SXSW 2017 Series: Artist Introduction — Galaxy Express

Ying Leung

March 15, 2017

It is time for another article for the SXSW 2017 Series! This time, we bring to you Galaxy Express!

Debuting in 2007, the three-member indie band melds garage rock with punk and psychedelic leanings to create a big sound and even bigger stage presence. Their albums gained plenty critical acclaim, including the 2009 Best Rock Album for their third album titled ‘Noise on Fire’ at the Korean Music Awards. In keeping with a reputation for doing things differently and in a big way, the trio followed their fourth album in 2009 with a March 1st, 2010—which happens to be Korean Independence Day—announcement that they were leaving their record label. The trio Lee Juhyun on bass and vocals, Park Jonghyun on guitar and vocals, and Kim Heekwon on drums—wanted their music to evolve, and they wanted more creative control. On April 1st of 2010, they announced that they intended to scratch everything and write, produce, and release their first indie album within the span of only a month. On May 1^st, they dropped the appropriately titled ‘Wild Days,’ as promised, and the move proved to be a good one. Along with ‘Noise On Fire,’ continued success over the previous two years also helped earned them the 2011 Musician of the Year award at the Korean Music Awards.

Their live shows have garnered quite a bit of attention as well. Fans in Korea hail Galaxy Express as the nation’s best live band, enjoying a rambunctious and adventurous performance that is uncommon in Korea, which has also won them plenty of international fans as well. They’ve performed at SXSW before in 2011 and 2012, which local Austin news, MTV, and the New York Times took special note of. They’ve toured in Europe, and they’ve even opened for acts like Thee Oh Sees and Linkin Park. “Our music has evolved,” said Park Jonghyun in a 2015 interview, “but one thing that has stayed the same – and will always stay the same – is that we have total control over our music. We do whatever we want to do.”

Even though there aren’t many videos of them to check out, what you can find leaves no doubt that for just a guitar, bass, drums, and some vocals, there’s a prodigious amount of sound. Check out a bit of their set at Sound City Liverpool –

or playing at Sangsangmadang Live Hall in Korea –

or browse through a good deal of their discography on their BandCamp page.

They’ll be performing at The Belmont on Friday, March 17th at 9:30 PM for the K-Pop Night Out Showcase and at Barracuda Backyard on Saturday, March 18th at 1:00 AM—which is really Sunday, March 19th.

Stay tuned for our upcoming articles in this series for the rest of the lineup along with exclusive interviews and coverage from the esteemed music, arts, and technology conference and festival!

Source: Anglo info
Article by: Kat Schonheyder
Edited by: Ying Leung

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