Rock band Apollo 18: Our hope is to stay together till death
As one of Korea’s leading indie rock band, Apollo 18 has released four albums since 2009 with each named after a colour: Red, Blue, Violet, and the last is Black. They have won many prizes and toured the world.
In sitting down with them for our last exclusive interview from the Korea Rocks Tour in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, I was not interested in any sort of average questions as we already have held a thorough interview with the group’s past, present and future last year. So this time, I dug inside these awesome rock and roll artists to find out what their hearts were made of, and I was not disappointed.
Some of the questions sparked long discussion among the members before coming out with a satisfied answer. Here we bring you the inner story about Apollo 18, which you may probably have never known about them; the meaning of their music and the meaning of being Apollo 18.
Our dream is not to become rock stars (…) what is really important is that we are together.
It’s your first time in the UK, are you excited?
Dae Inn: Very excited, the weather is beautiful (laughs as it was currently raining)
What is your target as a group? What do you want to achieve as Apollo 18?
Sangyun: There is no target. We want to enjoy ourselves; to have people watch our show and enjoy the music.
But what was your initial dream when you started?
Daeinn: Just play music really, expressing our feelings…
Are you satisfied with your current status or do you still want to become bigger?
Daeinn: Sure, we want to get bigger.
What if things never change and keep going with the exact same level of success, same audience, same album sales for the next 20 years; would you be happy with this scenario?
Hyunseok: Actually, we’ve been together for a long time. That’s really important… our dream is not to become rock stars. Of course having success and earning a living is important but what’s really, really, important is that we are together.
Daeinn: Keeping playing together, that’s what’s important.
Could you tell us a bit about your recording process? Do you have a precise plan when you create a new song?
Daeinn: No, no, we have no plan. We just jam.
Hyunseok: But then of course we don’t just record jam sessions, we rework and make many, many, small changes to the bits that we like.
Daeinn, you acknowledge Kurt Cobain as a personal influence while growing and Kurt Cobain always claimed that the lyrics didn’t matter, only the music does. What is your personal view on that? What kind of balance do you try to find between music and lyrics?
Daeinn: We have no lyrics in our last album; well we hardly use any.
Hyunseok: For us it’s not about delivering lyrics; this is more about using the lyrics and the voice as part of an instrument.
In joining this UK tour, do you feel you are representing the Korean indie rock scene, and have a mission to promote it?
Hyunseok: We don’t think we are representative of indie bands of South Korea. We have more opportunities to go abroad and tour unlike most other artists. I mean, we have this opportunity to do those international tours, but still a lot of people do not recognize us in Korea. We’re not mainstream or Kpop; that’s what South Koreans are really interested in.
Last year, The Koxx produce a song for 4Minute. What would be your reaction if an idol company approaches you about producing idol music?
Hyunseok: We don’t want to change our musical style; but we’re assuming that if an idol group like 4Minute asks for a song or a collaboration, they would expecting us to stick to our own sound rather than us adapting to theirs.
Potentially, we want to prove that we can go abroad and do the tours or concert freely, without any complex and having people recognizing us. As long as we can prove that other bands in South Korea will get inspired by it.
What do you think of a group like Glen Check? Do you think they belong to the same music scene as you or are they different?
Sangyun: No they are different, completely different from us.
I’m asking this because Kpop is expanding as a genre, embracing all its artists at once and not just one or a few isolated ones like SNSD or T-ara. Do you think there is a similar process for Korean indie music?
Apollo 18: We don’t think the Indie music will ever be as popular as Kpop inside or outside Korea. But what we want to do, potentially, because Korean Indie is still behind other any other Western rock band, or any kind of bands, we want to prove that we can go abroad and do the tours or concert freely, without any complex and having people recognizing us. As long as we can prove that other bands in South Korea will get inspired by it. But it’s not really our intention anyway.
Ok, what about Jrock? Do you think Krock can become as big as Jrock internationally?
