Busan Sunset Live
August 31~September 1
Songjeong Beach
https://www.facebook.com/busansunset
₩22,000/1 day ₩33,000 both days
Tickets at Interpark.com
Bank Transfer Info below
Before we get into the meat of it, some quick bits of info are in order. Since my last post on Sunset Live, some new info has been released: luckily for us foreigners, we can now buy tickets via bank transfer (details at the end of the post). Also, they announced the actual venue which is an upgrade. This year all the fun is going down at the far end of Song Jeong Beach. It isn’t clear if it’s on the sand or on that pier… but it beats last year’s parking lot! Ok – on to the music.
The festival will be held in the blue area at the bottom of the map. Show this to your taxi driver.
Saturday’s lineup is dominated by Korean ska and latin bands. Like I said before, every band stands up on it’s own but definitely don’t miss these – the two Japanese reggae bands: The Explosions and No Brand… Korean ska powerhouse Kingston Rudieska… Brazilian beat masters Rapercussion… #1 Korean… South Carnival… hell – don’t miss any bands.
On the facebook – like the Busan Sunset Live page. They regularly post videos of all the bands from the lineup.
Kingston Rudieska – These boys have been making original Jamaican ska music for 10+ years in Seoul. Always ahead of the curve, it seems Kingston Rudieska is finally making it having appeared too-many-times-to-count on TV, touring internationally, collaborating with K-pop stars and recently acting in, what seems to me, a Korean version of The Harder they Come. Ok… it’s not the same plot, but it’s a starring ska musicians. So maybe that’s a stretch. We’ll have to wait until it comes out. Regardless – one of my favorite bands hands down.
Every Single Day – If you watch any Korean dramas, you already know this band. Their music has been featured on multiple television shows and is very recognizable. They have a happy-fun-time pop rock sound. ESD actually has roots in Busan. On one of their albums, you can hear them snarling at each other in Busan dialect before a track… but actually they were wondering aloud when to start playing. Oh Busan Dialect!
The Explosions - Whoa… I’ve been checking these boys out on the youtube and I’m super excited to see them. If you know reggae music at all, think ‘Scratch Perry at his dubbiest, but live.’ If you don’t know reggae music, think ‘My fuck – I need a fat blunt and a bean bag chair STAT!’ The Explosions are everything you could want from a reggae band: hypnotic bass lines, echo and jangle guitar, melodian to put you in a trance. Wah gwan rude boi!
No Brand – And in yet another piece of evidence that everything the Japanese do musically is 200%, we have No Brand: Super fun reggae music, with sexy, in a hippie-chick way, dancers! Once again, I only know them from youtube but they seem tight and ready to explode with some sort of free love sentiment at every turn. Another one not to miss.
#1 Korean – I wrote about them for the Busan Rock Fest. Sadly, the organizers had them on at the beginning of the day – which is bullshit. This band buts on a show. Period. The front man is sauve and charismatic. Their punk is restrained to the point that it is still fun and listenable and their ska lights up the dance floor.
Rapercussion/Zion Luz Project – I probably shouldn’t put both of these bands together… but I am. I have known Rapercussion for years and they always manage to get all 6’5″ of me bouncing around like I’m on gummy berry juice. Zion Luz Project is a new iteration of the former… but with different personnel I think. Some other differences may be: Rapercussion is to Batucada as Zion Luz is to West African Rhythms/Reggae. It doesn’t matter what these guys and girls do though… they are all extremely talented musicians and will play the crap out of anything. Also: Dreadlocks!
Rapercussion: More band members than people in the audience.
Yaya – Sunset Live is special because they manage to bring the entire Island of Misfit Toys and put them on one stage. Yaya is a mind blowing artist. You can’t put her in a box. She’smysterious, she’s rock and roll, she’s gypsy. Her voice does interesting things: she can sound like a duck or a songbird or speak in German and Spanish. And it all fits in some bizarre way.
Jude – ‘HEY – WE PLAY FUN POPPY ROCK AND WE DON’T GIVE A FUCK!!’ Ok… they don’t just play rock. You’ll also hear some soul, r&b and other good listenin’ musics. My wife is going to love them. Talent all over the stage… check out their drummer.
South Carnival – One of the very few bands making waves out of Jeju these days. It’s hard to pin down their genre because they don’t consistently play a single particular style. You’ll hear everything from latin, ska, reggae, brass band – If it sounds good and makes you dance, South Carnival will make it into a song.
Duo Sonic feat. Jae Yong Lee – Can’t find anything on this act. Must be a one-off band.
Ska Wakers – Busan’s very own ska-plosion. This gang has been around for a long time and within the last year have honed their sound to a fine result. Their originals have evolved too, using a lot more different styles for accent. One of my favorites is What is Love which manages to mix reggae, tango, jazz and latin for a song that’s too easy to lose yourself in.
Americano Band – Another fun poppy rock band. I bet they chose their name because they knew their music would, one day, be pumped into cafes all across the peninsula.
So there you have it… if you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. Be back with part 3 shortly!
Buying tickets via Bank Transfer: Gather your friends and figure out how many tickets you need. Remember… it’s buy five (of the same price level) get one free! Transfer the correct amount to KB Bank (국민은행) 115301-04-069812 (엠팩토리). It is 22,000 for one day and 33,000 for both. After the money has been sent, email busansunset@naver.com with your name, phone number and type and number of tickets purchased. They should email you back a confirmation letter.