This year’s Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival launched on Friday, August 1 and will continue until Sunday August 3. Each day one of the 2014 Penta Super Rookies is performing on the Moonlight Stage, as selected from the Top 9 during the final held July 22nd. Before the festival is already over, let’s have a closer look at the 3 bands that earned the Penta Rookie title.
Reflex
Reflex was competing against The Roosters and Gutz in 2014 Penta Super Rookie Final Group A.
Although officially formed only in 2012, the roots of 4 member strong emo rock band Reflex can be traced already back to 2009. Having previously gone by both Romantic Wrestler and The Wrestler, Reflex released digital singles with the same titles end of 2012 and early 2013 respectively. With the R&B flavored vocals of Jo Gyou Hyun, the band claims their music to be an unpredictable blend of pop, punk and R&B.
Reflex received the 2014 Penta Super Rookie Saturday spot and will consequently hit the stage at 1:10pm, August 2nd.
A’Z bus
A’Zbus was competing against Oops Nice and Seen Root in Super Rookie Final Group B.
The female-fronted alternative rock trio released its first EP Smilecry in April this year, but the members all have several years of activity behind them already. As rock band VeNdiNg MAchiNe disbanded in October 2013, vocalist 우주 and drummer Kang Tae Keun moved on to form A’Zbus together with Sizose bassist Woo Suk Je.
In addition to being one of Pentaport’s Super Rookies, A’Zbus was selected as one of the 2014 K-Rookies as well as one of the Hello Rookies named for June 2014.
A’Zbus was the first of the 2014 Penta Super Rookies to take the stage as they had been assigned the 20min slot on August 1st.
Jannabi
Jannabi was competing against Cranfield and The Lads in Super Rookie Final Group C.
Pop band Jannabi gathers three guys from Chuncheon, all born in 1992. Primarily known for their covers, the members released their so far only digital single Rocket in April this year. The band tried out for audition show Superstar K5 in 2013, but only vocalist Choi Jung Hoon–a former FNC Entertainment trainee–made the cut and was placed in project group Plan B, making it as far as the top 8.
Jannabi will be the last of the 2014 Penta Super Rookies to play at Pentaport this year, scheduled to start playing at 1:10 pm on Sunday, August 3rd.