Local band Oily Rag flies to Japan

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Thu, September 28, 2023 | 01:17

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Local band Oily Rag flies to Japan

Posted : 2023-03-21 10:27

Updated : 2023-03-22 08:51

Oily Rag plays its very final Seoul show at Rollers Bar, Feb. 25. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

By Jon Dunbar

The year of Bovver has come to an end. The British skinhead, known to his friends only as Bovver, a Cockney word for violence, has left the country after a whirlwind year here. He shook up the local underground music scene, helping to energize it as it emerged out of the pandemic while also making plenty of friends and enemies.

"The scene is too small," he lamented to The Korea Times. "The kids are out studying all the time. I've made a mate in Japan recently, he's 19 and a skinhead. That'd be rare in Korea. The culture of studying in Korea limits the scene. I hope one day more young people can enjoy their youth."

And with that, he's moved back to Japan, where he lived before his year in Korea, and he's taking his band, Oily Rag, with him, for one show this weekend.

When asked what he liked about Korea over Japan, he had two quick answers. "In Japan, you have to plan far ahead usually; in Korea, it's very easy to organize a show with short notice," he said. "Also taxis are super cheap in Korea."

Bovver buys beer from a convenience store while wearing a ski mask during HBC Fest last Oct. 22. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Oily Rag had its "last Seoul show" at Club SHARP on Feb. 4, then managed to fit in a "last show in Korea" at Incheon's Club Knock on Feb. 11. And then for the third time, the band announced yet another final show at Rollers Bar in northeastern Seoul, Feb. 25. It's a fitting bookend to the band's career, considering it had been booked for its first show last July, and then immediately booked an even earlier first show, effectively debuting twice.

For the better part of a year, Oily Rag was one of Seoul's busiest bands, appearing at shows all around the city. The band plays a mix of covers and originals, showcasing Bovver's sense of humor and magnetic stage presence.

Bovver succeeded in bringing together three talented but disparate musicians, producing a style of punk music known as "oi!" that sounds better when they're all drunk. This included Suil on drums, bass by Sirius Hunter Lee of the metal band Incestrul Lust and guitarist Jennifer Ward of the shoegaze band Lucy Valentine.

"Maybe one day someone will say, 'Remember that twat Bovver?' and someone else will reply no," he said when asked what legacy he'll leave in Korea. "There have been people in Korea who have actually had an impact on Korea's culture. Yet no one remembers them. Why should I be different?"

Oily Rag plays at Hidden Cellar during HBC Fest last Oct. 22. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

He added that, after having spent a year in Korea, he hopes to revive the Korea-Japan Oi Festival, a festival that began as a band exchange in 2004.

Oily Rag will play at Tokyo Rathole this Saturday, along with Japanese bands Raise a Flag and Casquettes. Follow Oily Rag on Instagram @oilyrag.official.

jdunbar@koreatimes.co.kr