We recently reported that Korean indie group Dead Buttons had remastered and released their debut EP to a worldwide audience via UK label Baltic Records, it has been announced another alternate Korean group has followed suit.
Psychedelic rock trio Thirdstone have signed a deal with AWAL, notable distributors of all things internationally indie, their artists often getting air time on BBC Radio 6 Music’s New Music show.
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/122259155″ params=”color=ff0000&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]We’ve been lucky enough to see Thirdstone play at Liverpool Sound City, and can definitely see the draw of the group for a UK label.
Thirdstone @ Liverpool Sound City, May 24 2015
So does this mean UK labels are set to sign up Kpop acts, as we’ve seen Scooter Braun’s US label School Boy Records do with CL?
Listeners of indie music are, as a whole, known to be more open to new music that doesn’t fit a ‘norm’. The international success of groups like Italy’s Lacuna Coil, Finland’s HIM, and even Germany’s Rammstein who perform in their native tongue show the open-minded views of indie-music appreciators.
Given its relatively young fanbase, international pop music has many more hurdles to overcome when trying to break out into a country of a different tongue.
Even Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou took to acting in Seth Rogen’s questionably disastrous Green Hornet movie to make an attempt at international recognition.
This UnitedKpop writer thinks we’re unlikely to see announcements of even the biggest Kpop names signing UK deals in the near future, though the signing of Dead Buttons and Thirdstone is a great boost for the Korean Indie scene.
You can check out Thirdstone via the following:
