Punk bands from 5 Asian countries come together for World Wide Fam

The four members of Singaporean melodic pop punk band KrankyDoodle / Courtesy of KrankyDoodle

When you're part of your city's local punk scene, you can go almost anywhere else in the world and find a similar community that will welcome you like family. That's the notion behind "World Wide Fam," a concert series started in 2024 by local label Victim Records.

"No matter where we come from, this music connects us like family. Different countries, different cultures, but the same heart, the same noise, the same energy," said Razmy Mohamed, frontman of the Singaporean melodic pop punk band KrankyDoodle (KD), which is touring Korea for the second time. "That’s what music has always been about to us. Community, honesty and showing up for each other. So being part of something like this, it’s a family we get to grow with, even if we’re miles apart."

Five bands from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Japan will come to Korea for the seventh World Wide Fam event, happening Friday to Sunday in three Korean cities.

The members of Malaysian rock band Jemson / Courtesy of Jemson

"It’s crazy when you think about it. Bands from five different places, all speaking different languages, but the moment we step on stage, it all translates through the music," Mohamed said.

Mohamed was responsible for a lot of the tour planning, with Yoon Ki-sun, owner of Victim Records, handling much of the on-the-ground logistics for setting up the tour.

"Since the first edition, we’ve had bands from at least four countries, and we’ve continued the series because we want to introduce great bands from various countries to Korea," Yoon told The Korea Times. "At first, we were only planning to invite about two or three bands, but we ended up getting more ambitious."

Indonesian band The Pandan Wangi / Courtesy of The Pandan Wangi

They started off with KD and the Malaysian rock band Jemson. Next, Yoon suggested to Mohamed that they invite Indonesian punk band The Pandan Wangi.

They also found out the Japanese band Dont Turn Away was planning to tour Korea on Friday and Saturday, so they arranged to include the band for the Sunday show.

Another Japanese band, Gekko Wataru, was invited through Shudo & Rudies, another Japanese band that played here last month.

"We haven’t shared a stage with them before, so this is something new for us," Mohamed said. "It’s always exciting to connect with bands from different scenes, especially from Japan. We’re ready to trade energy, make noise together and give the crowd something unforgettable. It’s going to be wild."

Japanese punk band Dont Turn Away / Courtesy of Dont Turn Away

KD, Jemson and The Pandan Wangi will play all three shows on the tour together, going to to Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, on Friday, Gwangju on Saturday and Seoul Sunday.

"I believe local scenes outside Seoul also need to grow," Yoon said, regarding the tour itinerary. "To support the local scene, we chose Gwangju for Saturday, which could be considered the main show."

"We’ve played in Gwangju before — shoutout to Club Boojik for the love. That city already feels familiar to us," Mohamed said. "Cheongju, though ... that’s new territory. And we’re excited. New crowd, new food spots, new experiences."

The poster for World Wide Fam Vol. 7 looks about as complicated as an airport's arrivals board. Courtesy of VIctim Records

The tour's first stop on Friday is at Cheongju's Roadking venue, where they'll be joined by local act Jackieboy. The show starts at 10 p.m. Entry is free.

On Saturday, the three bands will visit Gwangju's Club Boojik, where they'll share the stage with local punk bands Monkey Pee Quartet, TwoFive and Dirty Rockhon. The show starts at 5 p.m. Tickets cost 20,000 won.

Meanwhile, Dont Turn Away will play at Purple Hall in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday, and Freebird in Seoul on Saturday.

Sunday starts early at 2 p.m., with all five touring bands meeting up at Club Victim in western Seoul. There is one more Japanese act in the lineup — Sato Yukie, a longtime Japanese resident of Seoul and a familiar fixture of the local music scene. They'll also play with Korean bands A Lone Wolf Elegy Club, Punk on Fire, Pogo Attack, Pink Spider, Nogal, G.I.O.K and Eizo Korea. Tickets are 30,000 won.

"Korea has always held a special place in our journey," Mohamed said. "It’s where our record label is based, and it feels like a second home to us. Every time we head back, it’s not just about performing, it’s about reconnecting with the scene, the people and the energy that helped shape who we are as a band. So whenever we get the chance, we make it happen."

Follow @victimrecords on Instagram for more information.