Every year for #sxsw, I typically get hyped for the Korean music showcase. It’s a typically glossy affair that in the past had the appeal of bringing some of Korea’s biggest pop acts into these tiny venues.
However, the last year or two have seen K-pop explode in popularity which led SXSW to book the Korean pop night at the Moody Theater. For whatever reason, this became less appealing to me.
Luckily, off in the little corner of Vahalla, another Korean movement was burgeoning. Damnably, a London-based record label, was putting on a showcase highlighting something that has mostly gone under the radar – Asian rock. Being Asian, I felt it was part of my duty to check it out and I wasn’t disappointed.
Say Sue Me was actually on my SXSW list for 2018 but I wasn’t able to make their showcase last year. A four piece band, the group’s sugary twee sound brings forth the nostalgic memories of Camera Obscura and those Labrador Swedish bands (Lacrosse, Acid House Kings, etc) with a little more guitar mixed in.
Between the catchy hooks, the soft comforting vocals of Sumi Choi and the hand claps, I’m shocked these guys aren’t bigger.
Next up was the Drinking Boys and Girls Choir, a three piece punk rock band. First of all, that’s the best band name. Second, look at their song titles:
“I’m a Fucking McDonalds”
“National Police Shit”
“Keep Drinking!!!”
Basically, they are excellent namers of things. Their music wouldn’t look out of place in Southern California and it seems they are heavily influenced by their local punk scene. The visual contrast of the band and the music was eye opening. I previously associated that type of music with tattooed-punk looking white dudes (and sometimes gals), but to see them played by relatively clean cut, polite Koreans made me realize that music really is universal and I should stop assigning music to certain subcultures.
Despite their relatively clean cut looks, the group rocked hard, and a mini mosh pit developed beside me. At one point, guitarist Seo Bondu aggressively ran into the crowd, a pleasant surprise which I was not expecting. Kind of like the entire show itself – a pleasant surprise I wasn’t expecting.