Apollo 18: Well it’s going to take some but we hope so. Jrock has this fundamental base; it’s been there for a long time. We don’t think we’re going to catch up on it easily, but as long as we keep doing tours and good music, then eventually, we might be able to catch up on it.
Alright, what do you think about an artist like Lee Seung Yeol? Do you think you belong to the same indie scene?
Apollo 18: He’s major. He’s very famous. He belongs to one of the biggest label in Korea; we can’t really compare to that. He is a mainstream artist, however he plays indie.
Would you consider signing for a big label while still playing indie?
Apollo 18: As long as the label does not ask us to change our music style, there is no reason why we would not join a major label like Lee Seung Yeol.
We think [our music is] just a sketchbook. We provide the page and people write their own story. It’s up to the listeners to give our music a colour, an image.
Could you describe your sound as a band in one image?
Apollo 18: There is no image; just Apollo.
What about a colour then? Since you use colours for your album names and covers, what colours fits you best, defines your sound?
Apollo 18: Oh, very hard question (laughs). We think it’s just a sketchbook. We provide the page and people write their own story. It’s up to the listeners to give our music a colour, an image. This is part of the reason why we don’t write lyrics that often because if we do so we give directions, a definition to all the tracks. But we would rather leave the listener decide and figure out what the music is.
But then what precise role plays the colour chosen for each album? Isn’t that an indication, a direction, a definition?
Apollo 18: Again, it’s very difficult but it’s ok, we like it. We’re happy with the question but we want to be careful at what we say. We don’t have our own colours. The colour that we decide depends on the album we make; it can be red, it can be blue, it can be yellow next time. It is referred by the style of music we make at the time. The colour chosen for the album represents the mood, not the story. We don’t actually put album title on the covers. They’re known as red or black because of the cover’s colour. Again, we want to leave things to the listeners; they can think on their own, freely, as they listen.
What context suits best the listening of your music?
Daeinn: Sex (laughs)
Hyunseok: Maybe by the river side.
Sangyun: I think it’s best in a club, as live music.
Is your lifestyle matching your music?
Hyunseok: It was, but not anymore; because we don’t make a living out of it. There are bad things and good things about being in a band – there are actually more good things. However, if we’re too hungry and unable to make money out of it, we can’t enjoy as much as that as a band.
Is there any moment in your life that you forget being part of Apollo 18 or being a part of Apollo 18 is your identity?
Apollo 18: No. Everyday, nonstop. We are Apollo 18 and want to be together and keep making music. As we said before: our hope is to keep together till death.
As I came to the conclusion of this interview, the heartfelt answers left a deep impression on me and the burning passion they have for the music they believe in. On behalf of hellokpop, I would like to wish them what they hope for: to keep making great music together until death!
You can read the following related stories from the Korea Rocks Tour at Tunbridge Wells:
You can find out the latest updates of Apollo 18 by following them:
Coverage provided by Marty M.
PR/Technical Assistance provided by Nicole@hellokpop.com
Goonam shares vision of rock music and future developments
Goonam (short for Goonamguayeoridingstella) is a Seoul-based rock act composed of Ung Joh (guitar and vocals) and Byunghak (bass and vocals). Their 2007 debut album We Are Pure was ranked as the 70th best Korean album of the year 2000′s on 100Beat.com. They have released their sophomore album Woojung Motel in 2011 to further their critical acclaim. They combine elements of rock, psychedelic pop, blues, surf, reggae, and even a touch of dub into groovy sonic concoctions to create one of the most eclectic and unique sound emerging from Korea.
We want to conserve our own musical identity while always being more creative
We take the opportunity to introduce this talented group to our readers as we interviewed them in Tunbridge Wells for their Korea Rocks Tour in the UK. They were joined by Taesik (drums) and Naum (keyboards), who have been revealed through our exclusive interview, are soon to become more than live musicians.
Can you introduce yourself?
