by Selina Yang (@y_aniles)
“We wanted to make money,” guitarist & vocalist Bae Meena begins, “so we participated in a contest”. Kim MJ (Myeong-Jin) chimes in, “Remember? It was the song making contest at Kyungpook National University Student’s parking lot!” On that sunny afternoon, they were long past beer buzzed. Meena swinging her bass, MJ thundering down on the drums, joined by ex-guitarist Bondu, Drinking Boys and Girls Choir’s joyous protest was born. Today, the touring band is joined by guitarist Megan Nisbet.
In 2013, “we applied to several contests, and finally we won first place at the one held by the Kohan NBC Broadcast,” Meena says. “Two legendary bands were also there, and we drank together all night. Some singer told me I was a really good bassist, which I didn’t believe because I was a bad bassist at the time. Same as now.” The whole band laughs, because after DBGC’s international tours and additional ten years of practice since the contest, that obviously isn’t true.
“500 bucks was pretty nice!”, says MJ.
In Daegu, a large city in South Korea cradled between hills and a day trip’s distance from Seoul, conservative party leaders vote against same-sex marriage. Despite the mayor’s famously anti-LGBT+ stance, Daegu Queer Culture Festival has been a mainstay since 2009, hoisting middle fingers to cops and keeping pinky promises to each other. In 2023, a pride festival surged onwards despite local business owners' attempts to ban the festival from taking place.
“Daegu is so conservative. Every activist – not only LGBT+ activists but also labor activists, disabled activists, women rights activists and progressive activists – think ‘we have to keep Daegu Queer Culture Festival!,’" DBGC writes. This united anti-establishment spirit is angry out of self-love, using joy as resistance. As the band chants in their song ‘Wish, “In a world where all this is nothing, we want to laugh together”.
“Our hopefulness comes naturally. We don’t really care about what we think about [how our music sounds], we think about our main story,” Meena says. “We are making music for ourselves to let out frustrated emotions, and if it comes out in a happy way and can help somebody else, that’s a benefit,” Nisbet says.
“We’re trying to encourage a scene in Daegu and other places outside Seoul”, says Nisbet. Thus, they are eager to cheer on fellow scene members, among which are the bands Sindosi, Igloo, and Honz. “When we are introduced to someone, we say, we are Drinking Boys and Girls Choir! We are proud of Daegu!”, Meena exclaims. DBGC will forever be fiercely proud of Daegu. It is the city that raised them. “I think some of Daegu's queer community is based on universities, but after the queer students’ graduation, the community might easily disappear because of the conservativeness of the city. Of course there are some bars for queers in Daegu, but not many”.
DBGC is inspired by 90s South Korean punk, with the popularization of bands such as No Brain and the ‘Joseon Punk’ compilation. To western audiences, the breadth of Korean music is government sponsored K-pop, a soft power for South Korea’s economic influence. For the voice of the actual citizens, the ones whose lives and loves are limited by the very same government, we can turn to punk for unfiltered rawness that reflects daily lives. Drinking Boys and Girls Choir are concerned with neither K-pop nor comparisons. “Compared to everything, punk [in Korea] is a teeny tiny thing,” Meena says with a wry grin, at the same time joking “I don’t know any members of BTS”.
Forming an international fanbase, aided by the resources of UK-based Damnably Records, was something they never expected. Over the tours across Europe and North America, DBGC have played with label sisters Otoboke Beaver and Say Sue Me. DBGC cites Otoboke Beaver as a large inspiration for DBGC’s electric stage presence. “We have an intimate experience where we get to watch them play so we can check out more details,” Meena says. Opening for the 2024 Otoboke Beaver tour, MJ’s drumming is ferociously athletic in her constant motion. While Nisbet rips with nonchalant confidence, Meena eschews the stage to stalk circles around the dance floor. Nisbet says “I’m still quite new to the band so I’m finding my feet when it comes to performing, so my members inspire me. When I watch them play, I realize I can let myself go. Joining the band is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
When they aren’t skating or drinking, DBGC can be found working nonstop on crafting more jagged anthems. “We're done with recording a live album to record our history. After this tour, we are going to make our third LP. We are already done with more than half of it. Please look forward!”