A review of some of the highlights and trends in the Korean cultural year, primarily in London but also with half an eye to anything we might have seen elsewhere in the UK. The review is a personal one, inevitably skewed towards the events we managed to get to. Introduction This time last year I […]
Category: Fusion music
Wacław Zimpel + Park Jiha play LSO St Lukes
An interesting double bill coming up at the end of January, as Park Jiha returns to London following her appearance at the 2019 K-music festival. LSO St Lukes is a better venue than Rich Mix: you’ll be able to get a better impression of Park’s other-worldly sounds in a more natural acoustic and without the […]
Enlighten – 한, at Menier Gallery
Damilola Eniola presents the fruition of her work in Sound and Music’s New Voices programme: an exhibition, combining both visual artwork and sound. There will be electronic music representing each artwork that people can listen to either at the exhibition or online. At the private view there will be a live performance where her composition […]
Jambinai launches K-music 2019 with explosive force
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 […]
K-music 2019: Black String, 18 Nov @ Purcell Room
Based on Black String’s latest album release, Karma, this closing concert could be the highlight of the festival. The concert is also part of the London Jazz Festival line-up. K-music 2019: Black String Monday 18 November 2019, 7:45pm Southbank Centre / Purcell Room | Belvedere Road | London SE1 8XX Tickets £15 + booking fee […]
K-music 2019: Kyungso Park: SB Circle + Hey String, 29 Oct @Purcell Room
Kyungso Park returns to London with her new ensemble, a collaboration with saxophonist Shin Hyunpil. Kyungso Park: SB Circle + Hey String Tuesday 29 October 2019, 7:45pm Southbank Centre / Purcell Room | Belvedere Road | London SE1 8XX Tickets £15 + booking fee | Book tickets A Southbank Centre takeover pushing gayageum to its […]
K-music 2019: Park Jiha, 17 October @ Rich Mix
Park Jiha returns to the K-music festival to perform material from her lovely second album. Park Jiha: Philos Thursday 17 October 2019, 8pm Rich Mix | 35-47 Bethnal Green Road | London E1 6LA Tickets £15 + booking fee | Book tickets Park Jiha performs her new material solo, by looping and building soundscapes from […]
Black String’s new album “Karma” bodes well for the K-music festival
I’m not quite sure why I didn’t rave about Black String’s debut album Mask Dance when it came out in 2017. Listening to Karma, their follow-up studio album on ACT records due to be released on 27 September 2019, I’m finding it compelling listening. And returning to Mask Dance now I’m seeing it in a […]
K-music 2019: Jambinai, 3 October @Purcell Room
Jambinai open the 2019 K-music festival as part of their six-city England tour. K-music 2019: Jambinai Thursday 3 October 2019, 7:45pm Southbank Centre – Purcell Room | Belvedere Road | London SE1 8XX Tickets £15 + booking fee | Book tickets Jambinai present Korean traditional music in a new and innovative way, with their ground-breaking post-rock […]
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 […]
The 2019 K-Music festival: the official press release
The schedule for the 2019 K-Music festival was released last month, giving everyone the time to plan their diaries. Here, rather belatedly (it’s been a busy few weeks), is the official press release. Tickets are already on sale. K-Music 2019 London’s Festival of Korean Music Thurs 3 Oct: Jambinai, Purcell Room Sun 6 Oct: Celebrate […]
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 […]
SaaWee: New Ritual, at Albany Red Room
A rare chance to hear SaaWee live in London. Don’t miss it. SaaWee: New Ritual Friday, 26 July 2019 at 19:40 The Albany, Red Room Douglas Way, Deptford, London, SE8 4AG Tickets: £10 Check for updates on the Facebook event page 1. Festival of Five Gods We ask for the cleansing of our surroundings and […]
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 – […]
Hyelim Kim in LSO Eclectica: Birdsong + Borders with Merit Ariane
An interesting cross-cultural collaboration coming at at LSO St Luke’s: LSO Eclectica: Birdsong & Borders with Merit Ariane East Meets West Friday 5 July 2019 7.30pm – 9.30pm Jerwood Hall | LSO St Luke’s | London Tickets: £20 £15 | Book tickets NB: table seating in front of the stage Merit Ariane: vocals | Louai […]
Parasang: Byron Wallen, Jihye Kim + Pouta Ehsaei
Trumpeter Byron Wallen has in the past collaborated with Hyelim Kim. Now comes Jihye Kim’s turn: Byron Wallen, Jihye Kim & Pouya Ehsaei Redon | The Railway Arches | Cambridge Heath Road | Bethnal Green | London E2 9HA Thursday, 27 June 2019 from 19:00-23:00 | Tickets £6 Another cosmic Parasang journey via the modular […]
Korean performances at Edinburgh Fringe 2019
A quick wordsearch of the 2019 Fringe catalogue provides the following items of Korean interest at the Fringe this year. LKL’s reviews of eight of the shows can be found here. The Happy Prince Children’s Shows (theatre, puppetry) Venue 21 | C venues – C aquila – temple 13:15 | Aug 1-11, 13-18, 20-26 | […]