By Kim Young-jin
Staff reporter
Expats and locals flocked Saturday to the eclectic neighborhood of Haebangchon, Seoul for its biannual music festival, where a wide range of performances and summer-like weather were enjoyed by all.
This spring's Haebangchon Music Festival (HBCFest) brought out an estimated 1,000 people, who packed into popular hangouts to catch a diverse lineup of over 50 musical acts.
Some observers reckoned it was the best turnout ever for the event, described on its official website as "a day for celebration, music, life and art."
"I've been around for a lot of these (HBCFests) and this is by far the most people I've seen turn out," one longtime Haebangchon resident said.
The free event, which has been held every spring and fall since 2006, kicked off at noon with a spate of singer-songwriters, who regaled the crowds at venues like HBC Cafe and Jacoby's.
The proceedings kicked into full gear at Phillies Downstairs, where the Merkins treated the audience to hard-hitting covers of alternative acts such as Stone Temple Pilots and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Later, the Seoul City Suicides revved up a packed house with their propulsive brand of heavy punk.
Kachisan engaged the crowd at the VFW with heavy bass lines a la Tool inter-spliced with psychedelic, reverb-filled noise jams and catchy hooks. But as impressed as the audience was with their music, the band seemed equally impressed with the event.
"I think it's great," Canadian Paul Hillier, the band's bassist, said. "It brings everyone together and really promotes the area."
The HBCFest is never confined to the strictly musical: Actors Without Bard'ers, an emerging theater group comprised of expats and locals, wowed a standing-room only crowd at Orange Tree with a powerful, condensed version of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.
Kevin Connors, organizer of the troupe, said the performance may have caught some in the audience off guard.
"It's cool... half the people didn't know they were in for Shakespeare," he said. "But they stuck around and ended up getting really involved."
The front patio of restaurant Pita Place was by far the most visible stage, with artists performing virtually inches from a boisterous street crowd. Singer-songwriters Johnny Red and Jennifer Waescher played solo acoustic sets with strong original material.
The festivities continued into the night in nearby Itaewon, where Los Diablos Blancos rocked Ole Stompers with gritty, bluesy covers in a wide range of genres.
Mirrorhouse closed the night with a high-octane performance of hardcore punk at Rocky Mountain Tavern.
Lance Regan-Diehl, professional musician and organizer of HBCFest, said the festivities proceeded smoothly given the size of the crowd, and agreed that attendance likely reached its highest mark yet.
"I do tend to think it was the largest turnout," he said. "Certainly, it was the largest number of performances. The diversity of the performances was wide this year, and that's something I really like to see."
He said an increased number of venues and musicians enhanced this spring's event. "That, along with the great weather ― everything locked in to make this a really good turnout," he said.