Hardcore punk band Things We Say reunites
Victor Ha of the hardcore punk band Things We Say thrusts the microphone into the crowd at his band's farewell show at Skunk Hell III on Nov. 14, 2015. / Image by Jon Dunbar
By Jon Dunbar
Punk bands never die, they just play reunion shows in perpetuity.
The Korean hardcore punk band Things We Say, founded in 2004, played for 11 years before breaking up amicably. Their final show on Nov. 14, 2015, was more of a glorified retirement party with a mosh pit. They also inspired an article on U.S. punk news satire website The Hard Times
.
And they held out almost three years before being pressured into reuniting.
“When we called it quits, we all agreed to be open to reunion shows, if there's any good occasion,” lead vocalist Victor Ha told The Korea Times. “We hadn't had a chance to get all together since the last show in 2015. We got back all together last Sunday for the first band practice for the show.”
The band includes bassist Seo Ki-seok, lead vocalist of straight-edge hardcore band the Geeks which are planning their next recording and overseas tours. The other members, guitarists Bialy and Jae and drummer Hyun-jin, have also kept busy in other bands, as well as with life.
Ha, now a “41-year-old punk kid,” runs a private English academy in Cheonan and raises three daughters. On the side he's developed an interest in competitive downhill skateboarding and kendama, a Japanese cup-and-ball skill toy. He also runs
, offering customized 1” button pins. And he promotes the indie scene in Cheonan
“While I can't play in a band, I constantly look for fun in my life,” Ha said. “I have less energy to go off at shows, but I still enjoy going to shows and listening to punk. Yeah I felt it was harder to sing on the stage as I got older, but I can still have lots of fun and make the crowd move. I think hardcore and punk are for all ages. And it makes me feel young, too.”
Known as a loving father who sometimes takes his young daughters to punk shows, as well as a great boss to a few foreigners in the scene he's employed, he turns into a snarling beast, baring his teeth while he stomps around the stage.
“Music is my life,” he said. “It's one of the essential things in life like food, water and air to breathe. I just do what I like to do and what makes me feel alive and happy.”
His lyrics, all in English, sound like motivational speeches. Songs on their
and
bear inspirational titles like “Find Yourself Being True,” “Keep Your Dreams Alive” and “Don't Sit Back.” But some light profanity gave them a parental advisory warning on some albums.
“We don't have any future plans for the band after this show,” Ha said. “If there's a cool show we'd like to play, then we'll play. The most important thing is ourselves. Do we enjoy doing it? If the answer is yes, we'll do the show. Right now, I don't feel that I want to play in a band. I'm satisfied enough with my current activities.”
They'll be at K-Art Didim Hall near Hongik University in western Seoul this Saturday,
. Also on the bill are local bands All I Have and No Shelter, plus Malaysian pop-punk band Social Circuit. Visit
Victor Ha of the hardcore punk band Things We Say leaps on the stage of legendary punk venue Skunk Hell II near Hongik University at a concert on June 30, 2007. / Image by Jon Dunbar
about the inevitability of band reunions
under the label Project Look Beyond