Onstage is no more - here are some of our favourite Onstage performances

By Jamie Finn (@jamiefinn2209)

After 13 years, the video series Onstage has decided to call it a day. Since its inception, Onstage has been a huge success, championing the best in Korean independent and underground music. It has been the first big step for a slew of big names, helping bands find audiences that were otherwise inaccessible.

With its combination of top-notch sound production and unique visual style, it is easy to see why the series became such a hit. What's more, Naver Onstage (as it would come to be known) had a keen eye for communicating what makes each performer special. They had a unique ability to get the best out of artists.

Onstage was, and despite calling it a day, will probably remain an invaluable source of alternative Korean sounds. Many of our non-Korean readers will be all too aware of how difficult it can be to find music that exists outside the mainstream here. Onstage provided a consistent supply of fresh and unique sounds packaged in a refreshing way.

Here are twenty-five (yes, we know, but trust us, they're all gold) of our favourite ones.

This is, by no means, an exhaustive list of their best videos. Just our favourite ones from their extensive back catalogue.

Leenalchi - Tiger is Coming (with Ambiguous Dance Company)

Okay, let's just get this one out of the way now. Leenalchi's Tiger is Coming is Onstage's most-played video and with good reason. The video, which features a show-stealing performance from Ambiguous Dance Company, did exactly what an Onstage video should do - brought the band to a whole new audience with a unique visual representation of them. It's the gold standard and has to open the list.

Lang Lee - In Search of Family

Not all Onstage performances took place inside their iconic square studio. Lang Lee performs this incredible track from her second album with a garden backdrop that really suits the sound.

Soumbalgwang - Orange Moon

The band that many have dubbed "the best live band in the county" are at the absolute peak of their powers here. Unsettling, pain-driven and absolutely compelling.

Cacophony - In the End

In many ways, the chic style of Onstage is the perfect arena for Cacophony. Her powerful voice and unique aesthetic fit so well with Onstage's minimalist cube. She blew us away with her powerful and emotional performance of In the End.

Kirara - Blizzard

Kirara is well known for fusing her big beat sound with a creative approach to visuals. So pairing her with Onstage seems like a match made in heaven. The combination paid off in what is one of the channel's most striking videos ever.

Lim Kim - YELLOW (with 무희)

After a 3-year hiatus, celebrated vocalist Lim Kim came back with a jaw-dropping new sound and style. Her song YELLOW channels the singer's anger at racist and sexist attitudes towards Asian women. Her Onstage performance perfectly captures the song's provocative themes.

Hyangni - 복종중독

Everyone's favourite electro-funk outfit are in peak form in this video, which captures the band's convention-smashing sound and Lee Jihyang's eccentric performance style.

250 - Let's Dance (feat. Naundo)

Over the last few years, 250 has become one of the most well-loved names in Korean music. Many first became aware of his soulful city-pop sound through his Onstage performance.

Kim Ildu - Come and Go

Before Onstage set up their iconic cube, they would record in a variety of different locations and sometimes surprising spaces. In a fitting move, Kim Ildu chose a small room near the sound of the ocean in the background to play. It's a sweet and intimate outing for Onstage.

Doma - Drifting to an Island For Reason I Don't Know

Another one filed outside of the studio, this incredibly touching performance takes place on a rooftop at what appears to be sunset. It's a tender vocal performance from Kim Doma that's made all the more heartbreaking because of the tragic events that followed the recording.

3rd Line Butterfly - Breaking of the Day, Today

One of Korea's most celebrated and missed rock bands, like ever, give one of their best video performances here. Nam Sang Ah's voice and the band's post-rock-adjacent sound are at their best for this rendition of Breaking of the Day, Today.

Omar and the Eastern Power - Houria

An absolute hothouse performance from Jeju-based Afro-funk band Omar and The Easten Power on their track Houria (which means freedom in Arabic). 

Jambinai - Connection

Jambinai became well known for their sweeping post-rock sound played on traditional Korean instruments. While their music is often an expression of anger and aggression, Connection is a dizzyingly gorgeous slice of melancholia which builds to an amazing crescendo.

Cheon Miji - I Want To Be Your Mother

The music of American-alt-inspired Cheon Miji often finds a way to uniquely traverse the boundaries of sultry, tragic, and threatening. Her confessional lyrics are often honest to the point of startling. For her Onstage performance, she channels her adoration of Courtney Love into I Want To Be Your Mother.

PARKJIWOO - Already Know

Such was our love of this heartbreaking, lowkey song that we gave it the top spot on our Best of 2022 list. Nothing is lost in the Onstage rendition, PARKJIWOO's voice filling the space and adding to the song's raw and isolated feel.

Lionclad - Almighty princess

In an absolutely astounding showing, sample-based producer Lionclad shows off her insane technical abilities live. The result is Almighty princess, a joyous drum and bass-inspired piece of electronica.

Tengger - Achime

If you still haven't seen Tengger live, make sure to add it to your bucket list. The ethereal ambience they create captures something about nature in a way that few artists can. Their Onstage performance is a perfect representation of their incredible energy.

Haepaary - Born by Irreproachable Gorgeousness

Firm Platform Magazine favourites Haepaary are another band that fit perfectly with Onstage's slick and stylish approach. Their art-driven traditionalist visual style is a sight to behold, and this performance is a great example of it.

Ohelen&Choisol - Run (feat.Kim Gak Sung) 

Individually, both Ohelen and Choisol are creative forces, but when they combine their unique styles, something truly magical happens. Powerful, thought-provoking, yet tender and intimate, this performance is a rare chance to see the duo playing together.

Seok Chul Yun Trio - We Don't Need To Go There

Another one from the early years of Onstage. As you might expect from Seok Chul Yun, this track is just absolutely stuffed with musical ideas. It's a fast-paced blitz of jazz with an impressive amount of tempo changes. The chiaroscuro lighting helps make it all the more impactful.

Sogumm - Smile

Not quite sure why Sogumm is billed as being from Balming Tiger on this one when she is such an accomplished solo performer. This incredible performance sees Sogumm rap and sing in a surrealist bedroom setting, complete with teddy bear keyboardist. The track itself is a glitchy R'n'B number that has Bjork vibes.

eundohee - The Sea

Another favourite of ours, eundohee's Onstage performance was, for many, their first introduction to the singer-songwriter. Her sombre pop-rock style sounds as beautiful as it ever has!

Oyeol - Gang Gang

An absolutely extraordinary vocal performance from Oyeol, whose powerful, almost operatic voice resonates through the minimalist Onstage setting. 

Kuang Program - Seoul

The brutalist, noise-driven dance-punk of Kuang Program pounds relentlessly through their Onstage performance, which takes place in a suitably stark concrete art space.

Is anything missing from our list?