “Today’s youth are sick and tired of hearing about employment, qualifications and income,” Youth Festival producer Yoon Myung-ho told The Korea Times. “We wanted to comfort these young people with great lectures, but we had to make sure these lectures were fun. So we planned a festival to go with it.”

Singer Hong Dae-kwang performs during the Beautiful Mint Life music festival at Olympic Park in southern Seoul on May 2. / Courtesy of Mintpaper

The Youth Festival brought together lectures, music, events and food. Here, visitors could snack on pizza while listening to entertainers Shin Dong-yeob, Kim Gu-ra and Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon speak about life, and then enjoy some indie music.

“You get sick of Garosu-gil and Gyeongnidan-gil after a while,” said Chung Sul-ah, 24, referring to two of Seoul’s most popular areas. “It’s a festival that everyone can enjoy. And it’s too nice out these days to be spending the day inside a cafe or restaurant.”

Chung stressed that it is better to enjoy festivals in spring than in summer.

“The festivals in summer are more about hardcore rock, and so it’s hard to fit in if you’re not a die-hard fan,” she said. “But spring festivals are more picnic-like, and anyone is welcome.”

Rainbow Island, set for to take place from June 20-21, and is a blend of musical performances and camping. A variety of events, including a free market and three-minute weddings are expected to attract women in particular.

Entertainer Hong Seok-cheon, right, pours a visitor a drink at the Youth Festival./ Courtesy of Micimpact

Where’s the jazz?

While most are delighted with the range of festivals this year, there are those who may end up boycotting all of them.

When the Seoul Jazz Festival lineup was announced on April 14, supporters complained that many of the events scheduled this spring and summer had become indiscernible.

“It was disappointing to hear hip-hop stars like Beenzino and Epik High would be making appearances,” said an aspiring musician who attended the Youth Festival.

One festival organizer said on condition of anonymity that a casting war was the cause of the festival depression last year.

“It is true organizers are trying to provide more than just music at festivals, but the music is, and always has been, the main dish,” he said. “If organizers start stealing each others’ thunder, then the festivals will lose value, and some may end up swallowing up the others.”

He advised, “There isn’t a right answer to this problem. More festivals mean more variance. But to differentiate, organizers will need to find something special to attract young people, who have become more demanding over the last few years about the music, events and the overall experience.”

He continued, “Organizers of the Seoul Jazz Festival may have needed hip-hop for promotional reasons. But they may lose more fans than they gain. To be honest, I would call it a marketing mishap.”

Organizers of the Seoul Jazz Festival were unavailable for comment.