The K-music Festival 2023, this year celebrating its 10th anniversary, has now sadly come to a close. The event, which took place at venues across London between 1st October and 12th November delighted audiences by showcasing a diverse and dynamic roster of Korean Artists. It is hard to avoid being swept up in ‘Hallyu’ (the Korean Wave) which we can see flourishing all around the world – not just in Korea’s Pop Music (K-Pop) industry, but in many different aspects and forms (film, video games, TV, fashion and food). The festival organisers sought to fill the line-up with the best of contemporary Korean music, thrilling collaborations, and extraordinary performances – and wow, did they succeed!
The highly anticipated Opening Concert was truly incredible. Attending a live performance by the London Symphony Orchestra (“LSO”) is something everyone should experience at least once in their lives, but when you combine the LSO with Jung Jae-il, the outcome is just a truly incredible evening. Jung Jae-il is not only an incredible composer, but a brilliant and versatile instrumentalist. Everything about the performance was flawless – the music of course, but also the delivery, the showmanship, the obvious friendship between Jung Jae-il and the Conductor, the lighting, everything through to the sound quality. Then along came the ‘Pansori’ performance which was spectacular and moved some of the members of the audience to tears.
The Festival’s second performance was a collaborative performance between soloist Dasom Baek and duo CelloGayageum. Their performance took place on 6 October at Kings Place, London and was special and personal. We were treated to both acts performing individually before uniting and delighting us with music they had created together.
In her own words, Dasom Baek’s music is story put to musical form, and I’m sure that each listener takes away their own impressions, thoughts and feelings from having listened to her perform. Baek’s music is emotive and amazing to listen to. She has clearly mastered the art of ‘looping’ and the ability to mimic the sounds of nature. The compositions and sounds she produces are truly amazing. Her music took my imagination to all kinds of places. I was walking among a forest at nighttime with the world around me fizzing with life. I experienced the mystery and call of the wilderness. I pictured mountains and green trees. I imagined myself walking at the crack of dawn around a palace, where it transforms from being silent to the morning call of people stirring to life and the bustle of daily life creepy in, people passing each other on their way. It was a spiritual performance. Please click here to read my interview with Dasom Baek.
The best way for me to describe the performance given by duo CelloGayageum is with the word ‘ethereal’. The Cello is an instrument I am very familiar with, but I’ve never encountered anyone that plays the instrument in the way the Sol Daniel Kim does. I felt in awe when the duo were performing Sound of the Ocean and hearing him play the Cello in such a way that genuinely sounded like gentle waves on a peaceful shore. I’ve had the privilege now of hearing the Gayageum played a few times, and again, I do not think anyone plays the instrument quite like Yoon Dayoung. She, too, was incredible. The duo together are lively, charismatic, engaging. I hope to have the honour of hearing them play again one day. In the meantime, you can read my interview with CelloGayageum by clicking here.
I was unfortunately not able to attend the performances by Groove&, Haepaary and Sun Mi Hong in order to be able to write about their performances first hand, but all of the people I have spoken to about the performances found them really impressive.
Groove& is a dynamic all-female percussion ensemble whose specialty lies in reinterpreting, composing, and performing songs rooted in traditional Korean music. Their music showcase a diverse range of traditional percussion instruments, including the Yanggeum (hammered dulcimer), Ulla (a set of gongs), and Janggu (slim waist drum). Groove& consists of members Lee Sangkyung, Sohn Minji & Kim Haegyeong. Please click here to read my interview with the trio ahead of their performance.
Haepaary are an alt-electronic duo. Their performance and K-Music Festival debut infused a unique twist into traditional Korean ritual music, resulting in a distinct sound which I’ve read being described as “alternative techno, ambient, and dream pop”. The band is composed of Hyewon (instrumentalist) and Minhee (vocalist) and together they have embarked on a reinterpretation journey, where they seek to breathe new life into the melodies and lyrics of Jongmyojeryeak (the royal shrine music of the Joseon dynasty) and Namchang Ggok (a traditionally male-only vocal genre).
Drummer Sun Mi Hong, returned to the K-Music festival to form a quartet comprising jazz vocalist Song Yi Jeon (Jazz vocalist), Lee Gee Hye (Pianist) and Kim Hyelim (Daegeum). This collaboration marks the first time that these four accomplished improvisers have come together to showcase their vibrant fusion of jazz and Korean music.
The penultimate performance as part of the festival is one I could quite easily talk about for a very long time. I’d spoken to someone about these artists before the festival began, and was informed that they would be a performance to look forward to. The bands were: Jambinai (first half) and Leenalchi (second half). Both artists were amazing. Their music is completely unique, incomparable to any other band I’ve heard before, and really hard to reduce to a mere few words. I’m not sure if I can compliment them enough.
Jambinai (left) are renowned for their “intense folk-infused post-rock” and have performed as part of many a prestigious music festival worldwide, including Glastonbury and the Closing Ceremony of the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. I’ve also heard that they draw some influences from bands such as Metallica. I loved listening to them perform – they were so exciting – but I was glad I brought my trusty Alpine hearing protectors!
Leenalchi (right) take their name from a famous Pansori singer, and describe themselves as “adventurers of alternative pop”, which I love. They’re groundbreaking musical storytellers. Their music is “Pansori funk pop” – an accurate description but it doesn’t include how incredible they are. Everyone was dancing at the end of their performance, which I didn’t want to end. If you’re unfamiliar with Leenalchi, Christopher Conder of Songlines has written a great article, which you can read by clicking here. I’ve ever really heard music like it, and I mean that as the highest form of compliment – I’m already excited to hear them perform live again.
Soojin Suh Chordless Quartet x Kit Downes closed the festival on Sunday with a lively and delightful performance that combined the modern and traditional. The improvisation was really exciting – and all the artists clearly have a very high level of technical skill. The thing that I liked most about the set list was all the thought and meaning that goes into the chosen song names: such as ‘Cognitive revolution’, ‘Unity’ & ‘Equality’. I am always delighted to hear anything inspired by the great Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Suh seems open-hearted, kind and charming. I was also really happy to hear her perform at a venue she described as being her favourite place in the universe to perform. The evening ended with an encore of ‘Pure Imagination’ from the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which was a happy melody they hoped would send the audience off in good spirits – which it did!
Finally, I would like to extend a thousand thank you’s to the Korean Culture Centre (“KCCUK”) and Serious Music not only for curating this amazing festival and lineup, but also for extending me an invitation to attend the performances. This has been my first live exposure to such a wide and diverse range of Korean music, and it has been a genuine delight.