Korea, Japan unite for ska fest
Japanese ska band Oi Skall Mates will perform at the New Generation of Ska Festival at Club SHARP in Mangwon-dong, western Seoul, Saturday. / Courtesy of Oi Skall Mates
By Jon Dunbar
Korea’s main ska music festival returns Saturday for the third consecutive year.
Eight ska and reggae bands from Korea and Japan will perform for the New Generation of Ska Festival (NGOSKA Fest) at Club SHARP in Mangwon-dong, western Seoul.
The festival avoids corporate sponsors, granting the organizers creative freedom but also placing a huge financial burden on them.
“I just want to make ska popular in Korea,” said co-organizer Jude Nah, who plays keyboard in skinhead reggae band the Pegurians. “I don’t care if I become famous or not.”
The NGOSKA Fest started in 2014 for free in the car-free street between Sinchon Rotary and Yonsei University.
The organizers hoped to bring the show back to the public this year, but after months of fundraising they fell short of their goal. Instead, this year’s festival will be held in Club SHARP, a newly opened venue owned by Ryu Jin-suk, lead organizer of the fest, as well as front man of ska-punk band Skasucks.
This year, Ryu and Nah will unleash their newest band, the Rulerz, playing 2tone ska inspired by U.K. ska revival bands from the 1970s and ’80s such as Madness and Bad Manners.
“I really want Koreans to know how good ska and reggae is,” said Nah about the formation of the band. “Our goal is to spread some good vibes with this music and tell them how Jamaican music or Jamaican music-influenced genres are good.”
The original 2tone ska movement helped popularize Jamaican ska as a global genre and the multiracial bands delivered a strong anti-racist message.
The NGOSKA Fest brings together the musicians of Korea and Japan. This year’s festival is headlined by Oi Skall Mates, a Japanese ska band formed in 1996.
“We are influenced by 2tone or third wave more than ska-punk, especially European bands,” said vocalist Wataru Buster in an email interview, “and also old Japanese ska bands and various music from the 1960s to 1980s in England.”
“We’ve been trying to invite them for the past two years but they couldn’t make it because of their schedule,” said Nah. “And it’s their 20th anniversary this year.”
On the respect they receive from ska fans around the world, Wataru Buster laughed, “We appreciate it, as we are not that great people.”
As well as Pegurians, Skasucks, Rulerz and Oi Skall Mates, the festival will feature Jeju Afro-Cuban ska band South Carnival, Busan ska band Ska Wakers, newly formed ska-punk band Talkbats and Daejeon punk band Burning Hepburn.
Tickets cost 30,000 won in advance or 40,000 won at the door. The show starts at 4 p.m. Saturday at Club SHARP. Visit facebook.com/tngoska for more info.