Co-presented by Korea Gig Guide and Dream Dance Studio, the Shake Shop Vol. 5 will take place tonight (Friday, June 21) at Club Freebird in Hongdae. This month’s edition of the collaborative event between indie acts and bellydancers will feature Harry Big Button, The Strikers, and Vidulgi Ooyoo performing alongside Eshe and the troupe she directs, Navah.
Seoul hard rockers Harry Big Button recently made their return to the local live scene. Guitarist and vocalist Sungsoo Lee was injured in a car accident last autumn forcing the band to take several months off. While there is obviously never a good point for something like that to happen, the collision occurred at an especially bad time – mere days after the release of Harry Big Button’s “King’s Life” full-length debut.
“Frustration, frustration, frustration,” says Lee when asked about having to take so much time off after issuing a new album. “My cervical vertebrae, collarbone, and shoulder bone were all fractured. I’m still recovering now, but thankfully the broken bones are almost healed. The doctor said I was lucky because in serious car accidents like I had, many people are paralyzed. To be honest, I was worried about not being able to play music again.”
Lee is back and feels that Harry Big Button are stronger than ever. Wanting to continue to strengthen their sound, the band have recruited a new bassist, Inseok Oh, and drummer, Seungwan Seo. Happy to be back on stages, Lee promises that fans can expect to see more passionate, powerful performances from the group.
Having a bunch of lovely ladies spinning and shimmying to their tunes during their Shake Shop gig should definitely make Harry Big Button’s Freebird appearance more exciting.
“There is a pretty big contrast between hard rock and bellydance,” says Lee. “I think mixing the two of them together will make a bigger impact than having similar stuff paired up together. I hope this collaboration gives the audience some mystical experiences and energy.”
The difference in styles is also what attracted skate punks The Strikers to join the bill for this month’s Shake Shop concert.
“When Eshe asked me about it, I was very surprised,” says bassist Avail Ahn. “We had a band meeting to discuss it and thought it would be a cool challenge. Hard, straight punk rock being mixed with beautiful bellydance – who would imagine such a unique pairing?”
The Strikers are currently penning material for the follow-up to 2011’s “Screaming Youth.” With any luck, fans will get to hear the album sometime in the coming months.
“Our new songs aren’t finished yet, but a few are almost done,” says Ahn. “I’m not sure when we’re going to complete them. We’d like to release our next album before the end of this year.”
The always excellent shoegaze quartet Vidulgi Ooyoo will round out the bill for tonight’s Shake Shop show.
The Shake Shop Vol. 5 takes place on Friday, June 21 at Club Freebird. The show starts at 11:00 pm and the cover charge is 10,000 won with one free drink. Eshe and Navah will perform alongside Harry Big Button, The Strikers, and Vidulgi Ooyoo. For more information about The Shake Shop Vol. 5, check out the show’s Facebook event page here.
