 |
| Pop-punk band WinningShot / Courtesy of WinningShot |
By Jon Dunbar
Korea's live music scene has been cautiously emerging from hiding, fearful of spreading disease but restless to return to the stage.
The melodic skate/pop-punk band WinningShot is planning to embark on its first Korea tour, stopping by five cities over the course of one month. They'll be traveling only on weekends, a tactic useful in limiting the potential spread of the virus, but also the reality of domestic tours prior to COVID-19, as there are only so many cities to visit and no point in showing up for a gig in the middle of the week when no one will come out.
It's been a disappointing year for WinningShot, which formed in 2018 and spent 2019 working hard. The band was set to build on its strong start in 2020, with plans to tour Japan in March and a date set for IT'S A FEST! 2020, a punk festival held at Hanagae Beach on Incheon's Muui Island.
"Lots of events, including our planned Japanese tour, have been changed or canceled, and it's been difficult to plan performances where many people gather," guitarist/vocalist Kwon Kihwan said in an interview. "Not only WinningShot, but most bands have been affected. It's a tough situation, but we are overcoming it in our own way, and we are doing our best to cope with it."
Kwon said he has been exposed to punk since middle school, and it inspired him not just to listen but also to learn how to play.
"Rather than just a music genre, I think punk is a genre and a movement to try to change something through a message," he said. "If you think about the music, you can think of it as simple, fast, and loud, but not all music like that is called punk. I think that any attempt to change something through the artist's message and solidarity with the audience can be punk."
The band started out in 2018, playing their first show before deciding on a name.
"I thought the band name was really important, so when we were coming up with the name, all the members were stressed for a long time. We came up with a few names that might be okay, but none of them were approved by all members," Kwon said.
"That first no-name show went really badly, so we decided to practice for a long time, and that gave us even more time to think about our band name. Eventually, we were ready to start playing, so we needed to decide."
They originally settled on The Winning Shot, the name "with the best feeling and meaning." But they made it into one word so it would be unique, and also to differentiate it from too many sports highlights articles online for anyone searching their name. "It was really the only way to find us instead of sports highlights," Kwon said.
After the band's 2018 demo, they released a mini-album in 2019 titled "Wellspring" and digital single punk version of the song "2002" by English pop singer Anne-Marie. They also toured Malaysia after being introduced to the Malaysian band Half-Asleep.
"I was worried because it was my first time to travel abroad," Kwon admitted. "But they took really good care of us, so all the shows were really successful. During the tour, I wanted to learn more about Malaysia and experience it, but I wasn't able to do much due to the short, busy tour schedule. But even just in that little bit of time, I could tell Malaysia felt different from Korea, where everything goes fast. It had a really relaxed atmosphere, and I think that is the most different from Korea. However, the appearance of the audience enjoying the performance was very enthusiastic like Korea, and we also gained a lot of energy, and thanks to that, all the members of WinningShot were able to return to Korea with good memories."
The month-long Korea tour may not be quite as exciting, but the band is certain to have many adventures along the way.
This Saturday they're at Busan's HQ Bar with local punk band Sidecar. Then on Aug. 14 they're at Daejeon venue Santa Claus with local punk band Smoking Goose, and on Aug. 15 at Jeonju's Radio Garden with MerryHeyDay. After another couple weeks, they'll visit Gangneung venue Rush with Seoul band Gumiho on Aug. 29. And on Sept. 5, the tour ends at Hippytokki in Seoul.
Visit fb.com/winningshot.kr for more information or winningshot-kr.bandcamp.com to listen.
