Reuniting Korean hardcore band hasn't run out of 'Things We Still Want to Say'

Things We Say reunite for the Geeks' record release show at GBN Live House in southern Seoul's Mullae-dong, July 6, 2019. Courtesy of Ryu Hae-won

It's become kind of a running joke for me whenever the Korean hardcore punk band Things We Say reunites one more time. In fact, it (and Daegu-based punk band Mr. Headbutt) inspired my very first article on punk satire site The Hard Times.

Don't get me wrong — every time the five-member group reunites, it's worth letting people know. Formed in 2004, it's one of the cornerstones of the Korean hardcore scene.

I've focused a lot on Victor Ha, the band's charismatic Korean frontman as well as the owner of Look Beyond Music & Skate in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. But this time, I opted to talk with the band's Polish guitarist, known to most of his friends as simply Bialy, who may just be the first Polish national to play in a local underground band.

Bialy plays for the band Pornotarium at a battle of the bands in Itaewon's Stompers, Nov. 22, 2008. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

We know this isn't his real name, after Facebook shook him down with its unfair real name policy. When I asked Bialy what name he should be identified with in this article, he threw a long string of consonants at me, and then left it up to my discretion.

Bialy has been part of the Korean underground music scene since he arrived here in 2008 as a Korean studies student.

During a summer language program, he joined the perfectly named band Pornotarium and started playing shows. Pornotarium was described as thrashcore, but its diverse members who also came from Korea, China and the U.S. also brought elements of punk and ska. While they never came close to winning awards, they could energize a show and get everyone moshing wildly. They always drew out a big crowd of supporters from the Central and Eastern European expat community, which Bialy's bandmate Verv nicknamed "the Nation of Polska."

"Back then I was a total metalhead, long hair, wanted to play something between death and thrash metal. I guess we were not super good live but it was definitely fun to play together," he said. "Original plan was to be here for a year and then come back, but then I started playing in bands etc., and I liked living here way more than I expected, so after going back to Poland to finish my studies I came back around 2011 to go to grad school. After getting my degree I decided that I might as well try working here."

Pornotarium was short-lived, but it led to various other positions in other bands. "Thanks to Pornotarium and Verv actually I was introduced to the Korean punk and hardcore scene, met the people, started going to shows, so I truly cherish all things and memories related to Pornotarium," he said.

Bialy plays with Animal Anthem at Space Moon in southern Seoul's Mullae-dong, Nov. 3, 2012. Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar

Shortly after his return, he joined the hardcore bands Shellback and Animal Anthem.

Animal Anthem's drummer Hyun-jin mentioned that Things We Say needed a new second guitarist, and recommended Bialy for the position.

"So Victor called me up and asked if I was interested. Things We Say was always one of my favorite Korean hardcore bands so I said yes right away," Bialy said. "They are all really great guys and it's always fun to play with them. Back then we actually played a lot."

Bialy isn't the first foreign member of the band. The original drummer was an American named Kameron serving in the U.S. military here in the 2000s. They also later had a Canadian guitarist, and when he left, Bialy stepped in.

During the band's heyday, they went on a two-week U.S. tour in 2013 and played This is Hardcore Fest 2013 in Philadelphia. "That tour and that show is still one of the best shows and tours I had a chance to do and I don't think it will be easy to top it," Bialy said.

Then the band went on official hiatus in November 2015. "The main reason we broke up in 2015 was me," said Victor, the lead singer. "I couldn't keep up. I was too busy with my family and my kids were too young, they needed my attention. I've been putting on shows in Cheonan to fill the hole (my desire towards music), but I feel it wasn't enough."

Things We Say has since returned a few times over the years, and all the members have remained active in the scene.

Bialy has built up a decent professional career here, spending seven years at a local video game developer, but he's also had other music projects.

In 2014, he joined the melodic punk band ...Whatever That Means, and has become the longest-standing member who isn't married to another member.

Bialy plays guitar for ...Whatever That Means while on tour in Kobe, Japan, last December. Courtesy of @ai_hasumi09

"I have fun playing with them and I guess I am a pretty easygoing person, so we never really had any trouble and I've never thought about quitting the band or anything like that," Bialy said.

He is also a founding member of the hardcore band 444 in 2018. "We decided to just take it easy during COVID — with shows being booked and then canceled at the very last moment, we just didn't really want to deal with that kind of stuff," he said. "We actually went back to practicing a few months ago, working on some new songs, so I guess we might be playing some shows this year."

He also was part of another shortlived project called Lesson, and earlier this year he took part in a one-off reunion for the skatepunk band 21Scott when the Korean vocalist returned to Korea for a few days.

A recent group photo of Things We Say / Courtesy of Things We Say

The poster for the Things We Say reunion show on Feb. 24 / Courtesy of Things We Say

There were plans for Things We Say to reunite last April when Swiss hardcore band Safe State toured here, but they had to back out due to the health problems of Ha's daughter Eileen. After undergoing a successful liver transplant from her mother, Eileen is recovering, and life is returning to normal for the Ha family.

"When my friends did the charity shows for me, I felt I really needed to come back," Victor said. "I wanted to give back."

The show will be held on Feb. 24 at Club SHARP in western Seoul's Mangwon-dong. Other bands playing include No Shelter, the Geeks, Duoxini and Run and Gun. Tickets cost 20,000 won in advance or 25,000 won at the door.

"It is not a one-off," Victor said. "We will continue to play shows, tour and even record new songs."

Follow @thingswesayhc on Instagram for more information.