Call me a grouch, but when you need both ear plugs and a blindfold to survive a gig in any degree of comfort you have to start questioning the wisdom of some of the sound and lighting judgments. Ear plugs, handed out for free at the entrance to Jambinai’s Purcell Room gig that opened K-music […]
Category: Event reports and reviews (page 2)
Review: Kokdu – a story of guardian angels
The death of a grandmother in remote, rural Jindo becomes dramatically intertwined with a stage performance by dancers, court and folk musicians from the National Gugak Centre as they portray the journey of a soul in the afterlife. The unauthorised purchase of a Jindo puppy by her two grandchildren gets them entangled in the drama […]
Concert review: BTS Love Yourself, Speak Yourself at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium had been host to many musical acts over the years, including the 1988 Live Aid concert. 31 years later and the stands and pitch are filled with fans of sensational boy group BTS, who are quite literally conquering the world. So it is no surprise that both of their dates at Wembley sold […]
Video: Kingston Korean Harvest Fest 2019 ft The Move
It was glorious weather yesterday for Kingston’s Korean Harvest Fest – almost too hot for some of the energetic Kpop dancers and the visiting professionals from Korea. The ice cream sellers were doing brisk trade, as of course were the Korean food stalls that were set up down one side of the historic market place. […]
It’s amazing what you can do with a bit of glue
The KCC’s exhibition in collaboration with the Gwangju Museum of Art, Circulation Metaphor, closed today in preparation for the installation of the KCC’s next show, The Real DMZ. Regular visitors to the KCC during the course of the exhibition will have noticed an unfortunate accident that happened to the ceramic installation that greeted you when […]
A visit to New Malden’s 2019 Korean Independence Day celebrations
Having arrived back in town from the Edinburgh Fringe around midnight the previous evening, I was never going to make it to the 11am speeches and other formalities that kick off the traditional Korean Independence Day celebrations in New Malden. But it was clear that there had been a good turnout: by the time I […]
Review round-up: LKL at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe
After a break from the Fringe last year, LKL returned this year to see what was new. A lot of the companies are fringe regulars: Brush, Modl, Cho-in and Hooam have all come over before, and in fact Modl this year was celebrating its 30th birthday. But there were also new acts, including Korean Gipsy […]
Exhibition visit: Circulation Metaphor, at the KCC
There’s a little bit of Jeollanamdo in the KCC at the moment. Although the exhibition is co-organised by the Asia Cultural Center in Gwangju, and by the Gwangju Museum of Art, the subject matter of the exhibition strays outside of the city limits into Damyang, Hwasun and further afield. The first work to engage you […]
The Illusionists: we went to see the Korean Manipulator, and ended up being fans of all seven performers
The events that LKL covers often involve high culture: dance, visual arts, contemporary or experimental music. So a family entertainment show aimed at a mainstream audience is somewhat outside our usual area of coverage. But that’s not to say we don’t appreciate supreme talent and skill when we see it. Last week we went along […]
Mari Kim’s trip to London for “Immortal Beloved”
We’ve enjoyed seeing Mari Kim’s work on display in London galleries over the past few years, so it was a real treat to be able to meet her when she came over recently for the opening of her show at Pontone Gallery. The works on display this time showed a slightly different direction: still the […]
Live music review: SaaWee at the Albany, Deptford
When anticipating Korea related events involving live performance, I generally try not to raise my expectations too high. That way, I don’t get disappointed. But sometimes I break that rule, usually based on past experience of one or more of the performers. Hence, when pulling together the events post for July I highlighted three events […]
Photos from Birdsong and Borders concert at St Luke’s
While it’s a huge treat that there’s so much in the way of interesting performances involving UK-based Koreans nowadays, it’s a shame that sometimes they clash with each other. Hyelim Kim’s recent collaboration with Merit Ariane at LSO St Luke’s was something I’d definitely have gone to… if it hadn’t been for Jinyeob Cha’s performance […]
Review: Jinyeob Cha in Bongsu Park’s Dream Ritual
The stage is black, preparing you for sleep; the floor slightly mirrored. The space is empty apart from a curtain of transparent silvery organza fabric whose flowing folds represent the peaks and troughs of a typical sleep brainwave, and between which the dancer will move like a ghost. The dancer enters, pulling a another fabric […]
Review triple bill: the 2019 Festival of Korean Dance
When Kim Jae-Duk’s Modern Table last performed at The Place, it was to close the 2016 K-Music Festival. This year the eight-strong all-male troupe was selected to open the 2019 Festival of Korean Dance at the same venue. With a piece entitled Sok-do (Velocity) the audience perhaps had a hint of what to expect. And […]
Nayeong Jeong: Repeat after “The End of the World”
Nayeong Jeong celebrated the successful completion of her Slade PhD viva the day before with a performance at the opening of the group exhibition “A Dance of Scales”, at Assembly Point in Peckham. Jeong’s work often involves a performative element, and also often involves the use of clay not only as a creative medium but […]
Fun and informative: the Purple A x SOKOLLAB K-Beauty x K-pop workshop
Raymond Sweetman, Founder of Purple A, reports from last weekend’s K-Beauty x K-pop workshop It’s always a worry for event organizers that people might not turn up. A second worry is wondering if people will actually like what you are offering. Very happy to report that last Saturday’s workshop held at The Place (home of […]
Concert notes: Byron Wallen, Jihye Kim and Pouya Ehsaei at Redon
It was hard to believe that Byron Wallen, Jihye Kim and Pouya Ehsaei had not performed together as a trio before – there seemed be such respect and understanding between the musicians, as if they were totally familiar with each other’s ways of playing. The three had shared ideas with each other in advance – […]