Ung Joh: We are Goonamguayeoridingstella. Our name is based on the Hyundai Stella car my parents were driving when I was young.
And now you are part of the Korea Rocks Tour in the UK sponsored by Hyundai Card Music!
Ung Joh: Yeah (laughs) It’s just a coincidence but we’re really happy about it.
What do you think you can gain from this tour?
Ung Joh: We can gain experience. Some fresh air, London air (laughs) and some rain too (as a few drops were falling at this time). But we’re quite tired now because of the jet lag.
What listening context fits best your music?
Ung Joh: Walking.
Byunghak: Walking alongside the river.
You said in a recent interview that you want to have a lot of fun on stage and your MVs are actually quite fun but without understanding the lyrics, it seems that your albums are quite serious, filled with saturnine sadness at times.
Ung Joh: Our albums sound like life. Life is sometimes serious, sometimes sad, sometimes happy.
What is your aim as a group? What was your dream when starting this group?
Ung Joh: We want to be extremely happy.
Byunghak: Be on stage and have a lot of fun.
How popular are you in Korea?
Ung Joh: We’re not really popular. I mean the indie scene in Korea isn’t that popular but we are popular within this indie scene.
We’re planning on making two albums this year. One will be a Goonam album, the other will be with all four of us
What is your asset as a group? What makes you unique?
Ung Joh: We play music from Asia; we are traditional. Many Asian artists play Westernized music while we are more concentrated on the music heritage of our own country. I think it’s probably our strong point, our asset, maybe.
Would you like to play music in a different era or is now the right time for Goonam to be alive?
Byunghak: Of course we owe a lot to the previous generations but now is better. We’ve learned from all those past musicians to make our own sound.
What are your plans for the rest of the year?
Ung Joh: We’re planning on making two albums this year. One will be a Goonam album, the other will be with all four of us (with live members Kim Naum, keyboards, and Park Taesik, drums).
Byunghak: We’re excited about it.
Have you started production?
Ung Joh: The songs are ready but we still have to record it. There will be 10 songs for each new album.
Do you have any plans to become bigger?
Ung Joh: We want to make more albums, more tour, more energetic music.
Byunghak: We want to go further in our sound. We want to be more creative but we do depend on Western pop nowadays; it’s quite a big influence.
Ung Joh: We’re big David Bowie fans; his last album is awesome.
Do you have any favourite David Bowie’s song or album?
Ung Joh: I think Wild is the Wind (from the 1976 ‘Station to Station’ album) is a major influence on our music. We want to be more creative; to combine this Western pop influence with our own traditions. We want to conserve our own musical identity while always being more creative.
Is there anything in particular you want to do while in the UK?
Ung Joh: We have a very tight schedule. (laughs) But I want to go to the park, Hampstead Park (North London). I love beautiful parks.
Taesik: I want to meet Blur (laughs)
Ung Joh: The last time I came to the UK, I met the Blur guitarist, Graham Coxon, in a Camden Town pub. It was great! (laughs)
Byunghak: I want to meet good friends! (laughs)
It was a great time together with the four members of Goonam as we sat down for this warm and personal interview. They had a great show that night and are as affable and fun on stage as they are off stage. We would like to wish them the greatest of success of the upcoming release of their new albums.
You can read the following stories from the Korea Rocks Tour at Tunbridge Wells:
You can find out the latest updates of Goonam by following them:
Coverage provided by Marty M.
PR/Technical Assistance provided by Nicole@hellokpop.com
Galaxy Express introduce Korean indie rock and reveal their dreams
Formed in Seoul in 2006, the trio of Galaxy Express composed of Lee Ju Hyun (vocals, bass), Park Jong Hyun (vocals, guitar) and Kim Hee Kwon (drums) quickly attracted attention with their infectious blend of tightly wound garage rock, punk, psychedelic sounds and explosive performances. They have released four EPs and 3 albums which all grabbed some prestigious awards on Korean soil. Galaxy Express has held tours in America and played in various international festivals. They are now at the forefront of the Korean indie rock scene and became one of its most critically acclaimed acts.
