RocKorea looks to put indie rock, Midan City on map

By Kim Young-jin

The RocKorea Midan City Concert, the first large-scale outdoor rock festival to be organized by a foreign resident, is shaping up to be a milestone for indie rock here, its organizers said.

Opening on June 4 and raging until the next morning, the 18-hour festival is also the first event to be staged at Midan City, a leisure and tourism-oriented town in development on Yeongjong Island near Incheon International Airport.

In a joint interview, RocKorea’s main players expressed confidence that it would put indie rock on the map in a country where big name acts often overshadow the do-it-yourself ethos of true rock ’n’ roll.

“We’re aiming to make a new type of event with these indie bands, so we don’t overlap with other rock concerts,” said Pascal Biannic Leger, director of Softindustry Development and main festival organizer. “We want to expose Korea to these brave individuals sticking to their guitars, demonstrating individuality at its best.”

Joining Leger at the interview were program organizer Lance Reegan-Diehl and Joseph Chiang, president of Midan City Development Company (MCDC), the developer of Midan City.

Reegan-Diehl, a veteran musician and concert organizer who is also slated to perform, said indie rock is gaining popularity here, especially in the artistic hotbed around Hongik University in Seoul.

“RocKorea is an extension of that. We’re simply allowing the talent to find a bigger stage. Hopefully it’ll give us a niche,” he said.

Local groups such as the Rocktigers and Minha Band and local foreign bands such as The Tremors, Sotto Gamba, Pinnacle & The Antidote and Mirrorhouse will bring a diversity of musical styles to the stage.

They will be joined by tribute bands including Over the Hills and Far Away (Led Zeppelin), Sticky Fingers (Rolling Stones), R.U. Estranged (Guns N’ Roses), Three Anguses (AC/DC), Fully Completely (Tragically Hip), and Leotard Skynyrd (Lynyrd Skynyrd).

The tribute bands, which will travel in from North America, Japan, Australia and elsewhere, are expected to replicate not only the sound but the feel of the legendary acts.

“It’s all about exposing Koreans to something new,” said Leger, who is from France, adding next year’s event would focus on bringing internationally-based indie bands.

The show was conceived when MCDC approached Leger to develop event ideas for Midan City, which only recently finished constructing its infrastructure. Leger called up Reegan-Diehl, with whom he had previously organized a concert series dubbed “History of Rock,” also featuring tribute bands.

Chiang said the event fit perfectly with MCDC’s plan to stage diverse cultural events at Midan City such as art exhibitions, flower shows and summer concerts.

Midan City, a mere 10 minutes away from Incheon International Airport, is gearing up to be an all-in-one city with shopping malls, resort hotels, a “golf village” and other features designed to attract millions of tourists. The project is expected to be complete in 2017.

The organizers said the event aimed to be suited for all audiences, though they recommended children under 15 not to be present after 7 p.m. due to an expected large crowd.

The event will also feature an amateur guitar showdown, the winner of which will receive a new guitar; a food court featuring tasty international fare, a 1900s-era burlesque show and an art fair.

Chiang expressed hope that RocKorea and its indie vibe would become permanent fixtures at Midan City.

“We are creating what I hope will be a legendary concert. Given time, I believe this event will find success as it is unique to Korea,” he said.

Concert-goers can catch busses provided by Korean Safari Shuttle (www.koreansafari.com) in front of the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon, or take the subway or bus to Incheon Airport, where free shuttle busses to the concert venue will be provided. For more information, visit www.rockorea.com.