Ansan rocks to The Cure, The xx

More than 50,000 people gathered in Ansan over the weekend to move to the beat of the 2013 Ansan Valley Rock Festival.

The first day on Friday attracted around 19,000 people with headliners The Cure, one of Britain‘s most influential and enduring bands. The group performed for three hours but had the audience lose track of time.

Another British group, The xx, marking their first visit to Korea, created a dream-like ambiance with the help of dry ice and their trademark indie sound.

The following day gathered about 32,000 people, who braved heavy rain in the evening. Headlining was American electronic artist Skrillex, who appeared on stage in a spacecraft-like DJ booth. With South Korea’s flag on the big screen, 30,000 music fans roared with enthusiasm as the DJ demonstrated his versatile style.

British rock group Stereophonics, famous in Korea for their song “Have a nice day,” had fans singing along to their brand of mellow rock.

“It seemed like rock pilgrims had stopped by the island of Daebu, with the surreal atmosphere from the fog and mysterious style of music,” said music critique Kim Jak-ga.

The 3-day festival runs through Sunday, finishing up the last day with many of South Korea’s most well-known bands including Guckkasten and Peppertones.

Jin Eun-soo, Intern reporter
(janna924@heraldcorp.com)