Hellokpop had the opportunity to meet with them at Tunbridge Wells, Kent, just hours before they officially kick off their first UK tour as part of the Korea Rocks Tour sponsored by Hyundai Card Music.
UK Tour, Expansion and Korean Indie Rock
How was your flight?
Jong Hyun: 12 hours, it’s really horrible. We want to buy a personal airplane. (laughs)
Well it’s still going to be 12 hours though. (laughs).Is this your first UK tour?
Ju Hyun: Yes, first time, first day.
How is this tour important to you?
Jong Hyun: This is our very first time in the UK and we love to meet new people, travel to new places and gain potential new fans.
Hee Kwon: We want to see what the local scene is like. There is a lot of competition for indie rock here.
You have won a few awards in the past in Korea, could you tell our readers how popular you are today?
Jong Hyun: We’re not mainstream. We only have a couple of TV shows, on KBS, Music Bank.
How was it?
Jong Hyun: It’s quite unfriendly. They’re not the biggest fans of rock music.
Did you actually play your instruments?
Jong Hyun: Yeah.
Ju Hyun: We did, but they usually don’t like it when an artist plays his own music.
Why rock as a genre isn’t that popular in Korea?
Jong Hyun: Actually, rock was really popular in Korea in the 60′s and 70′s, but then a new president came who controlled all the culture; TV, magazine and radio. It was quite crazy. Because of that, the rock history had been cut. The acts had to play underground with no access to TV shows or being able to do big concerts. People could not hear Korean rock music anymore though Western rock music was still accessible. But now, with the internet and media trying to introduce rock music, it starts to get more attention. I think people are growing sick of dance music as it seems to be always been the same old thing; that’s why, I think.
Do people recognize you when you walk in the streets?
Jong Hyun: Not much. Maybe in Hongdae. However music lovers sometimes recognize us and it’s nice.
How would you describe your relationship with your fans?
Jong Hyun: We play a lot in Hongdae so they come to our shows, week after week, on week days. We’re very open to them. We communicate a lot.
Ju Hyun: Especially through the internet; on twitter mostly.
Jong Hyun: But we’re not Kpop stars. (laughs)
What do you think about Kpop popularity abroad right now? Do you think it can positively or negatively affect you?
Jong Hyun: We don’t really care about that. But we don’t hate Kpop, we think it’s good.
Ju Hyun: It’s really sexy. (laughs)
Jong Hyun: Because of Kpop, they are now many international websites seeking to interview us, like hellokpop. Although we belong to another kind of music, it does bring us some attention.
From our point of view as international audience, we look at Korean music and we see Kpop expanding into genres, embracing all its artists at once and not just one or a few isolated ones. Is there a similar process for Korean indie music?
Hee Kwon: It’s not very different; we’re trying to expand together, but it’s more difficult because we don’t have facilities to promote ourselves through videos.
Jong Hyun: As we said earlier, TV stations usually don’t like rock music because it is A LOT of technical work for them to make rock music come to live on air. But it’s getting better. There are new live music programs, new cable channels trying to promote rock music, and live music as whole.
As you are expanding in the Western world, are you more concerned about meeting critical acclaim or reaching big audiences regardless of what the Western press might think of you?
Jong Hyun: Well, we want to win audiences musically with our own quality. We hope to meet critical acclaim. We want to be a rock and roll band, and we want to work hard for it.
How important is it to expand out of Korea for you?
Jong Hyun: We live in Korea so we think Koreans are first. But we also want to make new international fans because we are not that welcomed in Korea. If we get a lot of international fans, Korean people might wonder why? What’s going on with that group? We want to keep up with our international audiences so we keep working in the UK or America. We visit the South By Southwest (SXSW) every year; this year was our third. We don’t want to stop that process. We want to keep introducing our music to new people.
