The Art of the Cover: How Gallus Alice is Bridging Punk Generations in Seoul
Written by Jess Howell
If you've ever stumbled into a Gallus Alice gig, chances are you've been captivated by their electrifying take on Nirvana or The Ramones. While the band continues establishing their presence through regular performances, those fortunate enough to catch them live often leave with a perfect blend of euphoria and whiplash. Though gaining recognition for their raw interpretation of pop-punk classics, notoriety serves as merely one consideration in their thoughtfully curated setlist.
"We noticed at our last gig that some young guys were standing in front rocking out to Brain Stew," recalls frontman Peter Wilson. "We try to do the third or fourth most recognizable song from each group. So we never do Smells Like Teen Spirit, but we might do Breed."
Playing covers in Korea presents unique challenges, as songs often resonate differently with Western and domestic audiences. When asked about tracks that successfully bridge this cultural gap, Peter responded with conviction. "From what we've played, I would say The Beachline Ballroom by Idles. I don't suspect most people have heard that song outside the UK, but I feel like that song always goes over really well. It's punk attitude, punk delivery, but then the chord progression is what the singer himself calls a 'Motown sort of ballad'. So you've got the catchiness of the chord progression, the punk delivery, and I think that's universal. People get that, and it's always quite an easy song to throw detachment to when you're playing covers. You're like, 'these are my words, we're just jamming along'. It's so raw that it always comes across."
To Peter, Seoul's diverse crowds offer a more welcoming atmosphere than his native Glasgow. "A big positive to playing here is how the foreign community makes it seem really small. There's always certain crowds you're going to bump into at Phillies and the Craic House. For example, I went to a party at Phillies because they sold a couple of weeks ago, and I was just going around putting our band in peoples' phones, and a bunch of them came to that gig. When I was playing in Glasgow we had to do a lot more travelling around. We were out in the countryside playing country pubs, so it was always much more hostile. The bassist and I would jump in the car and drive out, and it was always more like 'us against them', winning over the crowd."
Peter chuckles as he recounts an unforgettable experience getting double-booked with a funeral back home. "A 19-year-old guy had died in a car crash and they had his wake in a pub. At the time we were mainly doing Chuck Berry covers, like proper rock and roll. We were booked and we just had to play. So eventually a lot of the mourners just started dancing, and we just had to give it our best shot."
The difference between audiences, says Peter, is striking. "As far as the actual crowds here, sometimes it can take a couple of songs for them to warm up. If you walk into a pub in Glasgow to play at 7:00 PM everyone is usually smashed already. It's more chill here, people are very respectful, but we still manage to work up quite a bit of sweat."
After experiencing diverse audiences across continents, Peter explains that crowd dynamics heavily influence their musical selections. "I ask myself, 'Who do I want to play to?' I don't want screaming teenage lassies at my gig, and I don't need the old boys. I want other pot-bellied, hairy old men to think my band is good. A bunch of good lads just having a little beer bang, ya know? So I'm trying to play the stuff that I would want to hear if I were out. The other criteria for picking songs," he says, is to "imagine a jukebox in a really, really good dive bar. Like a really good, open in the middle of the day, sleazy, dimly lit bar."
Between grassroots promotion at everyday encounters and distributing handcrafted zines before performances, Gallus Alice embraces old-school networking with modern twists. "So far it's been word of mouth," Peter laughs, "with the 'word' being badgering people into following the band on Instagram. So, chatting to people, getting to know them, but also connecting to the followers, or they will forget to come and see us. The zine for this show was the first time I've done that, but I'm hoping it's something that's slightly less disposable than a flyer. So you open it up, we put the puzzles in and the bits and bobs, and even if you never sit and fill it out, it just gives you something to read through for a few minutes, and you'll kind of remember it."
When asked which song the band would most like to perfect, each member has distinct ambitions. "I think Joe would love it if we could nail Caffeine by Faith No More. We played that endlessly at one point, trying to learn it. I'd say I was the one holding us back because I was just learning bass at the time. Joe is quite passionate about that. Ernest is just starting to do some vocals, so next time we meet up, he's going to knock out Be Quiet and Drive by Deftones, and that's not my style of singing. To me, Deftones just sounds like a hairdryer. But he likes that sort of shoegazing wall of sound, so that would probably be his pick. For me, I don't know how we would arrange this, but I would love to do Filipino Box Spring Hog by Tom Waits. It's mainly just drums, a heavily distorted harmonica, and him screaming a recipe. It's a mental song, but it's almost metal in its delivery, and I would love to do that."
With 2025 already in full swing, Peter envisions substantial growth for the band. "I'm excited about our writing. I have about six songs in my head that I want to write so we can do a fifty-minute gig that's half our own stuff and half covers. I'd love to play outside at some point. Small festivals outside of Seoul would be great. I miss that sort of 'everybody in the van, let's drive to the gig' sort of experience."
As our conversation concludes, Peter and Gallus Alice embody the essence of their musical philosophy: regardless of which side of the stage you occupy, truly remarkable music creates an authentic connection between performers and audience.
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