Dongyang Gozupa (translated as “eastern high frequency”) defy description. They stormed the K-Music Festival last year with their wild mix of trail-blazing percussion combined with the yanggeum (hammered dulcimer) to create highly intense and hard-hitting progressive post-rock, merging power and beautiful melodies. Dohyuk Jang – percussion Eunhwa Yun – yanggeum Minhwi Ham – bass Dongyang Gozupa are like … [Read More]
Category: K-music Festival (page 3)
K-music 2022: PAKK + EERU: Silent Exorcism
The leader of Jambinai, EERU, returns to the K-Music Festival for a new collaboration with heavy rock band PAKK. Formed in 2014 by Kim Dae-inn (guitar + vocals), Park Hyun-Seok (bass) and Kim Tae-ho (drums), they stormed the Korean indie rock scene with their first album Salpuri (Exorcism), creating furious sounds of experimental alternative rock, mixed with … [Read More]
K-music 2022: Lee Jaram performs Hemingway
Leading pansori singer and performer Jaram Lee presents The Old Man And The Sea, inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s classic story. Pansori is the ancient art of expressive musical storytelling where a singer is accompanied by a drummer and performs a narrative that can be tragic or funny – always entertaining. It is thought to have … [Read More]
K-music 2022: Dal:um & ReMidas
Dal:um, who made their London debut at the Purcell Room last year (LKL review here), open the festival with an intriguing new collaboration with duo ReMidas to create a string quartet of zithers, the gayageum and the geomungo. Despite their similarity these two instruments are surprisingly different in structure, playing technique and tone. Dal:um is … [Read More]
The Sound of Nature: Dal:um live at Southbank Centre
“Korean traditional instruments contain the sound of nature.” This is the opening line of Ha Suyean’s answer to my question regarding what Dal:um would like their international audience to know about ancient Korean instruments gayageum and geomungo. “For someone coming to these two ancient instruments for the first time, what will they discover?”, I had … [Read More]
K-music 2021: the official press release
Last year, despite the lockdown, the K-music festival presented is with a huge range of talent via its online concerts. Many of the acts that we heard for the first time last year will now be making their way over to London (and Norwich) so that we can experience them live. There’s a real feast … [Read More]
K-Music 2021: Soojin Suh Coloris Trio & Camilla George
I know I should no longer be surprised at how well these collaborations work, but last year’s online meeting between Soojin Suh and Kit Downes was really rather good, so I’ll certainly be attending this gig, the last of the 2021 K-music festival. Soojin Suh Coloris Trio & Camilla George Wednesday 17 November 2021, 7:45pm … [Read More]
K-Music 2021: Dal:um
Dal:um are a Seoul-based musical duo who challenge the sonic possibilities of Korea’s most well-known traditional string instruments: Dal:um Saturday 6 November 2021 7:45pm, Southbank Centre / Purcell Room | Belvedere Road | London SE1 8XX | Buy tickets Monday 8 November 2021 8pm Norwich Arts Centre | 51 St Benedict’s Street | Norwich NR2 … [Read More]
K-Music 2021: Black String & Nguyên Lê
To mark the band’s 10th anniversary, Black String return to the K-Music Festival with their old friend, musical companion, and one of the most versatile jazz guitarists Nguyên Lê. This is an extremely rare opportunity to watch them perform together presenting the masterpieces from Karma, their collaborative work. Black String & Nguyên Lê Grand Junction … [Read More]
K-Music 2021: Sinnoi + Dongyang Gozupa
Before heading to WOMEX in Porto, Dongyang Gozupa joins the K-music festival to perform at the Coronet Theatre for a double bill with Sinnoi, a quartet led by vocalist Bora Kim, ‘her flawless voice gliding between the purest of high tones and animalistic growls’ (Songlines). An exciting night with a true mixture of fresh sounds … [Read More]
K-music 2021: Kyungso Park & Soona Park with Angharad Jenkins
One of the pleasures of the K-music festival is the opportunity to hear interesting collaborations by musicians from different parts of the world. This is the first such collaboration of K-music 2021. Kyungso Park & Soona Park with Angharad Jenkins Sunday 17 October 2021, 7:45pm Purcell Room | Book tickets A unique experience of North … [Read More]
K-Music 2021: ADG7
There’s a great line-up for K-music this year, and we’re really looking forward to the opening gig: ADG7 K-Music Festival Opening Wednesday 06 October 2021, 7:30pm LONDON Kings Place (Hall One) | 90 York Way | London N1 9AG | Book tickets ADG7 will open K-Music 2021 with hits from their debut album Ak Dan Gwang Chil, … [Read More]
A review of the Korean cultural year 2020
It would be an understatement to say that the cultural year 2020 has been markedly different from previous years. The pandemic has had a huge impact on the cultural scene, with most live events cancelled and event promoters falling back on the internet to provide us with our cultural fixes. Some of these attempts have … [Read More]
K-music 2020: now online only
It was a brave attempt: despite the pandemic, K-music 2020 was originally planned to open and close with live gigs. Now neither gig will now go ahead as planned. Flying over ADG7, a 9-member band with its associated staff, as Covid conditions worsened proved too much of a challenge. So the opening concert was the … [Read More]
K-music 2020 online: Heemoon Lee + Prelude + NomNom
Heemoon Lee’s gig with Prelude and NomNom at K-music 2017 (pictured below) was LKL’s live performance of the year, and it’s a strong contender for most fun gig of the whole K-music series so far. So it deserves its place in this K-music Greats strand, the final online concert of the festival. K-Music Greats III: … [Read More]
K-music 2020 online: Park Jiha, Kyungso Park, Woojae Park + Soona Park
The second online concert of the K-music Specials strand brings us a collaboration between four Parks, three of whom have featured at past K-music festivals. The fourth Park, Soona, has separately played in London several times as part of Baramgot. K-Music Specials II: Park Jiha, Kyungso Park, Woojae Park + Soona Park Friday 13 November, … [Read More]