Zandari Festa 2016 to return to Seoul

Rock duo Dead Buttons Courtesy of Dead Buttons

By John Redmond

Zandari Festa 2016 will take place at selected venues near Hongik University in western Seoul from Sept. 30 to Oct. 3.

Started in 2012, the fifth edition of Korea’s largest international music showcase festival will see 150 acts playing in 10 venues.

“Growing greater in stature with each passing year, nearly 600 Korean, expat, and overseas acts applied to be a part of Zandari Festa 2015,” the event organizer says in a press release.

In its inaugural year, bands traveled from only two other countries to take part. But last year’s event saw bands from 15 countries playing for thousands of music lovers alongside music industry professionals from Korea and overseas festivals such as Liverpool Sound City in the U.K., V-Rox in Russia and SXSW in the United States.

Along with all the concerts, Zandari Festa also includes conferences and parties.

Fast-rising Seoul rock duo Dead Buttons are one local band who have markedly benefited from Zandari Festa, having performed the event every year since 2013.

In 2013, representatives from Liverpool Sound City saw them play, leading to the band receiving an invitation to play at Liverpool Sound City 2014, and they eventually went on to sign a record deal with U.K. label Baltic Records.

Since 2014, Dead Buttons have returned to the U.K. and Europe several times.

Last spring saw the band playing two dozen concerts across the U.K. and Europe in support of their debut full-length album, “Some Kind of Youth.”

Dead Buttons’ guitarist and vocalist Hong Ji-hyun spoke with The Korea Times about the European tour and benefits of performing at Zandari Festa.

Q: How was your recent European and U.K. tour?

A:

It was really fun. This tour was a lot longer than our previous tours and the schedule was a lot tighter. I think playing lots of shows in many different places on this tour has made us stronger as a band.

Q: What are some of your best memories from the tour?

I can still remember every one of our concerts and all the experiences we had on the road like they happened yesterday. But if I have to pick one favorite moment, I’ll go with playing at the Primavera Sound festival in Spain. It was the last show of our tour and our biggest and craziest gig.

Q: Why do you think Zandari Festa is good for Korea’s indie scene?

I think Zandari Festa is great for the indie scene because it’s open to all musicians regardless of how famous they are or what kind of music they play. The festival is a really good chance to play for a new audience and to network with other musicians and music industry staff from around the world.

Q: Why is playing at Zandari Festa beneficial for overseas bands?

With each passing year, Zandari Festa is growing and there are more music fans attending so it’s a good way to get introduced to our local music scene. And more and more international delegates are traveling to Seoul from abroad each year too.

For information on Zandari Festa, visit zfesta.com/en.

Special tickets are available at Interpark for 100,000 won, one-day tickets for 30,000 won and two-day tickets for 50,000 won.