It's a Fest! returns to celebrate the diverse sounds of Korea's DIY scene

The plan was simple - a small festival celebrating Korea's underground music scene taking place on the sunny beaches of Muui Island. After a successful debut in 2019, the organisers got to work planning the following years. However, that plan was quickly thwarted by... we probably don't need to say why, but it was the exact same thing that threatened every event between 2019 and 2022. Now that things have settled down, It's a Fest! is back and will finally be bringing music back to Hanagae Beach of Muui Island on June 16-18 with arguably its best lineup so far. Here, we talk to one of the organising team behind the event to ask him how it feels to be able to finish the job he started.

Festivals in Korea are an odd thing. The crippling corporate shit that (let's be honest) is ruining festivals the world over is turned up one or two notches here. While there are obvious exceptions, the atmosphere at festivals here can often be obnoxiously tame, even when compared to like-for-like festivals in neighbouring countries. That's why it's great to see festivals like Let There Be Love, Airhouse, and our very own Block Party shifting the focus away from the repetitive cycle of elite indie stars and onto the underappreciated DIY scene. And that brings us to It's a Fest! - one of the best and most original examples of underground music festivals here in Korea.

Taking place on the beaches of Muui Island, Incheon, It's A Fest! was planned as an annual punk event that would bring together some of Asia's loudest names. The inaugural event was in 2019 and featured a who's who of Korea's punk and rock scenes with the likes of Galaxy Express, Lazybone, Drinking Boys and Girls Choir, 57, Gumiho, Winning Shot, and more. The lineup included some international names with Siagpore's Iman's League, Malaysia's Half-Asleep, and China's The Sino Hearts. 

While the original event was a well-received success, plans to hold the event every year were soon scuppered, but that didn't stop the organisers from trying. "We've actually planned it every year since 2019," explains Jeff Moses, one-half of the duo behind It's a Fest, "but for obvious reasons, we were unable to go ahead. Every year, we have booked the bands, scheduled the dates, and had it all ready to go before restrictions were put in place, often at the last minute."

But all that is in the past now, and It's a Fest! is back bigger and stronger than ever - and the team couldn't be more ecstatic. "We've waited for years for it to finally happen again, so it's really exciting. The Korean underground scene is such a huge part of our life, and we love putting together a festival for all our favourite bands and the people who love them".

Just as with their 2019 event, It's a Fest! 2023 will bring a mixture of big names on the Korean scene, newer, emerging talent, and a little bit of international spice. Among those performing will be Korean punk icons and Platform Magazine-favourites Crying Nut. Known as one of the godfathers of the punk scene here, the band still smashes it at every show they play. They'll be joined by the likes of the awesome WinningShot Burning Hepburn, Smoking Goose, Green Flame Boys, and Jeff's own band ...Whatever That Means. "I'm excited to watch my favourite bands," Jeff tells us, " but I'm very excited to get to play, too. I'm excited that we get to bring over some of our friends' bands from other countries. I'm excited to see the whole crowd enjoying it all. I guess I'm just excited."

There's a huge depth of talent here, and one we're especially excited to see is Beacon. Despite their aloof veneer, this three-piece are an absolute riot live, and their brutal, dark-toned punk sound hits hard.

The international contingent includes Japan's Green Eyed Monster, Malaysia's Social Circuit, and from France/Korea/Mexico, the insane Octopoulpe. Born in a fish tank, Octopoulpe combines math rock and hardcore with what can only reductively be described as "performance art." His shows go past enjoyment and actually get slightly disturbing. Not to be missed.

Jeff isn't the only person working on It's A Fest! and he is very eager to highlight the other people who make it possible. "For our first event, we had a pretty big team, but this year it's mostly just me and (tattoo artist and graphic designer) Trash. We deal with Hanagae Beach management, book all the bands, run the website, confirm all the reservations, do all the graphic design... everything. Trash definitely ends up with a lot more on her plate than I do. She does all the graphic design and handles everything that needs to be done in Korean. She's been a champ. I handle most of the online stuff, video production, and keep the overall logicists organised and moving forward."

Outside of the two-person core team, It's A Fest! has a group of people on hand to help with the running of the event. "Our friend Kirk, the former owner/sound engineer at Thunderhorse Taven, is flying over from Canada to be our head sound engineer again, and Eunjin from Club SHARP will be the assistant engineer. We also have a team of volunteers from bands that aren't playing this year and friends in the scene who are going to help us during the weekend."

One thing that makes It's A Fest! interesting is that it currently doesn't receive funding from the state; instead, it relies on money raised from renting bungalows on the beach as well as some connections with small local businesses. "We say this all the time, and sometimes it makes me feel like a used car salesman, but It's A Fest! is a completely DIY festival. We run it through our label World Domination, Inc., but we don't have any actual financial sponsors for the fest. So obviously, we are so thankful to everyone who helps us. We owe so much to Merchout for giving us such a good deal on printing shirts and other merchandise for IAF! We're blessed to have KraemerLee Brewery supply free beer for the bands and staff all weekend. And we're especially thankful to everyone who rents bungalows and cottages for the weekend and everyone who buys festival merchandise. We aren't a record label that can actually afford a project like this, so we literally couldn't do it without all of them."

It's a Fest! takes place on Muui Island on June 16-18.

For more information on It's a Fest and World Domination, Inc. click here.