Punk trio Patients (stylized as PATiENTS) are in the midst of their third UK tour and they’ve taken some time to speak with us about their new drummer, past tours, as well as their plans for more international touring, and new music in the very near future!
Patients has been a fixture in the indie music scene in Seoul, South Korea for more than a decade now. Their steadily growing music catalogue includes Hanging Revolution (EP, 2006) and All the Patients Let’s Go (EP, 2007), Let’s Drive, Let’s Go (EP, tour only release, 2014), as well as two full-length albums, Kitsch Space (2011) and 18 (2015).
In 2010 the band successfully forged their own space with their own indie label, Steel Face Records, in an effort to shape an environment in which they and other like minded artists could experiment with new sounds. In addition, they own and operate two live music spaces in the Hongdae area of Seoul, Club Steel Face and Steel Face Rooftop 3639. To say that they are one of the hardest working indie bands out there would be a vast understatement!
Check out what they’ve been up to and what they have in the works!
Rock ’N Seoul: This will be your third year in a row going on tour in the UK, you guys must really enjoy your time there. Do you have any memorable tour stories from your past two UK tours that you can share with us?
Hyuckjang: We ended our 2014 concert by playing at a place called Astbury Castle in London. It was a very special experience for us. It’s actually a house and they put on gigs in their kitchen sometimes. We’d never played in someone’s kitchen before! The show was so much fun and the audience had so much energy. People were moshing and crowd surfing in the kitchen!
Sumin: In 2015, we performed on a tall ship at Liverpool Sound City. Along with the kitchen show Hyuckjang mentioned, this is also one of the most unique places we’ve had the chance to play. It was a really cool ship and a great memory for us.
Rock ’N Seoul: At this point you must have some favorite places that you are excited to get back to. What are you most looking forward to doing and seeing on this tour?
Sumin: I’m looking forward to checking out lots of bands at Liverpool Sound City and to watching all of the bands we’ll play with at our club shows. Meeting other musicians and discovering cool new acts is always a blast.
Rock ’N Seoul: We hear that you plan to record some new singles after this tour ends. What can you tell us about the new music? Will you be playing them live for your UK fans?
Hyuckjang: We definitely will be playing our new songs in the UK. With these new songs, we tried a different style of rock music and used a lot more electronic synth sounds on them. I hope people like what they hear! Our two new songs are called “Space Call Girl” and “Game Boy Game Girl.” I think the titles are a bit funny, but they sound cool too!
Rock ’N Seoul: What can you tell us about your creative process when composing new music? Is it collaborative or is there a main songwriter/composer among the three of you?
Hyuckjang: Normally one person brings an idea with them to practice and then we all collaborate together to flesh that idea out. We mix different suggestions from everyone together to piece together the song. And when making music, we never think about genres. I think this helps the songs develop more naturally because we do what we want to do regardless of musical style.
Sumin: Usually, Hyuckjang or I bring an idea, melody, or lyrics to the studio and after that we all compose the song together. Mainly I focus on writing lyrics and the mood, Hyuckjang concentrates on the sounds, and Soowon drives the rhythm.
Rock ’N Seoul: Can you tell us a bit about your newest bandmate Soowon Choi?
Soowon: I’ve got this one! I play drums and joined the band at the beginning of this year. I’m a very active and funny guy, but I’m sometimes a bit shy.
Rock ’N Seoul: What is your favorite thing about touring outside of Korea and what is the biggest challenge?
Soowon: This will be my first time touring overseas with Patients. I’m really looking forward to meeting new people and seeing lots of different landscapes. I think the biggest challenge is the language. Recently I’ve been studying English very hard so hopefully I’ll be okay, though!
Rock ’N Seoul: What are your goals for the rest of 2016 and beyond? Is there going to be more international touring in the near future?
Hyuckjang: When we get back from the UK, we’re planning to record our two new songs and will release them as singles in the coming months. We’ll be playing lots of gigs in Korea this summer and fall too. We’re hoping to go abroad again before 2016 ends as well. We’ve applied for some festivals in other countries already. Fingers crossed that we can get invites and head overseas to see new places and share our music with new people again soon!
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There are still a couple of dates left to catch a live set if you are currently in the UK so don’t miss them! We here at Rock ’N Seoul are definitely looking forward to hearing the two new singles and hopefully we will all see Patients in our neck of the woods soon!
PATiENTS on social media:
Steel Face Records website
2016 UK Tour
May 25 Chester @ The Live Rooms
May 26 Manchester @ Night & Day Cafe
May 27 Whitchurch @ Percy’s Cafe Bar
May 29 Liverpool @ Liverpool Sound City (Cargo Stage)
May 31 London @ Windmill Brixton
June 5 Worthing @ Bar 42
All photos courtesy of the artist
Rock 'N Seoul 