Music and Dreams
Do you have any British influences in your music?
Jong Hyun: We love many classic rock groups: Led Zeppelin…
Hee Kwon: Sex Pistols.
Jong Hyun: We used to be a punk group so we like many groups like the Sex Pistols or the Clash.
On the top of your head, what are your favourite songs?
Jong Hyun: The whole albums! Any song from Anarchy In The UK, God Save The Queen…
Ju Hyun: London Calling.
Jong Hyun: Rock the Casbah.
You named those bands like the Sex Pistols or the Clash, that owe a good deal of their fame due to their controversial attitude. What are your views on that from your personal point of view?
Jong Hyun: For us it’s just music; we don’t think of any other ways like creating scandals to get bigger. It’s just the music for us.
Hee Kwon: Now there’s the internet and it’s a good tool to introduce our music to fans. We’re going to make more albums.
Jong Hyun: It’s hard in every country to keep a band alive, very hard. A lot of Korean artists are gone after one album. It’s getting harder, I think in every country, but sometimes I feel like a rest. We play underground and do a lot of shows but we’re music lovers and always been so.
Are you satisfied with your sound now or are you going to take new directions in the future?
Jong Hyun: We want to do more. We produce all our albums now but we’re interested in working with some good producers, some good guys.
If you could describe your sound in one image, what would it be?
Ju Hyun: Like a rocket, a rocket firing to space.
Jong Hyun: We made a new album and I think the jacket for this eponymous album represents us quite well. It’s very primal, wild, and instinctive (see jacket below).
Do you have a specific plan in mind when you create new music?
Ju Hyun: We share our ideas, and try to find the structure together.
Hee Kwon: We like to jam naturally.
Jong Hyun: We have a very ambient way of creating new music.
What genres of music do you like, aside from rock?
Jong Hyun: Basically rock. (laughs)
Hee Kwon: Movie soundtracks.
Ju Hyun: We like classical music.
Jong Hyun: And Kpop music as well. There is some good Kpop music. And we also like old Korean songs.
Last year, the Koxx produced a song for Myrio and one for 4Minute; if an idol company approaches you to produce a song, would you consider it?
Jong Hyun: Yeah, I think we can, for the big money (laughs). But I want to do it… musically. I want to communicate my vision. I’ve got to pass on my vision otherwise I’m not interested.
Do you consider producing for other groups, Jong Hyun?
Jong Hyun: Not right now. Right now all I want is my band (smile).
What are your goals as a group?
Jong Hyun: We want to get bigger.
Ju Hyun: By making better albums, better music; we think that’s the key.
Hee Kwon: And doing many lives. Many, many lives. (laughs)
Jong Hyun: We want to get bigger but music comes first for us. Making a lot of money or not we’re gonna make music for a long time. That’s our dream: to play music for a long time.
Ju Hyun: Our fanbase is important for us and we want to keep going with them.
Despite the language barrier and unexpected questions which were honestly answered, this was indeed a valuable interview in which our readers can now learned more about Galaxy Express. I would like to thank the band for granting hellokpop such a rare opportunity to sit down and talk about rock music. We wish them the greatest success in wrapping up their first UK tour and their future development.
You can read the Tunbridge Wells concert report here; follow the group on their Facebook page, and the tour on its Facebook page.
You can read the following stories from the Korea Rocks Tour at Tunbridge Wells:
Coverage provided by Marty M.
PR/Technical Assistance provided by Nicole@hellokpop.com
p/strong
Gate Flowers: We want to be known as a Rock Band
We want to be known as a band from Korea, but before all, as a rock band.
