pop lies

I usually do a supercut of my favourite MVs of the year (one for boy groups, another for girls) but I was feeling a bit uninspired - I liked more music than MVs this year. I might get around to doing one but for the moment, a playlist:



( tracklist )

A really enjoyable show at Manning Bar. Se So Neon have a big sound, a bit bluesy and funky, a bit shoegazey, their songs apt to noodle on a bit and give the guitar and bass a lot to do. The crowd was loudly enthusiastic, with a lot of Korean speakers in the crowd.

Se So Neon is currently a three-piece band with two permanent members, but the star of the show is very clearly frontwoman Soyoon. She has her own successful solo career, but even this band show felt at times very much like a Soyoon showpiece. She has star charisma and was eloquent in both English and Korean, and her bassist and drummer seemed like the kind of people who were happy to let her occupy that limelight - though they had cute moments too, with the bassist doing the "Aussie Aussie Aussie" in the most tiny voice a few times lol.

Kind of interesting dynamic though, in that I imagine the atmosphere at her solo shows would probably be much the same. (She did in fact come here as a soloist during SXSW but I didn't catch that show and wasn't aware she was here until afterwards.)

In any case, a really good way to cap off a year of shows, and I got their super cute tote bag afterwards too.

This was a nice evening. Manning Bar is quite small but it has a good vibe and the show was fully sold out. It's the scene of many uni memories and post-uni punk show memories, so it was nice to go back.

Presented by the Korean Cultural Centre, this line up consisted of JYLPO, a Korean-Australian artist, and So Soobin and Cheeze from Korea.

We only caught a few JYLPO songs. His songs are fine on record, fairly chilled tracks, but on stage his youth and inexperience showed. With time I'm sure he'll improve on stage presence and performance.

So Soobin is a guitarist and singer, whose most famous track is probably from the Crashing Landing on You OST. He has a really great voice and he delivered a very solid set, including a cover of Troye Sivan's Youth. I really liked his voice!

So Soo Bin - '말해주라

Cheeze was the headliner. Mostly known for OST songs too though I know her more generally since I'm not really a drama watcher. She is small and cute, so short but wearing such high platform boots, singing to a microphone decked out with flowers and accompanied by a keyboardist. She had a lovely stage presence.

Cheeze - Today's Mood