BIMM Brighton’s Atlas Wynd have quickly gained a reputation as a force to be reckoned with – and it seems their appeal stretches much further than the UK. After blowing the audience away with an impressive performance on The Cavern Stage at this year’s Liverpool Sound City, the duo was invited by the event’s organisers to play two huge shows in Seoul, South Korea at the incredible Zandari Festa.
Keen to hear about the action; we caught up with Atlas Wynd, following the band’s most recent gig at Brighton’s Bleach. Reflecting on their once in a lifetime trip, drummer Harry Sotnick, who is currently touring across the UK with The Computers, has revealed all about their time in Asia. “Korea was absolutely amazing; it’s a trip we’ll always remember. The culture was so different to what we were used to, and we didn’t have a clue what was going on around us a lot of the time, but that made the trip even better.”
Their shows took place at two popular Seoul music hangouts, including a packed British showcase which saw performances from fellow countrymen, Coquin Migale and I Set the Sea on Fire. “Both the gigs at Zandari Festa went really well. The first gig was at a venue called The Freebird; this was for the special British Showcase put on by Sound City. We were on the line-up with some sick bands from all over the UK. We played the second gig the day after at Club Steelface. It’s on the fourth floor of a building in the centre of Seoul and had a fantastic rooftop stage area that looked out over the city. This show was a lot more intimate and was another one we’ll never forget.”
So, from one of Seoul’s most famed rock venues to spectacular rooftop views over the city. What else? According to Sotnick, the tour wasn’t without its share of partying either. In a scene reminiscent of Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson’s night out in Lost in Translation, the pair found themselves out partying with two South Korean bands. “While we were over there we saw and became really good friends with a couple of Korean bands. DTSQ and Patients were both unreal. We saw DTSQ on the Saturday of our visit and were blown away by them. It was really cool to go all the way across the world and for the first band you see to be a garage rock band! Patients were a kind of pop-punk three-piece: bass, keys and drums. We saw them on our last night where we had the intention of taking it easy because of the 6am taxi in the morning. But when they started playing, that went out of the window…”
The South Korean tour follows the release of their breakthrough debut single I’ve Had Enough, an energetic rock track that has earned the group comparisons to rock’s elite, including Royal Blood and Queens Of The Stone Age, and wide praise from the music press. As BIMM’s Suzi Ireland summed it up: “As such a hard-working band, they fully deserve this opportunity, and with their new single I’ve Had Enough making waves on music blogs across the UK, these gigs could not be more well-timed!” To play South Korea is huge for any new band – what a place to make your international debut!
