Underground show brings together 11 bands in Sinchon

A show at western Seoul's top punk venue Baby Doll brings together 11 bands Saturday.

The expansive, diverse and yet reasonably affordable show is also Matthew Gamble's debut as a promoter.

"A lot of people in the underground punk and hardcore scene in Korea have also been asking me to put on shows for a while, so eventually everything just collided together," he said.

Gamble, the proprietor behind streetwear brand Diazable, has been working hard to promote Korea's underground scene for several years now. He can often be seen at shows filming the bands for his YouTube channel, Diazable Music Breakdown.

"I’ve filmed every band on this first show in some capacity," he said. "That made it a lot easier to approach them because I’d already had some kind of interaction with them before. I wasn’t just some random person suddenly asking them to play a show."

He spent a week teasing out the bands he booked, naming them one at a time twice per day. The bill includes goth doom band Lucy Valentine, metal band Varim and punk band Paper Cruise.

But still, why 11 of them?

"I didn’t really think about that until all the bands had confirmed and I started telling other people about the lineup," he said. "A lot of bands hit me up after I announced the show, and there were also some bands I already wanted to work with who reached out and were down to collaborate. So it really got out of hand before I knew it."

The bands represent a diverse range of sounds, which runs counter to the way shows often work, with the bands all playing the same genre and sharing influences, which can get a little monotonous.

"I think when I was younger, I didn’t really see the appeal of that. If I went to a show and the bands were all different, I probably would have thought, 'Why would I want to see all this other stuff?'” he said.

"But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve really started to appreciate mixed bills. You’re getting something different with every set, and that variation makes the whole experience more exciting. With art — and honestly, even with life — pulling inspiration from different places can make things more vibrant and enjoyable."

Tickets cost 20,000 won in advance, or 25,000 won at the door. In order to encourage younger people to go, entry costs 10,000 won for minors.

"I’ve just seen other people doing it over the past few years, and I think it’s a great idea because everyone is in a different economic situation," Gamble said. "Not everyone can afford expensive concerts or other creative outlets, so making shows accessible gives them a chance to actually participate. I’m poor as fuck, so I understand that sometimes you just don’t have the extra money to spend on a show."

Recently, the underground scene has been increasingly catching on with younger people.

"I honestly thought I was going crazy at first. I’d go to shows and think, 'I don’t know anyone here.' Or I’d look around and think, 'Why do all these young kids look like scene kids from MySpace?'”

Gamble thinks the sudden generation change is a combination of factors.

"The younger people coming into the scene are reaching out to their friends and peers and starting bands, putting on things themselves and creating their own little communities," he said.

He also pointed to the retro Y2K interest that's been strong lately.

"A lot of the punk, hardcore and emo culture from 20 years ago incorporated things like CDs, handheld cameras, video cameras, DIY artwork and physical media in a way that feels nostalgic now," he said. "These kids didn’t necessarily get to experience that culture the first time around, so maybe there’s something exciting about discovering it now."

Gamble had one more hypothesis for why younger people are getting into underground genres like punk and hardcore again.

"Part of me hopes Korean culture has started letting go of some of the strings attached to mainstream music and that people are getting tired of everything being so polished and want something raw, sweaty and genuine," he said.

In order to fit all 11 bands into one night, Gamble will have to stick to a pretty strict schedule. Doors open at 4:30 p.m., and the show starts at 5 p.m. He added that each band will play for only about 15-20 minutes.

"Play the hits. Less talking, more music. Give the people what they want," he said. "Nonstop energy."

Visit linktr.ee/diazable or follow @diazablebooking on Instagram for more information.