The Korean indie band have made a name for themselves over the years for their mellow and soulful take on the genre - and the night would see them take on their largest UK audience yet. It is no secret that Korean artists have dominated the music world over the last few years, Kpop has seen a meteoric rise in the west, and with no signs of slowing down the Hallyu Wave is a force to be reckoned with.
The popularity of Kpop has encouraged many fans to explore the other burgeoning music scenes in the country, with Korean indie being a massive success overseas - bands like Hyukoh, Se So Neon and The Black Skirts have created refreshing takes on the genre and have all found an audience in the UK. Korean indie has a transportative quality, its melodies imbued with emotion that transcends language barriers. Wave To Earth is no different - bursting onto the scene in 2019, they quickly garnered attention both at home and internationally, and are now embarking on their third world tour!
Immediately upon entering the room the gasps of excitement and exclamations of “oh my god, we’re stood so close” floated around the room. Fans flocked to the barricade with customised flags and signs welcoming the band to London. Many fans of the band are also fans of Kpop, which has a creative fan culture; concerts are often filled with people trading handmade freebies and waving signs with members' names. It is interesting to see Kpop fandom sensibilities in an environment ever so slightly distant from its rigid practices. With no opener, the anticipation of the band's arrival filled the empty slot, people making friends and singing songs in the crowd to pass the time. As the crowd slowly filtered in the atmosphere became dense and all of a sudden the lights went down, and the band took the stage to a cacophony of screams.
The stage lit up with the band’s logo, brightly coating the faces of the crowd as they launched into ‘are you bored?’ The band were organised neatly on stage, two in front and two behind on risers, subverting the traditional band lineup and allowing the opportunity for each member to shine, it made for a nice change in visual routine that also provided the crowd with the glimpse of their favourite member with ease.
Singer and lead guitarist Daniel Kim effortlessly glided across the stage, a swagger in his step that aided the often sultry tones of his voice that shined on songs like ‘Pueblo’. His guitar solos riled the crowd up, shrieks and screams echoing throughout the venue. Bassist Cha Soonjong smiled endearingly at his doting crowd, tripping over slightly during the first song as he was busy waving to fans. His skillful playing provided a groovy backing for the band and his charming stage presence was infectious. Touring multi-instrumentalist Jeonmin made up the even number on stage, wowing the crowd with his rambunctious saxophone solos; he really rounds out the dimension of the band’s live sound. Finally, drummer Shin Donggyu was a force to be reckoned with. Despite the general jazzy calmness of many of the band’s songs, he played with an electric brute force that drove the songs forward and drove the fans crazy! His lively movement behind the kit saw him launch flop over the kit like a puppet at the end of songs and on one occasion drum himself out of his seat on pre-encore closer wave. His hypnotic playing style transformed the band’s sound, moulding the tracks everyone loves into a frenetic beast. His style is wild and yet still fitting of the band’s serene indie rock ballads - at his wildest, veering into blast beat territory over a soulful guitar. Shin is endlessly arresting to watch perform, a stand out of the evening and a drummer to look out for.
The stage production of the concert was extremely well curated. At the back of the stage stood an LED screen that spanned that made up the whole background. It projected moody visualisers and shining logos, but also provided an ultra high quality video feed of the band. What became immediately apparent was the way in which the screen worked with the building's history; Brixton Academy is an old cinema! A big screen in its natural habitat added to the nostalgic feel of the band's music. Thoughtful in its approach to stage and screen, performer and audience - there was a conscious understanding of the act of performance that echoed Jonathan Demme’s ‘Stop Making Sense’, with the camera lingering on performers as tech, coffee cups and the wings lay in view. Whether a conscious decision or not, the angles the camera followed the performance felt cinematic and referential. It was high-production and stripped back all the same, the lights surrounding the band mirror a jazz lounge - not too dissimilar to the way Cage The Elephant surrounded themselves on their most recent tour. The camera also allowed for the audience to become an extension of the performance, often capturing Kim’s silhouette against the audience in a way that allowed for them to be conscious of the idea that they were all taking part in the moment.
To sell out a venue so far away from home is an incredible feat, and the fans made their support known, singing back every word as loud as they could muster. Song by song, unwavering in their dedication. The concert oozed with passion from all angles, it was a cathartic and loving environment; groups of friends growing bigger, warm light painting thousands of faces singing together. Wave To Earth provided an intimate spectacle that demonstrates the full power of the Korean indie scene.
Wave To Earth are currently on their ‘0.03’ World Tour. Tickets can be found here.
Eylem Boz
Images: Olivia Brown
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