Smoking Goose "Small Talks" Release Tour
With Monkey Pee Quartet, Dirty Rockhon, and TwoFive
Club Boojik
Gwangju
Oct. 17, 2026
(Jisu Sheen recently moved from New Haven to Gwangju, South Korea, where she’s covering local arts and culture for the New Haven Independent and Midbrow.)
Two dirty notes from the bass and guitar, one melodic riff from the other guitar, and a casual thunderbolt from the drums—that's all it took to fall headfirst into the punk universe of Gwangju band Monkey Pee Quartet, a band I'd heard about long before I ever step foot in the city.
The Quartet took the stage Saturday night at Club Boojik near Chonnam University in Gwangju's North District. They were supporting fellow punk band Smoking Goose, on tour for the recent release of their album Small Talks. Gwangju was Smoking Goose's last stop before heading to Japan. Playing them out with a fiery send-off were go-to legends from Gwangju's punk community; aside from Monkey Pee Quartet, openers included Dirty Rockhon and TwoFive.
Monkey Pee Quartet hit high notes and harmonies amidst their metallic edges. They were singing "Flag," a song off the third volume of a compilation project by their record label Victim Records, released in 2022. It was a motivational anthem, both in its amped-up rhythms and its lyrics about joining forces to defeat impossible odds. The guitar sings like an extra voice throughout the piece.
Bassist 박영롱 (Park Young Long), the newest member of the band since his introduction in 2024, looked like he might ascend into a higher state of being. And his playing had enough energy to take him there. This is the second time I've noticed incredible bass guitar sound in general at Club Boojik, which I'm now thinking could be an effect of the venue itself.
I'll do more field research to confirm, but in the meantime: if any bassist friends come visit, I know where to take them.
The band was decked out in Smoking Goose gear, encouraging audience members to hit the merch table too. As a group that just hit its Sweet Sixteen, Monkey Pee Quartet is well-acquainted with the thrills and economic realities of tour life. They shouted out their favorite Smoking Goose songs off the new album ("If we stay we'll be fine" and "Lucky 8th"), seeming to put as much support as they could behind Korea's live punk ecosystem.
Monkey Pee Quartet rolled straight from "Flag" into a sing-along crowd favorite (for a reason): a screamy, electric-guitar-heavy cover of "Tomorrow" from the musical Annie.
The first time I heard it, six months ago, I thought the song choice was funny. The lyrics felt opposite to the genre, in a contrast I appreciated; it was fresh.
On Saturday, I appreciated Monkey Pee Quartet's take on "Tomorrow" in a different way. It felt like an apt pair with the song they'd just played, which ends on lyrics about a blue sky. The fierceness of punk wasn't just a foil to the bright optimism of the kids' musical number; it was an asset, a way to drive the positivity even deeper. This is a band that regularly takes music to the point of exhaustion. Taking happiness there, I realized, made perfect sense.
Tomorrow, tomorrow!
I love ya tomorrow!
You're always
A day
Away!
The crowd sang their hearts out to the catchy refrain, promising a better future. And these days, what's more punk than that?
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