15 bands to play for single mothers, N. Korean defectors

Ali Safavi

By Jon Dunbar

Ali Safavi has always celebrated his birthday by putting on a concert. This year, for his first birthday as a Seoul resident, the Iranian-British expat has planned a two-day concert titled “I Like Many Festival vol. 2,” featuring 15 local hardcore punk, shoegaze, indie and Dadaist bands.

Scheduled for this Friday and Saturday, the mini-festival will raise money for the Korean Unwed Mothers Families Association (KUMFA) and Citizens’ Alliance for North Korean Human Rights (NKHR). KUMFA advocates for the rights of single mothers and their children, while NKHR supports North Korean defectors.

“I hope to put this birthday show to good use, give it some purpose and build some of that positive karma for everyone involved,” Safavi told The Korea Times.

He held the first “I Like Many Festival” in 2012 in Daegu. While living there, he started math rock bands Colours and Mountains.

“Math rock is punk kids trying to play jazz but not having the patience for it,” he explained. “Even in the U.K. that’s the type of stuff I played mostly.”

He also played indie rock in Classy Wallet, post-rock with November on Earth and occasionally punk for Food for Worms.

“Daegu’s music action is good, real good, but minimal and it was rare to go to a show that I wasn’t either playing or organizing or both,” said Safavi. “I miss the people, and a few special places, but any city can be your city if you get involved, even a place as big as Seoul.”

He moved to Seoul last March to pursue a master’s degree in education. He’s already entered two new musical projects, both playing this weekend.

“Playing almost any gig is the best pleasure,” Safavi said. “Long ago someone told me that any terrible job, bad situation or weekly grind can be made bearable with that one creative venture two or three times a week.”

The festival starts Friday 8 p.m. at Club SHARP in Mangwon-dong, western Seoul, featuring Scumraid, The Kitsches, Arryam, Crawler, Octopoulpe, Hybrid Drop Bomber and Yuppie Killer, a hardcore punk band in which Safavi plays bass.

Saturday at 6 p.m. the party moves to Hongdae venue DGBD for performances by DTSQ, Acid Party, Tirikilatops, Rust Bucket, Henry Demos, Diet Darling, Rough Cuts and Safavi's latest project, Visuals.

He described Visuals as “mathy ... but we try to make our instruments not sound like they should through excessive pedal use.”

“South Korea has been a great place to make music and I look forward to starting even more bands in future,” he said. “Maybe one of them won’t confuse and alienate audiences, but I doubt it.”

Each show costs 10,000 won to attend. Visit goo.gl/vaVdhn for more information.