Western Music Festivals in South Korea this Summer

Here's the question:

I missed the DJ fest earlier this month. I didn't even know it was going on actually. Are there any other Western rock or dj festivals this summer? Is there a festival guide?

"Some Dude"

With the apparent success of the 3rd Seoul World DJ Festival, I figured I would be getting a few questions about upcoming festivals. And just as the questioner said, missing shows and festivals is all too common since there is very little public advertisement for any non K-pop musical acts or event. I'm a little surprised that you missed the DJ Fest. They aggressively promoted the event on facebook, myspace, twitter, naver, cyworld and just about every other major social networking site. They even emailed me and asked if ESL Teachers in Korea could "host" the event. They had it right and maybe some other ad teams will take a few cues.

There are two western-ish music festivals coming up this summer. There's the Jisan Valley Rock Festival in late July.



I was surprised to see they had attracted some relatively well-known western acts. And of course, there's the Pentaport Rock Festival.



Notice anything? The powers that be decided that since Korea has so many international rock festivals, it would be okay to hold two on the same weekend. The reason for this is just as I've said before, Japan's Fuji Rock Festival, which attracts tons of major acts, is held the same weekend and Korea tries to take advantage of the musical presence in the region. All of the big names playing at Jisan and Pentaport are also playing at Fuji. I would suggest taking a long weekend and cruise over to Japan for their fest. It looks excellent.

Honestly, Korea isn't a festival destination yet. There are issues with pay, location, venue, turnout and organization that have yet to be sorted out or understood here, so until then, you must make-do with the local acts and dive bar bands.

For a more comprehensive list of good resources, check this out.

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment.

3rd Seoul World DJ Fest Review

Review of the 3rd Seoul World DJ Fest

Grade: C+

I give the festival a low score because there were so many problems that could have easily been avoided. First of all, Hangang Park at Nanji and all across Seoul are getting huge face lifts and much of the grass and trees are being dug up exposing dirt. That dirt made for such a dusty mess yesterday that many people were wearing masks inside the festival gates. My clothes, face and hair were caked in dust as well. That might have been unavoidable, but there were many other things that should have been considered.

First of all, there were not enough trash cans. After awhile, the filth started to pile up. Moreover, since most of the festival took place after dark, this wasn't just an aesthetic issue, it was a hazard. There were no signs, markers or directions anywhere either. The lines were a huge problem as well. The beer line appeared to be the worst. From what I could tell, there were only 4 people serving thousands of people tens of thousands of beers and since the venue was not big or setup well, that line cut right into the center of the crowd making movement extremely difficult. And to add to that, there was only one tent where beer was being sold. The entire flow of the crowd was being pushed in that direction. If you did not want beer, then you could go to the Jager tent. However, the shots were overpriced for their size and half-way through the night, the prices mysteriously increased from 3,000 to 4,000 won. Food lines were also a problem since there were only four tents serving food. The pizza and hot dog lines were almost as bad as the beer line and again, they all cut into the dancing crowd. If they want to restrict outside food and drink that's fine, but they must provide enough for everyone to be able to have easy access to it if they want it. Waiting in line for an hour just to get a hot dog is unacceptable.

The bathrooms remained pretty clean throughout the night, but there were certainly not enough facilities. I only saw four bathrooms there and the lines were pretty much out of hand by 8pm. Like so many other impatient men, I opted for using a not-so-out-of-sight tree. Overall, there just wasn't enough enough of anything for the crowd there.

The quality of the music was fine. It wasn't all my flavor, but for the most part I think the crowd really enjoyed the music. There were three stages: one main one, a smaller side one and then a very small one right outside the venue. From what I saw, the non-Korean crowd preferred the side stage more. I thought both of them were fine though.

I'll go again next year, but plan on writing the organizers a letter with a few suggestions.

3rd Seoul World DJ Festival

It's time for the DJ Fest, kids!!! It starts at 2pm and goes until 6am and then picks up again on Sunday afternoon. I'll be there dancing, drinking and taking pictures. I'll have a podcast up on the shows tomorrow afternoon (unless I get home after 6am).

Stay tuned for pics and commentary!!!

Concerts, Shows and Live Music in Korea

Click here for a complete list of resources for music on the Korean peninsula.

Here's the question:

Hey, ive been in korea for 2 months now and havent been able to find a website that lists concerts in the country. Do you know any good links?

Excellent question and one that I was very frustrated with when I first arrived. Most of your favorite bands who happen to be doing an Asian tour will likely skip over Korea or will play at odd times. I remember when Prodigy came here a couple years ago and their set time was supposed to begin at 3pm on Thursday. It's unfortunate, but the market is just not big enough to attract most musicians. The music scene in Korea is awashed with very carefully manufactured pop music, so easy access to online resources and concert posters for everything else is something that is a little harder to come across. However, there are a few solid resources.

Depending on your musical preferences, there should be something out there for you. For instance 02 Pro lists big names of DJs coming to Seoul. The artists will more than likely be playing at popular clubs in the area, so you can always visit their websites as well. However, if you're looking to see some live tunes or are in search of a more diverse array of music, you'll probably need to head to Hongdae. There, you can find the occasional concert poster or some sort of flier detailing venue, time and artist info.

You can also check out Broke In Korea for "punk, ska, oi and other underground music".

I like to use Korea Gig Guide for the most part though. It's easily the best Korean gig site because it not only lists international acts, but it also lists good expat bands and non-K-pop Korean bands. There's also of forum (although a little weak) and map of venue locations in Hongdae for your convenience.



Most of the shows listed on the site are in Hongdae and quite a few genres are represented. You'll find punk, rock, metal, hip-hop, trance and house. For the most part, however, you will not find many jambands making the trip to Korea. I mention that because it happens to be my preference, but every time I check Jambase, it yields nothing for Korea. As frustrating as it might be, Japan seems to attract loads of bands, so for the really dedicated followers, a trip to Japan might be worth it. And honestly, Asia just isn't a big destination for Western acts, so if you're a dedicated music fan, be prepared to try some new sounds or get ready for a big break from live music.

I should mention that Korea does have a couple annual events that always attract Western acts. The World DJ Festival in Nanji-do, Seoul takes place every year in early May. This is a great show because it's an all-weekend thing and there is camping at Nanji campgrounds. Click here, here, here, here and here for some videos.

The other major Western music festival is The Pentaport Rock Festival (Wiki here) in Incheon. The original aim of the festival was to attract major names that had just finished playing at the extremely popular Fuji Rock Festival to Korea, but have had limited success.(My favorite band, Umphrey's Mcgee, played in 2006 and Disco Biscuits are playing this year.) In fact, each year produces less and less quality international artists. 2009's lineup has not be released yet, but I'm not expecting much. Still, it's a big festival, a lot of fun and some people really love it.

While Korea might seem like a black hole for international acts, it's not. There have been some major acts perform here (Eric Clapton, Oasis, Beyonce, Jay Z, etc...), but in the end, it's a country where there are very little counter-culture elements and yet they still manage to have a full line-up of relatively unknown bands and musicians headlining every night. It might take a little while to get adjusted, but there's never a shortage of tunes to be heard.

And plus, Korea has Jung Sungha. He's amazing and has over 53,000,000 views on youtube. That's pretty good for an 11 year old.

If anybody has any questions, just send me an email at asktheexpat@yahoo.com or leave a comment.