First Post of 2019!

Dear All,

Thank you so much for another year doing what you’re doing in your scenes, in your bands, with your camera, with your websites, with your podcasts, with your zines, with your labels, with your stores, with your venues, with your booking company, with you just being PRESENT at shows and singing along, with your hard earned money actually BUYING music/shirts/merch, thank you for sharing your favorite local bands, thank you for sharing your favorite Asian bands, thank you for proudly wearing your Asian band merch and being proud of all the work that goes into keeping our small TINY little pockets of hardcore and punk rock in some parts of Asia alive even if it only means it’s you and your friends…

Last night we welcomed the new year here in Seoul at a spectacular hardcore punk show. The venue is called DIP owned by the drummer of Korean hardcore band Things We Say (now of Flush). It was a night of intense celebration for the vocalist of Korean hardcore band No Shelter who just left the Korean army after 4 years of service (hence the title of the show being called DISCHARGE). Under such a celebration, the ENTIRE night turned out and felt like just a celebration of the small Korean family of hardcore and punk rock. EVERY SINCE FUCKING BAND THAT PLAYED LAST NIGHT WAS INCREDIBLE. From the moment opening act The Kitsches grabbed the mic, to when Cerrkyu and Arryam destroyed the place, to when The Geeks took the stage for the first time in 8 months after their guitarist Jun flew back from his new post in China, to when Find The Spot played and the middle of the song they stopped to do the new year’s countdown, to when the main act of the night fucking No Shelter began with the singer talking about his time in the army and his alcohol addiction to get through those hard 4 years and his pledge to go straight edge and then ripping into an emotional set, it was mayhem. Small, proud, loving, friendly, ear-splitting, literally snare drum breaking, smiling, laughing, singing, dancing, moshing, MAYHEM.

And it was beautiful.

Every moment of it was beautiful.

We were smiling from ear to ear because here in Seoul, in this small community there was a beautiful group of people proving to the whole fucking world that HARDCORE IS ALIVE. PUNK ROCK IS ALIVE. ASIA IS ALIVE.

Thank you Seoul for your kindness and friendship, but most importantly thank you for supporting your scene, your bands and your community. That’s why bands and people from OUTSIDE of Korea want to come and visit your scene and check out your bands.

Keep it up please!

Check out the bands that played last night below.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE ALL OVER ASIA IN 2019!!! May it be another fucking awesome year for all of you!!!

https://www.facebook.com/bandxflush/

https://www.facebook.com/Kitschesthe/

https://www.facebook.com/arryamlove/

https://www.facebook.com/Deadbuttons/

https://www.facebook.com/noshelterhc/

https://www.facebook.com/thexgeeks/

https://www.facebook.com/Thee-Mojo-381936342200977/

https://www.facebook.com/ftshc/

Go support your local venues DIP: https://www.facebook.com/dipinseoul/

Go support your local record store: https://www.facebook.com/dopekorea/