Punk band from Korea's most conservative city prepares for Pride Month tour

The three members of punk band Drinking Boys and Girls Choir raise their beers under the tracks of Daegu's monorail. / Courtesy of Drinking Boys and Girls Choir

By Jon Dunbar

Daegu punk band Drinking Boys and Girls Choir (DBGC) is coming to Seoul this Saturday, the first date on their two-city Pride Month tour this month.

There's something different about DBGC, following their latest lineup change. They've had members come and go before, but this is the first time the three-member band is all-female. But they brushed off the suggestion that they have now become a "Drinking Girls Choir."

"The name is just a name, not limited to gender or gender identity," Kim Myeong-jin, the vocalist and drummer who also goes by MJ, told The Korea Times. "The name does not explicitly mean a mixed-gender band, and can be understood to encompass many people."

Meena sings during a Drinking Boys and Girls Choir show at The Studio HBC in Seoul, Aug. 20, 2022. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

"I think it works because the choir doesn't have to specifically refer to the members of the band," said Megan Nisbet, the band's new guitarist "It's us and everybody in the audience, everybody who listens to our music. I also like the idea of challenging people's expectations with the band name and how it represents us."

When DBGC's guitar position became vacant, MJ and bassist-vocalist Bae Meena looked far and wide for a new recruit. After receiving an email application from Megan, they gave her a try and were impressed with her sincerity, passion and sense of music.

"Joining DBGC is a dream come true for me," Megan said. "Playing music with Meena and MJ is the most fun, rewarding and fulfilling experience I've ever had in my musical life. They're both such amazing players and people."

Originally from Scotland, Megan has been studying Korean since 2015.

"Megan being a foreigner was not an issue at all," the band members said. "We had no difficulties in communication when it came to political or emotional matters, and we easily understood each other."

DBGC has gotten pretty far already, so the members aren't looking for a completely new direction.

"There will definitely be noticeable changes as one-third of the members are being replaced," MJ said. "I am confident that the emotional aspect of our music will become even more beautiful with Megan's guitar playing. However, this doesn't mean that the energy that DBGC possessed will disappear. You can still expect great things. Personally, what I am most excited about is that we have finally become the female punk rock band that we have dreamed of for over a decade."

"DBGC has become stronger since Megan joined the band," Meena said. "There is an abundance of positive energy within the band like never before."

"There won't necessarily be an intentional change of musical direction," Megan said. "DBGC is still a punk band, but I'm sure listeners will pick up on the style differences between me and the previous guitar players. Although I've always loved punk music, I don't see myself as a punk guitar player. I'm bringing different influences and perspectives to the table, so I'm sure it will be fresh and interesting."

MJ drums during a Drinking Boys and Girls Choir show at The Studio HBC in Seoul, Aug. 20, 2022. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

The band returned recently from Ireland and the U.K., where they supported their Japanese labelmates Otoboke Beaver.

"I'm new to the band, so I guess it was our first real test of compatibility!" Megan said. "I guess the best part of it for me was getting to play a show in Glasgow, my hometown, and bringing my family to the show. We got to play to the best crowd in the U.K., and then I got to introduce the girls to my family and have a drink together. I'll never forget that night."

"It was wonderful to spend time with Megan's family in Glasgow. Everyone welcomed us warmly, and we could feel their warmth," Meena said. "Another enjoyable experience during this tour was drinking Guinness in Dublin. Drinking Guinness in Dublin was a personal wish I had since I was young. I wanted to savor the incredibly smooth Guinness all night long, but unfortunately, the bar closed, and we had to return to the hotel."

"The journey to Ireland was incredibly beautiful," MJ added. "Not only the path to the port but also the scenery from the ship, the horizon, the distant buildings along the Irish coast, all of it was wonderful. I was so excited to have a pint of Guinness in its homeland that when Meena said "We're going to Dublin," I responded, "We're going to Guinness!"

The band previously toured in February 2020, visiting the U.K. and the Netherlands at the time. When the pandemic came along, they missed out on a lot of other planned engagements, including a U.S. tour planned for that September.

"When the pandemic hit and all our schedules were canceled, I felt a great deal of disappointment," Meena said. "After returning from our U.K. tour in February, I spent three months in denial of the situation, but around the time summer arrived, I had to accept the reality."

Not willing to do nothing, they moved their focus inward, to the studio.

"It may seem like we had bad luck timing-wise, but the pandemic wasn't something only we experienced," MJ said. "Thanks to it, we were able to create our second album, so the disappointment and sadness didn't linger for too long.

They managed to complete their acclaimed second album, "Marriage License," released in July 2021.

The members made frequent mentions of their upcoming third album, with plans for its release next March.

"We're still early in writing and making demos, so we don't know how it will turn out, but we want to focus more on our vocal harmonies," Megan said. "I want to bring some fresh emotive guitar sounds, while keeping the raw punk energy that makes this band so great."

But for now, their most immediate goal is the two-city Pride Month tour.

"June is a significant month for Pride Month, as we are a band that identify as queer and allies," MJ said. "It is a month that carries a sense of burden, as we worry about what political injustices may unfold in Korea. Currently, we believe that the political situation in Korea is not favorable for anyone. As a band based in Daegu, we feel both proud and disheartened. We take pride in the longest-running Queer Cultural Festival outside of the metropolitan area. However, we also feel anger and despair towards the overly conservative political landscape at present."

"No matter how much opposition we face, our existence will not disappear, and we want to show that we can lead joyful and fulfilling lives," Meena said. "At the very least, they cannot disrupt our performances."

"We want our shows to be a place where everybody, regardless of sexual orientation or gender, can feel safe, accepted, loved and have a good time," Megan said. "We want to make a small safe place where people can be their true authentic selves, if only for a night."

This Saturday, they'll be at Club SHARP in western Seoul, where they'll be playing with Shin Seung Eun, Oh Chill, Fat Hamster and Kang New.

On June 17, they'll play in Busan's Ovantgarde, along with Bosudong Cooler and Billy Carter.

Visit https://linktr.ee/band.dbgc for more information about Drinking Boys and Girls Choir as well as for links to buy tickets and listen to their music.