Chicks With Picks -- Juck Juck Haeseo Grunge

I just checked out a show by the all-female band Juck Juck Haeseo Grunge (적적해서 그런지). And while they probably are not the band I enjoy the most these days, I would call them the best band in Korea.

How to describe them? A little Sonic Youth, a little PJ Harvey, a little Patti Smith, a little Led Zepplin... and a whole lotta' rock. Lots of distortion and tempo changes, but a heavier, slightly more metal sound than Sonic Youth. They told me that they have been around since April-ish, so I guess they are still a fairly young group. No idea if their sound is still evolving or what.

Even rarer for the Hongdae scene, Juck Juck has stage presence. Between songs, they don't just tune their instruments or blather on endlessly, they keep things hopping. And the just FEEL like rock stars, dammit.

They mostly play at the small club Badabie, but on Feb. 10 they will be playing at Club FF, which I think will be a much better setting for a band like this.