Event Review | What a Jambinai Opener! (MusiCube)

The start of September seems such a long time ago now, with the K-Music 2015 festival commencing with the melodic duo of [su:m] at the Purcell Room in London's Southbank Centre on 1st September, followed by The Barberettes at The Forge, Camden on 4th and 5th September, all being part of the month of Korean goodness put together by the Korean Cultural Centre UK and Serious. Sadly missing out on the punk rockers of No Brain on 11th, it was over to Rich Mix in the Shoreditch area to catch Jambinai for the second time in 2015, after seeing them at Liverpool Sound City back in May.

Bomi Kim on the haegum (fiddle-like instrument), Ilwoo Lee on guitar and piri (oboe), Eun Yong Sim on the geomungo (zither), Ji Hoon Ok on guitar duty, Ji Hyun Choi on drums (standing in for Moung Hoon Ryu who performed with the band back at Liverpool Sound City) - it was a fantastic line-up, full of immense talent, that did not fail to impress the throngs of people that turned up. Giving their all, appreciation from the crowd was indeed shown in abundance.

Despite still sourcing from their 9-track 2012 release, Différance, it is testament to the quality of the music created thus far that older fans still cannot get enough of it, and new followers are emerging every single day around the world, all thanks to the industrious efforts of the Jambinai crew. The hype train has gradually been picking up steam after numerous tours, and when Ilwoo announced during the performance that a new album would be coming in 'March 2016' (date subject to change, officially), the reaction was remarkable.

The fusion of traditional Korean musical styles with a hard rock element for some of the tracks, moving onto more serene pieces at times before switching back again, kept onlookers mesmerised throughout, with one of the highlights being when a guy bellowed out "Do you know how good you are?! You're f**king amazing!!" The moment may not have been heard on stage, but it certainly raised a chuckle from those around him because his (justified) over-enthusiasm. However, that gusto was not an isolated moment, with it continuing post-show when a few people approached to say "Thanks for bringing them over from Korea!" and "Will they be coming back again? They were cool!" Jambinai has arrived, and is going nowhere other than onwards and upwards.