Fantasy booking the headliners for Korea’s festivals
Festival season is upon us. Or at least, festival announcement season is upon us. If you’re like us, you have one question on your mind - who will be headlining the major Korean Festivals in 2025? So, without any inside knowledge, we decided to fantasy book them. Here’s what we would choose to headline each festival if they were to put us in charge and give us all the money.
Pentaport Rock Festival
Booked by Jamie Finn (@jamiefinn2209)
I haven’t gone full-on dream booking here. I don’t think many people really want to see Morrissey headlining Pentaport for three days in a row. So, instead, I’ve looked at the format they’ve done in recent years and tried to fantasy-ish book the headliners based on that.
First, the big show. The Saturday night headliner. Recently, Penta has gone for indie rock artists who got started in the late 90s and early 2000s: The Strokes, Jack White, and Vampire Weekend. With that in mind, I am booking Arctic Monkeys. The Monkeys are just so massive here, as they are everywhere. There’s no way that crowd would not go off. It’d also just be a mad fun show.
Arctic Monkeys
For the Sunday night headliner, Pentaport usually goes for a big-name Korean singalong act to send people home happy. In recent years, it’s been Jaurim, Jannabi, and Kim Chang Wan Band. I was tempted to go for Hyukoh. But this is dream booking, so fuck it; I am putting all my money into reforming Sister’s Barbershop. That would be a special moment.
Sister’s Barbershop
And for the Friday night headliner, I am booking Morrissey. Whatever.
Busan Rock Festival
Booked by Grumble T. Willikins
Busan Rock Festival has increasingly become Busan Rockish Popish Festival. I’m changing that here. While some of the other writers have made sensible choices based on previous headliners, that is just not how I operate.
Headlining night one will be KoRn. I recently watched the first episode of the Woodstock 99 documentary, and KoRn did an incredible job headlining the first night of that festival. I haven’t seen the rest of the documentary and I am guessing it all works out fine.
KoRn
After having KoRn on night one, I want to take it down a notch. So, for Saturday, I am bringing in someone who we can all relax with, someone who can bring us together in a harmonious connection and really deliver the message of the Busan Rock Festival. I choose Slipknot.
Slipknot
Finally, for Sunday, I’m picking… Do we have to abide by the laws of space and time here? Or can we pick anyone ever? I don’t care. Nirvana is my headline choice for the final night.
Asian Pop Festival
Booked by Jess Howell
Attending last year's inaugural Asian Pop Festival had me feeling like a kid being introduced to all the Scooby Doo villains again for the first time. The sheer amount of talent dripping out of Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, and Indonesia. To be completely honest, the organisers could do a band-for-band repeat of last year, and I'd be happy as a clam. However, if I could choose one band from three of those countries to headline, here's who I'd roll with.
Last year saw many of Korea's heavyweight festival main-stays rounding out the already stacked lineup, so it's hard to decide who can bring the energy while not already being a part of the yearly festival circuit. Bulnabang Star Sausage Club fits that bill. The spectacle of moustachioed men wearing cowboy hats with their hallmark accordion and magnetic rhythm has the high genre-spanning energy the festival needs. The name would bring 'em in, and the music would make 'em stay.
Bulnabang Star Sausage
Johnnivan is a melting-pot rock band with Japanese, Korean, and US roots. If that didn't already check all the boxes the festival is looking for, their infectious dance rock wrapped in gorgeous English lyrics always finds a place to call home with anybody who likes to let loose and have a good time. It's a shame they don't have a bigger following, but they're one big headline away from making it happen.
Johnnivan
Not to be confused with Chris Angel, mindfreakkk made a lasting impression on many a dropped jaw at last year's Zandari Festa. Lovely, talented, and involved with her crowd, mindfreakk's music is like stepping into a dream you pray will never end. Asian Pop Fest would be the perfect stage for her sophomore Korean appearance.
DMZ Peace Train Festival
Booked by Troubled Boy
The fortunate thing about DMZ Peace Train Festival is that they don’t need to get big names to sell tickets. Their focus is on creating a certain atmosphere through booking the creme de la creme of music. Did people know who Meule! were before last year’s event? No. But everyone went in trusting that the DMZ booking team knew what they were doing, and they were right. So, for this, I have gone for stuff that isn’t super massive but would help make the right atmosphere.
Opening night, I am choosing French avante-pop band Stereolab. I love their sound and I’ve never seen them live. I know they’d be a great fit for DMZ.
