Korea’s foremost showcase festival, Zandari Festa will kick off in Seoul on September 28. So many fantastic bands will be playing that it’ll be impossible to catch them all.
Although part of the fun with a showcase festival is to check out artists one isn’t necessarily all that familiar with yet, there’s a bunch of bands that I will make sure to see even though I’ve caught them live several times before. These would also be my strongest recommendations for anybody that has yet to see them in action.
Modsdive
September 30, 19:00 @ Club FF
They’re back! They’re back! The guys in Modsdive are finally back together again! Before going on a hiatus Modsdive had impressed me enough to become my favorite Korean post-rock band. This year at Zandari Festa it’ll be a focus on new songs and I can hardly wait.
Noeazy
September 30, 19:00 @ Club Crack
Both of the years I’ve attended Zandari Festa so far, Noeazy impressed a lot. Last year so much so that I named Noeazy’s the best showcase of Zandari Festa 2016. The band members are all very technically competent and they always deliver engaging performances that are a joy to watch. Not to miss for anybody that enjoys loud guitars or drums beaten fast and hard. Korean metalcore at its finest.
Hellivision
October 1, 18:30 @ The Stump
As good as Hellivision may sound on record, this is a band that simply must be experienced live. Psychedelic rock jams that just go on and on and on and you never want them to stop.
Wings of the ISANG
October 1, 20:30 @ Evans Lounge
Last year Wings of the ISANG released a perfect collection of well-crafted songs, evolved over time and exquisitely mixed to perfection. One could easily be forgiven for assuming that such a sound would be difficult to reproduce in a stage setting, but Wings of the ISANG proved that it is indeed possible. Epic post-rock oriented excursions best experienced live.
PAKK
October 1, 21:00 @ Club Crack
With the debut EP released last year, PAKK filled the void left by Apollo 18. With the two bands sharing Kim Daeinn as leader, it was only natural that I would find a new favorite in PAKK. Seeing PAKK live for the first time at Zandari Festa 2016 was fantastic. My expectation is that after another year of playing together and more great material to pull from from the band’s recently released first full-length album, this year will be even better.
Additional Recommendations
Though my recommendations above primarily cover various flavors of post-rock, psychedelic rock, and loud guitars in general Zandari Festa has plenty more to offer. I can personally vouch for the general awesomeness of live performances from all of the below.
September 29
19:00 – National Pigeon Unity: Surprisingly loud rock for just two guys.
20:30 – Idiotape: Synthesizers meet drum set for electronic rock.
21:30 – howaho: Lovely and strong modern folk.
September 30
17:00 – Unchained: Grunge rock from Busan.
18:00 – Say Sue Me: Lovely, lovely surf rock.
19:30 – Guten Birds: Captivating alternative rock. (With dolphins!)
21:00 – DTSQ: Electro-rock with great drive.
October 1
18:00 – 57: Two-piece rock duo. Always a delight to watch.
19:30 – Huckleberry Finn: Iconic long-running indie rock band.
19:30 – ECE: Eccentric and memorable.
20:00 – Billy Carter: Blues rock done right.
21:00 – Galaxy Express: The epitome of Korean rock’n’roll.