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Not satisfied enough with idols?!
Want to enjoy Korea’s own indie music than major music?!
Then take a music trip at Hongdae!!

Cry out loud and go wild with indie musicians! If you want to feel the heart of indie musicians who sing with souls rather than the fancy idol performances! This is how you roll in Hongdae!



Overall ScheduleHongdae is a must-visit for all those traveling in Seoul. This is because Hongdae is a shopping heaven and full of youths. There are as many live music performances in Hongdae as there are plays and musicals in Daehak-ro.
In Hongdae’s regional map, there are many live cafes clustered together.
Indie musicians perform mostly around Line 2 Hongdae Station and Line 6 Sangsu Station. There is an Information House for foreigners on the main street facing Hongik University, and you can request a regional map of Hongdae to enjoy the Hongdae streetstothe fullest.
Now, how do you find an indie performance?
How do you follow an indie musician? Let’s find out throughout this course~



Hongdae Life Cafe

Jebi Dabang


< Movie and Coffee at Noon, Alcohol and Performances at Night >

It is located near Hongdae’s Sangsu Station.
Leave Exit 3 of Sangsu Station and go straight in the opposite direction to find the quiet and dreamy Jebi Dabang.





DDDA

< Enjoy Indie Performances with Cats >

Leave Exit 6 of Sangsu Station, go straight to find a pink sofa in front of DDDa Live Cafe.
I was a bit surprised when I visited DDDa Live Cafe for the first time. It seems like an old house was remodeled into a cafe instead of the fancy cafes that we are used to. A strong smell of “Vintage” (Not “Binti”, “Shabby” in Korean) in the entrance.AsI entered the cafe, a cat sleeping comfortably on a sofa slightly opened its eyes to greet me. The owner is a big fan of cats which is why there are two cats living in the cafe. It is the perfect cafe for people who love cats and music.



Club Auteur (Author Auteur) < The Beginning of a Musical Journey >



There is a Japanese-style pub in the ground floor to the second floor, but there is a performance stage in the basement. The store’s bulletin board displays monthly performance schedule. Tickets can be reserved or bought on site but are a lot cheaperifyou reserve them!! I recently visited the store. I saw a performance with the theme “The Day Concert? A Day of Listening to Love” which was organized by the musician Yang Ja-in. It was an excellent performance where many vocalists sang amazing songsinemotional voices. I briefly interviewed the event manager after the performance.

The Day Concert was organized because the event manager (a composer and performer) wanted to show people a performance where many vocalists perform with a different “theme” each time instead of having one specific singer and one genre of music in a performance.

KT & G Sang Sang Madang < Go Crazy for Indie Music >

Anyone who knows Hongdae must know Sang Sang Madang since it has such a great presence.
Cinema, exhibition area, underground performance area, art academy, and even a cafe! The performance tickets are sold at reasonable prices in B3.
The ticket box on the ground floor only sells cinema tickets. Don’t miss this place as great performances are held all the time!







Hongdae Life Cafe

I’m Camper

If you leave Exit 4 of Sangsu Station and go straight, you can see “I’m Camper” that has a great camping atmosphere. Korean people are really camping maniacs!!! Camping style is trendy all the time!!! When you want to enjoy the novel restaurant I’m Camperandits camping food! Let’s have a barbecue time to fill up the energy before going off to see a great live show ~~



Eunhasu Dabang

“Love~~is meeting at Eunhasu Dabang~”
If you know 10cm, you will recognize this song. It is also the place where Haha and 10cm worked on their song together during Infinite Challenge’s West Coast Highway Festival. It seems as if indie musicians really are unique. Here you can sometimes findmusiciansenjoying a chat over a cup of coffee. It is also quite difficult to find the place by traffic.
Leave Exit 1 of Sangsu Station, go straight and turn right after Hongik Animal Hospital to find Eunhasu Dabang after about 150 meters.
The coffee takes fantastic!! The atmosphere is the best!

No stress kitchen

It is a wonderful Italian restaurant in Hongdae’s alleyway 405. The special name attracts people’s attention.
The name makes one wonder “Will I really not be stressed if I dine there?”
The meal that started off with curiosity turns out to be a real adventure!
I’m very nervous because I don’t know what it’s going to taste like.









New York Apartment

This is a place you must visit if you are in the mood for a handmade burger. It is always full whenever I visit.
Seats are only available if I wait a while but it’s all worth the wait!! It is literally an American Burger restaurant! The taste is beyond words.
From Sang Sang Madang, walk towards Palja Makchang and go through the alleyway for about 200 meters to find this place! A glass of beer and a delicious American handmade burger! It is the perfect match!