Part IX – No Brain
Back in the 60’s
and 70’s, Britain’s economy and global standing were in decline and the ones to
take the brunt of it were the working men and women. Years of hard times and a
loss of national pride led to anger. Basically they went from a 10 to a 9 and
got up in arms. This anger led to birth of Punk.
Fast forward to
South Korea in the 90’s: the country had seen a massive economic boom and was
now reaching towards becoming relevant in a world that had forgotten it. But
they had hit a plateau. The government was constantly fighting and the world
saw Korean politics as a farce. The people were still wary of presidents because
of the recent memory of a military dictator and a string of corruption. The
rich got their money and never gave back while the ret of the population
struggled to make ends meet. Basically they started at a 3, were promised a 10,
made it to 6 and were beat down by the few who made it to 8 and then had to
keep working hard just to keep the 6 and would never see 7.
By all accounts,
they should be really angry. They modestly declined from burning this mother
down and took the passive approach. Then came the outlet of Korean Punk.
Korean Punk was
born in old Hongdae, which is like new Hongdae, but had more people expressing
themselves through song and creativity and less people expressing themselves
through getting sloshed and finding a random dance partner to rub up on in the
club.
It was a toss up
for me: No Brain or Crying Nut. No Brain won, but I’ll make the concession with
this:
“Shut up! Listen
to me!” are the words of rebellion, Korean style. It might not seem like much
to westerners, but to them it was huge to be screaming that out and having the
audience join in instead of being shocked and disgusted.
No Brain’s style
tends to be more laid back as with one of their earliest recorded singles, “Sailor”
from 2000. It picks up at the end, but the piece as a whole truly accents their rough beginnings.
Unlike other punk
bands, No Brain does not just focus on the anger and cynicism. It’s there, but
it’s not the main message. They have concern for the way society is, but want
their audience to leave feeling that since it can be better, we need to do
something to make it better and not just bitch about it. They actually believe
in the power of hope.
Vocalist Lee
Seong-woo, or Bulldaegal, moved to Seoul from Masan with nothing but the
clothes he was wearing and the hope of being in a band. He met a group of
students there and that’s how the band was formed.
When he got to
Seoul, he found a place called Club Drug, the first punk club in Seoul. He ate,
slept and lived there with the cockroaches. The place was a rat-infested
hell-hole and they didn’t care: It was where they performed. They would do a
show, then fall asleep in their sweaty clothes on the floor right there.
When the band
started, bass player Jeong Woo-yong, or Bbogle was a music major. The other
students in his major looked down on the punk movement, calling it noise. He is
still playing, while those students are no longer involved in music.
Their uplifting
brand of punk has helped shape and guide the movement in Korea and made them
more accessible to the Korean public in general. Listening to No Brain is a
gateway to more and more of the underground Punk scene that still exists in
Hongdae, amongst the dance clubs and puke-atoriums. Despite being well known,
this underground venue is still the favored choice of the band to play at, and
they frequently do, without charging ridiculous cover.
Enjoy!
You Blew me Away:
Beautiful World (More traditional punk):
Me From Now:
You're Crazy About Me:
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