Last weekend I went down to a show in Hongdae. I reviewed it for the Korea Herald. Here it is:

With the weekend approaching, many expats will be looking forward to letting off some steam at live concerts. Last weekend, All Fun Merchandise presented the Dope Label Show Vol. 5 at the mighty Skunk Hell in Hongdae. Dope Label has put out some solid punk, metal and hardcore releases.

The label was formed to give some exposure to the Korean underground music scene after the founders were frustrated by the restrictions of the major labels they once worked for.

One band I was looking forward to seeing was the three-piece group, The Strikers. They are a high-energy band that rips through sets of punk-infected rock - and tonight was no different. The enjoyable vocals were complimented by solid bass rhythms and an interesting range of catchy riffs from the guitarist. Having been on the scene only a few years, they are already a strong live band. Unfortunately, as their set came to an end, the bass player announced that he was leaving the band. His approach to shows will surely be missed.

Next up were the four-piece, Burning Hepburn, though they added two members to cover extra instruments and vocals. As soon as they set up, they launched into their set by playing a decent mix of punk, rock and ska. The songs were varied, which helped keep a high interest in their performance. They were on stage with plenty of experience behind them and the addition of a trumpet and keyboard on some tracks helped them stand out. Judging by everyone`s reaction, they were probably the most favored act of the show.

Suck Stuff have been a favorite band of mine on the Hongdae live scene, due to their accomplished playing style and their tight sound. Their influence - from punk, hardcore and even ska - is always put to good use. Tonight, they certainly turned a few heads. Their set was solid and, even with the limited in-house PA, they sounded superb. If I did have to nit-pick, I`d say that, due to the vocalist`s soft voice at times, I could hardly make out what he was singing about. But that didn`t stop them from being my favorite act of the night.

Finally taking to the stage were experienced punk-rockers Rux. Having been together for what seems like forever, they still managed to tear it up on stage and grab the audience`s attention for the whole set. Their songs draw inspiration from anarchy, liberty, communism and various problems in society.

While their set was up to their usual standards, I think Rux would have benefited from a bigger crowd. They tried to work the shy crowd, without getting the reaction they probably wanted. Some people taking offense to the bad language didn`t help, either. However, all in all, Rux came on stage with a punk attitude and it was reflected in their music.

It was a fun show and would have been a great introduction to some experienced live acts on the scene if more expats had gotten a heads-up. Unfortunately, the epic hardcore rockers, Hallow Jan, couldn`t perform that night - and with the thin crowd due to some other great shows on the same night - this show didn`t live up to the potential its flyer touted. Nevertheless, the bands played their hearts out and I certainly had a good time watching them.

I took a little break from blogging due to having a lot on my plate. Anyway things will be back to normal soon.