My international summer of Punk continues as the Rumkicks from Seoul, South Korea stopped in Berlin on their Europe/UK tour.
Rumkicks got together around 2017-2018 via online platform for bands in Seoul. The power trio describe their music as fast, fun and free Punk and I wholeheartedly agree. Influences for them come also from foreign Punk bands but especially from the first generation of South Korean punk.
Roots of South Korean Punk got to the 90’s Seoul and dive bar called Drug, where bands like Crying Nut and No Brain played. Even the band is not sure if they are second or third generation South Korean Punk but if some regard Lazy Bone as second generation, then I think Rumkicks has to be third. In the late nineties Punk was in it’s glory in South Korea and the scene has been in slow decline ever since. Members of Rumkicks put the blame on K-Pop, Hip-Hop and Modern Rock taking over the mainstream as well as the underground for most parts.
According to singer, songwriter and vocalist Yeawon Jeong, most of Rumkicks songs are inspired from her getting mad and fueled by anger. Rumkicks new album 反骨 (Born Rude) came out just June 2023. On the new album Yeawon has many reasons to get mad, for example public transportation that doesn’t consider disabled people, people touching her hair without permission, online comments about Rumkicks not being true Punks and assholes commenting on their appearance and clothing.
For the band the name of their new album 反骨 (Born Rude) means being the true outsider, they are far from mainstream and not quite even underground in South Korea. Yeawon says that she feels they don’t belong anywhere and sometimes that can get lonely.
Rumkicks interview 23.07.2023
Reset, Berlin
Producer: Janne Vuorela
https://rumkicks.bandcamp.com/
Picture: Rumkicks
