Korea and Japan Tour Diaries with Phoebe Rings
Touring Japan and Korea was something we’d often spoken of as a band, a dream that felt both distant and near, fantastical and real. When an offer to perform at Asian Pop Festival in Seoul came through, it felt surreal. As a short tour began to form around it, fantasy began to split from the fiction - we were going to tour Korea and Japan! There would be 7 shows in total, 3 of which were at record stores. It was hard to know what to expect, but with the support of the label, local promoters and opening acts, we hoped for a decent run of shows. Still, I struggled to imagine how this could translate into actual humans, buying tickets and forming a crowd somewhere that was several seas away.
As the tour approached, we were often asked what we were most excited about. With a little embarrassment, food was often the answer. It feels a little crude, but when you’re touring you spend a lot of time thinking about what you are going to eat and when you are going to eat it. It’s an easy thing to reach for, but those moments after soundcheck or before a long drive, become precious opportunities to put down your instruments, cast a healing spell and replenish your health bar. The food was amazing, but the snippets I’d like to share tend more towards the shows and people we met.
7-Eleven in Tokyo. Photo by Ben Locke.
At Asian Pop Festival, our first show of the tour, we readied ourselves behind the stage curtain. The Chroma stage was the smallest of four, situated on the far side of Paradise City, the sprawling hotel resort complex where the festival was held. We hoped for a modest crowd and if the venue was even half full, we would be pleased. The stage manager gave a heads up and the curtain parted, revealing a handsome crowd. There was a deep and welcoming applause. To the right of the stage, someone was already wearing one of our t-shirts. In the centre, Crystal’s friend held up a phone with “Phoebe Rings” scrolling across it. We kicked off with “Daisy”, the room continued to fill and 40 minutes later, we left the stage a little stunned. It was one of the most memorable shows we’d ever played. We wandered around the festival and a few people would come up to us for a photo and have something sweet to say. This would be a theme of the tour, a motif we hadn’t really expected but would play over and over again.
Asian Pop Festival. Photo by Zach Silva.
We played our first “acoustic set” at Gimbab Records in Seoul, named after the owner's cat. Crystal sang without a microphone and Alex lightly tapped the tambourine beneath his foot. The audience were silent throughout each song, spread amongst the shelves of records. After playing, we got behind the counter and the audience formed a line, snaking through the aisles. Everyone who came up had something sweet to say, sometimes addressing us by name and telling us a very specific thing they liked about our playing or songs. I left a little dewy-eyed.
On display at Gimbab Records. Photo by Simeon Kavanagh-Vincent.
In Busan, we played with a lovely local band called Hathaw9y. Side-of-stage we found brown paper bags with Phoebe Rings written on the side – they had prepared goodie bags for us, filled with their merch. Stickers, post-it notes and CD’s. They even made one for our booking agent Zach. Someone there had also come to see us at Gimbab – they didn’t live in either Seoul or Busan.
Hathaw9y at Ovantgarde.
After the show, everyone helped to carry our gear up from Ovantgarde. As we said our goodbyes, the venue owners asked how we were getting back to our accommodation. It was only a 10 minute walk away, we explained. Immediately they started calling a taxi for us, refusing to let us carry our gear in the heat. We left waving, with huge smiles and light hands, following the cab down the streets of Busan.
Our first show in Tokyo was at Tower Records Shibuya, itself an experience for anyone who visits. We performed on the 6th floor while a classical pianist played on the 7th. Somewhere else a J-Pop group was holding court. As we were signing records, there was an older man who came up, dressed in a suit. Crystal asked how he’d heard about our music to which he responded that he’d just heard us here, that he often comes in after work to browse records. It was a sweet glimpse into his life, at this place people would often come alone, seeking the same but different things.
Tower Records elevator. Photo by Simeon Kavanagh-Vincent.
Tower Records signing. Photo by Yuriko Ota.
Next up was a club in Shinjuku called SPACE. You could smoke inside and when we arrived there was already a light haze, though it never got too thick. xiexie played first, impressing us with their winding melodies, tambourine hats and high kicks. After the show they gave us recommendations for Osaka which included a late night ramen spot we sought refuge in after our final show. As we played, we noticed a few faces from the night before at Tower Records.
With xiexie at SPACE. Photo by Yuriko Ota.
Our first show in Osaka was at Flake Records. We played to a small crowd of about 12 people in the narrow enclave, lined with albums. Dawa, the owner had us hide behind the sales desk so that he could introduce us. We tucked away, then emerged once his intro was complete. It was quite cute. We played our “acoustic” set. with our cover of Tokai by Taeko Onuki garnering the greatest applause, followed by January Blues which Crystal performed in Japanese.
Japanese Translation of January Blues. Photo by Yuriko Ota.
Performing at Flake Records. Photo by Yuriko Ota.
Dotonburi River, Osaka. Photo by Ben Locke.
The tour ended at Conpass, after a day of markets, puffer fish and air conditioned streets. As I walked in, I saw an older couple standing across the road and wondered what they were up to, gazing at the small line forming across from them. Inside, Aoibara opened with a set of dark, washed out tones that perfectly suited their impressionistic album covers. It was the last show, so naturally we played at our best. Afterwards, we attended to the merch table. The couple I had seen standing outside came up. Turns out that the husband worked in Japan sometimes, they were out looking for something to do and came across us. They loved the show, thanked us and wanted to grab a record. We love being someone's something to do.
Amongst all these experiences were a lot of sweet and sweaty moments. We ran for trains, hunted for the perfect pants, petted pokemon and made ghosts of noodle after noodle. But these were the things that really stuck out, what we often reflected on in the evenings. The shows were never full but we always left feeling incredible. When the common question became “What have you enjoyed the most?”, “The people” soon became our answer. Thank you so much Korea and bless your heart Japan. We can’t wait to come back and meet you again x
You can find all things Phoebe Rings here. (Including tickets to two shows in Auckland on Saturday 13 September!)