Even though K-pop and K-rock bands often skip Portland, Oregon, ChRocktikal made a stop to put on a show and visit their local fan base. And boy, was it a sizable fan base, especially for a band that debuted only earlier this year. It definitely helps that the main vocalist, Lee Siyeon, is part of the hit rock-infused K-pop group DREAMCATCHER.
The four-piece, co-ed rock band, having only released one full album, has been finding its niche in the growing K-rock ecosystem, and in the process, showcasing their sonic versatility. “PEACE” featured crunchy guitars, a driving pace, and Siyeon’s piercing belts. Guitarist Lee Won-seok effortlessly ripped out a couple of licks while Siyeon danced cheerily onstage. “All in on me” was delightfully disco-y, and Siyeon’s vocal fry added a bit of sultriness, but there were also moments where she pulled out her cute voice. It would be a crime not to dance to this song! Siyeon was incredibly expressive and has such a charismatic stage presence, not to mention she just seems like she is having such a great time, naturally drawing everyone’s attention. Won-seok and Lee Jun-young, despite being fantastic musicians, didn’t quite have her stage presence, but they were so endearing when they spoke to the audience in English. And in response, the audience gave them cheers and encouragement as they slowly found their words.
“Victor” is a heavy and bold song whose lyrics are based on the story of Victor Frankenstein assembling his famed monster. The creature’s desperation to be loved and desire for revenge came through in Gwan-woo’s speedy drum intro, Won-seok’s grungy guitar, and Jun-young’s harsh growls. Dramatic and hair-raising, the track drew clear influence from DREAMCATCHER’s nightmarish sonic world.
When introducing the band jam portion of the set, Won-seok commented that “the setlist is too repetitive” so they need to “bring out the inner rockstar.” They started off with Won-Seok singing a very mellow cover of Oasis’ “Don’t Look Back in Anger.” His voice was generally pleasant, though there were moments of pitchiness. Each of the instrumentalists then got to show off and do some rhythmically complex, almost math-rock-esque shredding. Of course, the audience loved it.
When Siyeon came back onstage, she shared that they had a present. What could it be? The InSomniacs in the crowd–there were quite a good number of them–immediately recognized the song, and other K-pop fans recognized it during the pre-chorus. It was DREAMCATCHER’s “Scream.” I might like this cover more than the original–the band version feels more raw and grounded compared to the more electronic original, while retaining the femme-fatale quality from Siyeon’s voice.
After the more mellow “Shame,” the band shared the bad news that their show was coming to an end. “Stay true to yourself Portland, we’ll be back soon!” they promised. Each member took a moment to thank the audience, and while it didn’t need to be as profuse, it was sweet that the band put so much effort into communicating with their English-speaking fans.
There were still quite a few songs remaining, including the beguiling “KALish,” which featured ambulance-like guitar wails and raspy screams, and also their latest single, “NAVI,” which translates to “butterfly” in Korean. It opens with a pansori segment, a traditional Korean performing art of musical storytelling, that warns about a sky filled with ghosts, using the traditional Korean style of dramatic storytelling. After the band crashed in with sound, Siyeon joined in with the rasp of someone harboring a bad omen. The traditional influence continued through the whole song: Siyeon’s voice retained the inflection of pansori, and the sound of the daegeum, a bamboo flute, is incorporated into the backing track. This meshing of pansori and rock worked well, and it would be an interesting direction for the band to keep exploring.
The band closed out the set with the beautiful ballad “Iris,” and their encore was their LP Special song, “Memory Box.” It had the sweeping, anthemic feel of an anime closing theme, a fitting and upbeat way to round out their set.
