rock this summer

Rock Festivals to Rock This Summer

Underworld will perform at Pentaport Rock Festival.
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Rock music fans will have a lot to look forward to this summer, as some of the hottest foreign and local rock acts gather at the Pentaport Rock Festival in Incheon and the Summer Breeze Festival in Seoul.

The three-day Pentaport Rock Festival starts on July 25, while the Summer Breeze Festival will be held on Aug. 7 and 8 at the Jamsil Main Stadium, southern Seoul.

Pentaport and Summer Breeze are going head-to-head with Japan's biggest rock events, Fuji Rock Festival and Summer Sonic Festival this summer. Since the festivals in Korea and Japan are held around the same time, some foreign acts will be shuttling between the two countries to perform.

Here's what to expect from the up-coming festivals here.

Pentaport

The line-up for the Pentaport Rock Festival includes rock band Travis, electronica duo Underworld, British band Hard-Fi, Japanese band Ellegarden, as well as Kasabian, The Go!Team, Ozomatli and Feeder. Korean acts such as Deli Spice, Lee Han-chul, Lee Sang-eun, Super Kid and Windy City will also perform.

Top DJs including DJ Accomplice, London Elektricity, Princess Superstar, DJ Fin, Kid-B and 3rd Coast will be featured at the Groove Session.



Pentaport, considered Korea's largest outdoor music festival, will be held from July 25-27 at the Song-do Daewoo Motor Fields in Incheon. In the case of rain, organizers have prepared a waterproof roof for the outdoor stage.

Aside from the concerts, there will be flea markets, exhibitions and a camping site.
A Pentaport one-day pass costs 80,000 won, two-day pass costs 132,000 won and three-day pass costs 165,000 won. For information, call (02) 783-0114 (Korean only) and (02) 3444-9969 (English). Visit www.pentaportrock.com.

Summer Breeze

The Summer Breeze Festival, to be held on Aug. 7-8, will feature a stellar line-up of punk, rock and alternative acts including Simple Plan, Panic At the Disco, OneRepublic, New Found Glory, Lost Prophets and Jamie Scott. Organizer B4Hent said an additional line-up for the two-day festival will be announced in the coming weeks.

French-Canadian punk rock band Simple Plan gained widespread popularity with their debut album ``No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls'' in 2002. The album spawned hits such as ``Addicted,'' ``Perfect'' and ``I'd Do Anything.'' They released a second album ``Still Not Getting Any'' in 2004, and a self-titled third album in February this year.



Panic at the Disco, a band from Las Vegas, attracted attention with their unique sound combining elements of electronica, pop, dance and rock. Their debut album ``A Fever You Can't Sweat Out'' was a big hit in 2005.

American rock band OneRepublic is best known for the hit song ``Apologize," which sold over five million singles worldwide. A remix version was featured in Timbaland's 2007 album ``Shock Value,'' and on TV shows such as Gossip Girl.

A one-day ticket is 99,000 won and two-day ticket is 165,000 won. Visit www.summerbreeze.co.kr. For English information, call (02) 515-2449.



Rock Festivals in Japan

If the two rock festivals in Korea are not enough, there's always Japan's Fuji Rock Festival on July 25-27 and Summer Sonic Festival on Aug. 9 and 10.

Fuji Rock Festival, held at the Naeba Ski Resort, Niigata, already has 59 confirmed acts including Travis, Underworld, Feeder, The Go! Team, Ben Folds, Jason Mraz and Kasabian. Tickets cost 39,800 yen (approximately 387,000 won) for a three-day pass and 16,800 yen (163,000 won) for a one-day pass. Visit www.fujirockfestival.com or www.smash-uk.com/frf08.

Summer Sonic boasts a line-up of big names such as Coldplay, Alicia Keys, The Verve, Prodigy, Sex Pistols, Fat Boy Slim, The Kooks and Death Cab for Cutie, among others. The line-up of performers will be switching from Tokyo to Osaka during the weekend.

Tickets for Summer Sonic in Tokyo cost 15,000 yen (146,000 won) for a one-day pass, 28,500 yen (277,000 won) for a two-day pass. Tickets for Osaka cost 14,500 yen (141,000 won) for a one-day pass and 26,000 yen (253,000 won) for a two-day pass. Visit www.summersonic.com.

cathy@koreatimes.co.kr