South Korea: Daegu skate punk band set for British invasion

Although Seoul is often seen as the central hub for culture in Korea, U.K. indie label Damnably has now signed two acts from outside the capital. Daegu-based skatepunk band Drinking Boys & Girls Choir (DBGC), formed in 2012, signed recently to Damnably, which already counts Busan’s Say Sue Me on its international roster. The label is set to re-release DBGC’s debut album “Keep Drinking” internationally, both digitally and on vinyl picture disc. Both Daegu and Busan have small music scenes that rarely get the national attention Seoul does. Damnably’s director George Gargan said location was not even a concern when taking on these Korean acts. “There is always great culture going on everywhere…so you really don’t need to be in London or Seoul to form a band or make music that’s world class.” Discovering DBGC was nothing more complex than a shared video on Instagram. “Someone that posted a live video of Say Sue Me on Instagram had a DBGC video next,” he said. “They looked very good and funny so I asked Min-gyu at (Korean indie label) Electric Muse who they were and then listened to them on Bandcamp…it’s always accidental.”

 
Even discovering Say Sue Me came about fortuitously. John Yingling, a documentarian from Chicago, recorded the band’s live set in 2015 and shared it online where Gargan found it. “I was puzzled when I first received their email,” bassist Bae Meena told The Korea Times, “but I knew they had already been in contact with some other Korean bands so we decided to trust them and sign with them.” “Damnably as a label just releases bands and records we like and it doesn’t matter where we find them,” Gargan said. He admits finding Say Sue Me at the same time as the release of Korean zombie film “Train to Busan” was fateful. “That kind of convergence makes it seem like the gods are trying to tell you something.” The band came together in 2012, although Bae and Kim first met in 2007. Two years later they started a band together called Chicken and Mayo ABC. To pursue the band they moved to Seoul, but finding life in the capital tough the band broke up and both eventually moved back to Daegu. In early 2012 Kim started playing in garage rock band The Plastic Kiz. Around this time the two decided to start a new band. Kim explains the unique band name is an amalgamation of a few ideas, including the young age of former guitarist Park So-yeon. “We all like drinking and all the members sing in our songs. We wanted to be inclusive of all the boys and girls. The name is a mix of all these things.” True to its name, all three members share vocal as well as songwriting duties. “Mainly I write about the anger and emotions I feel in society. I get a lot of inspiration from the political situation in South Korea,” Bae said.  “I mainly take inspiration from movies or things I see in nature,” Kim said. Guitarist Seo Bondu said, “I write about my experiences and moments of self-reflection in my daily life.”

 
On first listen it seems their songs come from black-and-white feelings of love and anger, but the two female members do not see it as that simple. “Some songs feel like love songs but at the same time express something else,” Bae said. “The subject is more ambiguous.” What is obviously important is the people around them, their friends and other young Koreans struggling to survive in a trying country. “In Korea, it’s hard for young people to make a living,” Seo explained. “The average worker has to work their whole life because housing prices are so expensive.” DBGC’s songs might rail against the police and former presidents, but they are also a call to youngsters to seek more in their lives than just studying and finding a job at the top companies. Societal pressures are nothing new to Korea, but a strong counterculture in something like punk music can provide an outlet for the stresses of modern life. DGBC’s music as well as live shows are bright, exciting, and fun. The band wants to show young Koreans a better way to live.

 
Last year was a busy one for the band, having finally released “Keep Drinking” and headlining the regional music festival Big Day South and playing internationally renowned Zandari Festa in Seoul. The band also did its first international tour, hitting Indonesia with local band Saturday Night Karaoke (SNK) in August. The future looks exciting for DBGC. As well as the worldwide release of “Keep Drinking” the band plans to tour the U.K. in April, stopping off at a few big festivals including the Great Escape in Brighton. The band will also be playing at prestigious Austin music festival SXSW in March. Much as Say Sue Me’s success has resulted in a resurgence of the underground music scene in Busan, it is hopeful Daegu will feel similar knock-on effects as well. “There are advantages if you work in Seoul, but living in Daegu is clearly better,” Bae said. “How about having pride in the local scene these days?” Kim added. “I want the local scene to be strong!”

By Ali Safavi

(Korea Times)