It is 6pm in Tunbridge Wells and here I am sitting down with the four members of Gate Flowers in the backyard area of the Forum – last year NME’s best little venue of the UK. Galaxy Express is currently doing an enticing sound check and we have to occasionally lean close across the table to hear each other. Gate Flowers’ Seung Shik is seated right in front of me and I quickly find out that he is the English spokesperson of the group with his English proficiency as fluent as mine. On his right is Jae In (Bass), Jong Eun (Drums), and Keun Hong (Vocals) on the side. Not knowing what to expect, I browse through my list of questions jolted down the day before after much thoughts and fire off this interview with some easy pedestrian questions:
How was your flight?
Seung Shik: 12 hours. No jet lag. We’re adjusting perfectly fine.
Is it your first time in the UK?
Seung Shik: No, our drummer and I came before for a trip, but it’s our first time playing here.
What does this tour represent for you?
Seung Shik: Well it’s our very first time playing in the UK and also our very first international tour. We had opportunities before but we were just too busy with things happening in our own country, so we’re very excited.
You have a couple of English songs but overall you use very little English into your songs. Could you describe your lyrical themes to our readers?
Seung Shik: Our singer writes all the lyrics. He writes about himself, his personal views, ideas, his feelings, everything that is related to him: the society, the world, politics, relationships.
When someone listens to our music, he can hear all different parts doing their own thing, but after all they all come together.
Encouraged by the group’s kindness and attention, I thus ventured to take this interview out of its comfort zone to dig a bit deeper.
And how do the other members relate to it?
Seung Shik: We think the music is as important as the lyrics. He can write a poem but the music is our rhythm. We have a very strong rhythm section. Our drummer is excellent and so is our bassist. He’s very versatile; he can do rock, he can do folk; he can play any kind of stuff. He has his own style and me too. We don’t like anything that’s average, just normal. We want to come up with our own stuff.
How much control do you want to have over your sound? Do you spend a lot of time rehearsing and recording to get it right or do you just go with the flow and let your instincts speak?
Seung Shik: We want every member to have his own part. Sometimes we fight, within our song, musically and sometimes verbally. But after all, what we want to do is not to show what we have individually but what we have as a band. So, control? We fight until all our sounds mingle together. There is an unspoken rule of control. We never talk about it. When someone has a sound that we like, we just go with it and let the drums, the bass and the guitar mingle with it on their own time with their own sound.
By listening to your last album ‘Times’, it seems there is a lot of Mark Knopfler or even B.B. King in the way the guitar interacts with the other element of the songs. Are those guitarists personal inspirations for Seung Shik?
Seung Shik: Of course I love Mark Knopfler and it’s interesting that you mention it. Our EP, the one before Times, has more guitar presence within the music because, during that time, for our EP, most of the songs started from the guitar riff. But our Times album is well balanced, meaning the guitar took less control over the music.
But do you consciously try to give a distinct sound to the guitar as in there seems to be a dialogue between the guitar and the other instruments underneath the vocals?
Seung Shik: We try to have a distinct sound for each instrument, but also to find the right balance as a group. So for Times, I tried to balance the guitar more evenly with the other members. You should listen to the bass, and the drums, they’re really nice (laughs).
Keun Hong: When someone listens to our music he can hear all different parts doing their own thing, but after all they all come together.
After Top Band, the venues were packed (…) We were upset because we were always there.
I couldn’t be more pleased with the response from Gate Flowers. As we exchange conversation, I can feel the group’s eagerness, expectations and ambitions; as well as their passion, admiration of one another’s talent and the growing enjoyment of this unconventional interview. At this point, there was one question burning my lips that fuelled some warm discussions among the groups.
In coming to this UK tour do you feel like an ambassador for the Korean indie rock scene or are you just representing Gate Flowers?
Jong Eun: Both.
Do you feel you have a mission to make the Korean rock scene more well-known?
Jong Eun: We feel the responsibility.
Keun Hong: Of course we can be categorized as a rock band of Korea because we sing in Korean. But we don’t want to be compared as a Korean rock band. We just want to be known as “a band”, not in Korea, but just a band. We don’t want to be compared as a Korean rock band just because we sing in Korean.
