London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

Fringe visit: Tago – Korean Drum II

The multi-purpose percussion instrument
The multi-purpose percussion instrument created by Team Tago (photo: www.drumtago.com)

On paper, one hour of Korean drumming doesn’t sound appealing, but this type of show is consistently popular with fringe-goers. There is enough variety to keep the audience interested, from Buddhist temple percussion to Samulnori, and the energy and enthusiasm of the performers is infectious. There is also some very non-traditional percussion: a trolley which is part steel-stringed Kayageum/ajaeng, part xylophone, part double-ended drum provided an opportunity for four performers to engage in some light-hearted music-making. Finishing a show with a rousing set of rustic pungmul ribbon-dancing is always a good idea, and the audience responded with a standing ovation.

score-2score-2score-2score-1score-0

Pungmul from Team Tago
Pungmul from Team Tago (photo: www.drumtago.com)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.