Beijing band Gong Gong Gong brings 'phantom rhythm' to Korea

Bassist Joshua Frank and guitarist-vocalist Tom Ng and of Beijing-based band Gong Gong Gong / Courtesy of Kelly Hebestreit

The Beijing-based music act Gong Gong Gong is coming to Korea this weekend for shows in Busan and Seoul. Formed in 2015 by guitarist and vocalist Tom Ng from Hong Kong and bassist Joshua Frank from Montreal, Canada, the band has made waves worldwide for its stripped-down version of rock 'n' roll.

"The first time Tom and I jammed together, we knew we didn't need a drum set," Frank told The Korea Times. "Our sound had the elements we needed just with percussive guitar and bass playing. Some drummers will tell us they want to join Gong Gong Gong, but other drummers understand that nothing is missing from our sound."

"Actually I'm more like a drummer than guitarist in Gong Gong Gong," Ng added. "I kind of fitted a little drum set inside my guitar."

The band uses minimal tools to lay bare the essence of rock: rhythm, melody and grit. They also draw from various inspirations, including Bo Diddley, Cantonese opera, West African desert blues, drone and techno. The guitarist and bassist playing together create their own proprietary "Phantom Rhythm," which is where they get the name for their critically acclaimed debut album.

A sign in Beijing reads "carpenter, bricklayer, electrician" when read horizontally, or Gong Gong Gong when read vertically. Courtesy of Gong Gong Gong

Named after a repetition of the Chinese character for "work," the band took its name from an intentional misreading of a sign near their practice space. Reading horizontally, the sign says "carpenter, bricklayer, electrician," but when read vertically, one column offers the alliterative phrase "Gong Gong Gong," which implies workers and labor.

The duo started off playing in DIY and improvised spaces, including an underpass in Beijing and an outdoor staircase overlooking Kowloon Harbour in Hong Kong.

"I care about the experience of coming to a Gong Gong Gong show a lot," Ng said. "Giving the audience a unique experience means a lot to us. Sometimes playing in a more regular setup in a live house is nice, but it can be very predictable. Therefore we always like the idea of playing in different spaces and set up so the show would feel different from the last one, and it’s also more refreshing to the band too!"

Both members expressed concerns about the lack of venues in Beijing's scene, which impacts the entire scene including musicians of all genres, as well as from underground to larger bands.

"I don’t see a big difference between huge bands and more independent ones because we all have to deal with issues like the shortage of good venues to play," Frank said.

"The underground scene has been a lot quieter compared to that of 10 (to) 12 years ago because of the lack of small venues," Ng added. "You’ve got some more established and 'bigger' bands playing sold-out shows, but then there are just not that many smaller venues for newer, smaller bands, which is really worrying because their chance to play shows is quite limited."

Gong Gong Gong performs at the office of Wharf Cat Records in Brooklyn, New York, December 2018. Courtesy of Kevin W. Condon

Fortunately, Gong Gong Gong has also had opportunities to tour all over the world, including at New York’s MoMA PS1, Austin's SXSW as well as the Clockenflap Music Festival in Hong Kong.

"One of Gong Gong Gong’s earliest goals is to share our music (with) as many new music fans as possible," Ng said. "Therefore we love to play in new venues in new cities in new countries! And I’m very curious to see how people in Korea will react to our performance!"

Gong Gong Gong performs at Clockenflap music festival in Hong Kong last Dec. 1. Courtesy of Enzo Cheung

Sadly, the two bandmates were separated for three years due to the pandemic while Frank was back in Canada.

"It was pretty tough," Frank said. "Our music is built on the special connection that happens from us playing in the same room — that's the 'phantom rhythm' that comes out when we make music together. So it was hard to work on new stuff. We kept active, though."

During that period, they worked on a remix album of their original "Phantom Rhythm" album. Ng also compiled a book of posters for all the band's shows from 2015 until 2019. They also made music videos and sold merch in order to stay connected with fans.

Once things normalized and they were reunited, they were ready to resume. They started making plans last year with local event promoter Park Daham of Helicopter Records, who fittingly works at Seendosi, a bar in central Seoul's Euljiro that literally means "New City."

When it was noted that Frank's partner, Jessica Wee, was participating in Seoul's Kiaf Art Fair, they decided to seize on the opportunity and come to Korea.

"We’ve been curious to come to Korea for a long time," Frank said. "I’m looking forward to playing at Ovantgarde in Busan and Morene Sukha in Seoul — our friend Park Daham, who is organizing the shows, has a great sense of vibe and understands what gets us excited."

A poster for Gong Gong Gong's Korea tour / Courtesy of Helicopter Records

The band will perform with Soumbalgwang at Ovantgarde in Busan on Friday, and then at western Seoul's Morene Sukha on Saturday, where Ureuk and the Gypsies will open.

Visit linktr.ee/gonggonggong for more information.