Jong Eun: Our music is part of a very popular genre in the Western parts of the world, especially in the UK and in America. We want to be known as a band from Korea, but before all, as a rock band.
Seung Shik: Of course we feel the responsibility, we are very responsible because we are from Korea and there is great rock music in Korea so if they can have some kind of attention, I mean have a blow, it’s great, but first and most of all we want to be known as a rock band.
Keun Hong: Even our music isn’t mainstream rock from Korea. Our style is definitely different from Korean rock music; we think we’re different from Apollo 18, Galaxy Express or Goonam which are the other bands on the tour,
Jae In: Or even Guckkasten.
Keun Hong: We think we are mainstream; that we became mainstream because of the TV show ‘Top Band’. And before that we didn’t get much attention, even in the Korean rock scene.
Seung Shik: I’d just like to add that TV show is really important for us. We cannot deny it; because we were in the Korean rock scene before Top Band and we sold about 200 copies of our albums. Even after the KMA (Korean Music Awards where Gate Flowers won Best Rookie and Best Rock Song for Reserve Army in 2011) we sold about 50 more; so altogether about 250, maybe 300. I know it’s pretty embarrassing but we weren’t embarrassed because it’s the listeners; they didn’t know about us but we were always there. And now they treat us like idol groups. I mean after Top Band, the venues were packed. Without any promotion we would fill 100 or 200 people capacity venues easily; and we almost sold out about a thousand shows after that, all of them in just day or not even. And we were upset, because we were always there. In Korean rock, we were minors.
And now you are big?
Seung Shik: We got bigger; but we still want to get bigger, meaning we want to promote our music to more people who might like our stuff.
Our international audience is really important to us.
So you are not restricted to Korea?
Seung Shik: No, and that’s really important. Our international audience is really important to us. Very very important, that’s what we try to work on. This is our very first night in the UK and we are opening the show. It’s very important; I hope this is going to be the beginning of all. But we’re not on a mission as the very first Korean rock band or representing Korea. We have the responsibility because we are from Korea and there are other great musicians in our country and of course we want them to have this kind of chance.
Do you have any plan to conquer bigger audiences inside and outside Korea?
Seung Shik: We are working on it. But nothing is really sure yet, and you know, gigs like this are important, and maybe next year we’ll do ‘South By Southwest (SXSW)’. We try to do international festivals.
Keun Hong: Also we are going to write in English.
What makes you different as a group? What is your asset?
Jae In: We are spontaneous and dynamic; there is this “spur of the moment” thing within our sound.
So do you rely on your live shows a lot?
Seung Shik: Live shows are very important. We jam. There is this moment, this very particular moment that everybody likes, and we want to capture that moment into recording, and into live as well. We are very flexible, it’s not like we are only equipped into doing one thing with the only aim of conquering the stage; we’re not doing this. We want to enjoy the moment, the four of us, as a group.
Unwillingly, we have to put an end to our interview as we exceed the allowed time of no more than 12 minutes. I am seduced by each member’s quality on the recordings; this interview makes me discover four passionate and affable artists. They will open the show tonight, the very first of this Korea Rocks Tour, and though I find it rather too short, I am totally blown away by their live abilities.
This is not any typical interview and encounter with a Korean artist with restrictions but I am granted full freedom of my questions which I take advantage of to reveal more about the band to all our readers. I would like to sincerely thank Gate Flowers for their honest and precious answers.
I say, what can we learn from this interview? Not only Gate Flowers is driven by passion, but they are taking their nascent international fan base with the utmost concern. They have made the efforts to come half way across the world to join this tour and appear adamant to create international connections with fans and press alike. Having such a proficient English spokesperson such as Seung Shik is an asset for their international expansion; but it would be nothing without their undeniable talent as group. As he himself said, “I hope this [tour] is going to be the beginning of all”, and it could very well be!
On behalf of hellokpop, I would like to wish them the greatest of success outside their frontiers as a rock group. They have now opened up to the world; I hope it will not take as much as an international TV show to bring them the attention they truly deserve.