Stereolab
The UK garage thing that was so ubiquitous over the last couple of years has died off. So, how about saying goodbye in style with one of UK garage’s pioneers: Mr. Bangers-Not-Anthems himself, The Streets.
The Streets
I live in Busan, and I usually have to take a long bus ride back to the Second City after a festival like DMZ. That unenviable task would be a lot easier on the soul if I had some TV on The Radio bouncing around in my head. They’re my pick for the third-night headliner.
Have A Nice Trip
Booked by Connor Cass (@aminorcharacter)
Have a Nice Trip is a newcomer to the festival scene. Last year’s event produced one of the more interesting lineups of the summer. Have a Nice Day boasted a really strong undercard of international acts like Sampha and Peach Pit. Alvvays and Alec Benjamin. But how can they reproduce the magic of their headliner picks?
First, Saturday night at Have a Nice Trip is clearly reserved for a nostalgic indie sing-along since Travis headlined it. There’s no shortage of early 2000s British indie bands with plenty of anthems in their arsenal. The Libertines would be an awesome choice for this were they not already playing a gig in Korea in April. So I’ll go with Franz Ferdinand. They put out a pretty tepid album already this year, yet songs like Take Me Out still go crazy in indie bars here, so they fit the Travis mould.
Franz Ferdinand
At Have a Nice Trip, the Sunday had a more modern pick in King Krule. So we’re looking for a jazzy solo guy for this. Geordie Greep is perhaps the name on everyone’s radar who does this kinda thing. But again, he has a show booked in Korea already. So, how about Mac DeMarco? No idea if he’s well-liked here, but I like Mac Demarco, so he’s got one ticket sold.
Mac DeMarco
Or they can just book cult favourite doomgaze band Have a Nice Life because how fun would it be to say “Have a Nice Life at Have a Nice Trip”
Photo by Jon Dunbar
Oi! Fest
Booked by Mica (@mishckah)
Okay! Buckle up your combat boots and adjust your studded belts because I'm about to drop a fantasy lineup so good that it'll make you wonder why this isn’t an actual lineup for Oi! Fest. For those who don’t know, Oi! Fest is a Korean and Japanese punk festival that features an array of amazing and hand-banger-worthy bands. So, naturally, I want to add my favourites that I would love to see.
First, let's unleash the fury of RUMKICKS. These Korean punk rock veterans are going to set the stage ablaze with their anthemic singalongs and relentless energy. RUMKICKS are the epitome of street punk. Trust me, you'll be yelling along even if you don't speak a lick of Korean!
Rumkicks
To round out the Japanese side of things, I need, need, need Ni Hao! to take the stage. Don’t let their Chinese name fool you; this cheer-punk Japanese band will definitely take the crowd to anthemic levels of joy with their own specific genre blend of electronic and punk.
Ni Hao!
Next up is a band I would absolutely go wild for: Drinking Boys and Girls Choir. This Korean group is pure, unadulterated punk joy. Think catchy melodies, driving rhythms, and enough youthful exuberance to make you feel like you're 17 again (except, you know, with better skincare).
And finally, a touch of magic to close the whole affair... Sailor Honeymoon is my final pick in my dream line-up. We need a fresh punk-rock offering that challenges the commonly held view of Korean music as K-pop while evoking an abundance of punk subgenres from the past and present.
Block Party
Booked by Charity Lynn (@_charitylynn_)
Block Party already brings together some of the best in the local scene, so I’m never disappointed and always find something new. However, there are a few of my personal favourites that I’d like to sprinkle in here and there just to be more ideal for everyone. Well, by everyone, I mean me. Mostly me. Here’s my dream Block Party lineup:
Saturday is the most jam-packed day, but I suggest we squeeze in a few more big names. Silica Gel, anyone? We’ve already had two of the members participate before, might as well bring in the whole band. I mean, all we need to do is find a venue in Haebangchon that can hold over 500 fangir-I mean people. Not too hard, right?
Silica Gel
Also, one thing Block Party is missing is more Busan acts. They are just built differently there. Seaweed Mustache (please, I’m begging) and Say Sue Me would surely bring in a crowd. And let’s not just stick with bands, I wanna see some cool shit like magic. More magicians! Caricature art! Fortune telling! Live graffiti!
Seaweed Mustache
Finally, I want there to be an annual Pop Ents reunion every Block Party Sunday to end the night, even if it means I end up going to work super hungover the next day every time.
Is this a Block Party that will make me a lot of money? Who knows? Who cares? I’d happily go into debt to see all these performances on the same weekend. Dear Block Party organisers, if you’re reading this–which I know you are–please take my suggestions into consideration!