You can read the following related stories from the Korea Rocks Tour at Tunbridge Wells:
Coverage provided by Marty M.
PR/Technical Assistance provided by Nicole@hellokpop.com
Video: 게이트 플라워즈
Concert Report: Korea Rocks Tunbridge Wells, UK
Galaxy Express, Apollo 18, Goonamguayeoridingstella (Goonam), Gate Flowers: four groups at the forefront of the blooming Korean rock scene. They visit the UK, home of rock music which gave birth to so many icons – from the Beatles to David Bowie, Led Zeppelin to Dire Straits, Oasis to the Libertines, the Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Smiths and so many more. One can wonder what Korea’s got to offer to a genre past its prime, though still very much alive and kicking. The Korea Rocks Tour, sponsored by Hyundai Music Card, gave it a firm answer this Wednesday night in the So-British city of Tunbridge Wells: ebullient, skillful, inventive, raw, loud, energetic, saturnine, jaw-dropping. The Korea Rocks tour brings rock music back to its roots; “the only thing that matters is music“, I found each and every group vitally claiming at some point in their respective interviews.
Gate Flowers
The line-up is very strong and also very eclectic. Each group plays a different kind of rock with undeniable common points: enthusiasm and quality. Gate Flowers stuns by the richness of their sound and the depth of their skills that sends you back in the days where virtuosos were revered; Goonam combines dance traditions with psychedelic rhythms and electric fun that puts a dreamlike smile on your face; Apollo 18 stands as loud stumping rock that leaves your ears ringing and your head shaking with amazement; Galaxy Express hits the stage with stunning looks, rock star charisma and explosive talent that leaves you to believe you might have just witnessed history in the making.
Goonamguayeoridingstella (Goonam)
It doesn’t matter who they are and where they come from. These are down to earth musicians, living the dream, being exactly where they want to be, playing the music they want to play. Sitting down for over two hours of interviews with each group, I could measure the bands’ common passion about their own music and the other acts on the tour, their heart-warming affability, and their eagerness to kick off this tour in such fashion. It didn’t matter that there were more staff than local spectators within the audience tonight. Each group played hard and endearingly, and special mention is due to a transcended Goonam who were seen jumping off the stage to perform a full song within the audience on a couple of occasions.
Apollo 18
The Korea Rocks Tour will hit the UK scenes on six more occasions:
April 26: Wrexham, Wales at The Bank (Focus Wales)
April 27: Wrexham, Wales at Yales Café Bar (Focus Wales)
April 28: London, England at Barfly
May 1: Manchester, England at Night & Day Café
May 3: Liverpool, England at Studio 2 (Liverpool Sound City)
May 4: Liverpool, England at Kazimier Gardens (Liverpool Sound City)
Galaxy Express
Remember, the shows are for free except for the festivals joined in Liverpool and Wrexham. hellokpop had the pleasure of conducting a personal, in-depth interview with each group that will be published throughout the tour, so stay tuned to hellokpop for more Korean rock and attend the free shows if you’re nearby. Korea rocks – it’s not just a gimmick, it’s true!
Meanwhile here’s a little present for our followers and fellow rock fans, an exclusive cover of the Rolling Stones‘ Paint It Black by Gate Flowers. Enjoy!
Check out our gallery bellow for more shots from the show!
hellokpop would like to thank Gate Flowers, Galaxy Express, Goonam, Apollo 18, Shawn Despres (tour manager) and Hyundai Music Card for inviting us to the Korea Rocks Tour and we wish them the best of luck in making this promotional tour a success!
You can read the following related stories from the Korea Rocks Tour at Tunbridge Wells:
- Interview with Galaxy Express
- Interview with Goonam
- Interview with Apollo 18
- Interview with Gate Flowers
Source: Coverage provided by Marty M.
PR/Technical Assistance provided by nicole@hellokpop.com
