JAMBINAI Talk Performing At K-Music Festival 2025 And More

On October 5th 2025, JAMBINAI will perform with the London Contemporary Orchestra at the Barbican, under the direction of conductor Robert Ames. This show marks the first time a traditional Korean band has headlined the Barbican. Founded in Seoul in 2009, JAMBINAI are known for fusing Korean traditional instruments such as haegeum, geomungo, and piri with the dynamic power of post-rock. The band took time out of their busy schedule to talk to us:

 

Who is in JAMBINAI, how did you meet and what do they play?

 

(잠비나이에는 피리, 태평소, 생황 그리고 기타와 작곡을 맡고 있는 이일우 (Lee Ilwoo), 해금 김보미 (Kim Bomi), 거문고 심은용 (Sim Eunyong), 드럼 최재혁 (Choi Jaehyuk), 베이스 유병구 (Yu Byeongkoo)로 구성되어 있습니다.

보미와 은용이 그리고 저는 국악을 전공한 대학 동창생입니다. 국악 공연을 하면 대부분 전공 선생님들, 친구들, 부모님들 정도만 오는데 연주자로서 별로 감흥이 없었습니다. 그래서 공연장에서 일반 관객들과 함께할 수 있는 음악을 만들기 위해 이 밴드를 만들었습니다. 드러머와 베이시스트는 투어가 본격화되면서 함께할 멤버가 필요해 나중에 합류하게 되었습니다.)

 

JAMBINAI consists of Ilwoo Lee (piri, guitar, taepyeongso, saenghwang & vocals), Bomi Kim (haegeum & vocals), Eunyong Sim (geomungo), Jaehyuk Choi (drums), B.K Yu (bass)

Bomi, Eunyong, and I (Ilwoo) studied traditional Korean music together in university. At that time, most of our audiences were just our professors, classmates, and parents, which felt a bit limiting and uninspiring as performers. We wanted to share our music with a wider audience, so we formed a band. Later, as touring became more serious, we added a drummer and bassist to complete the lineup.

 

What is your earliest musical memory?

 

(어렸을 때 마이클 잭슨의 음악을 들으며 문워크를 따라하던 기억이 납니다.)

 

I remember listening to Michael Jackson’s music and trying to imitate the moonwalk when I was young.

 

When did you begin songwriting?

 

(2001년쯤 49morphines라는 스크리모 (Screamo) 밴드를 결성했는데, 그때부터 밴드를 위한 작곡을 시작했습니다.)

 

Around 2001, when I formed a screamo band called 49morphines. That’s when I first started writing music for a band.

 

You will headline the Barbican in London on Sunday 5th October 2025 alongside the London Contemporary Orchestra – the first time a traditional Korean band has headlined the venue. How are you feeling about the show and coming to London?

 

(믿기지 않을 정도로 설레고 감사하는 마음입니다. 바비칸은 여러 의미로 대단한 공연장인데 그런 무대에 저희가 오를 수 있게 해준 모든 관계자분께 감사드립니다. 그리고 함께 연주할 런던 컨템포러리 오케스트라에도 감사드립니다.

오케스트라와 작업할 기회는 어떤 뮤지션에게도 쉽게 주어지는 기회가 아닌데, 그것도 바비칸에서 런던 컨템포러리 오케스트라와 한다는 것은 여기 글로 다 담을 수 없을 정도로 큰 영광입니다.)

 

It feels almost unbelievable, I’m both thrilled and deeply grateful. The Barbican is a truly significant venue in many ways, so I want to thank everyone who made it possible for us to perform there. I also want to thank the the London Contemporary Orchestra(LCO) for performing with us.

It’s rare for any musician to get the chance to collaborate with an orchestra, and the fact that we get to do it at the Barbican with the LCO is such an incredible honour that words can hardly express it.

 

Which of your tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

 

a) Connection

b) They Keep Silence

c) ONDA

 

Do you have any new music releases planned for 2025?

 

(아직 없습니다. 아마 내년부터 작업에 들어갈 것 같습니다.)

 

Not yet. I think we’ll probably begin working on new material starting next year.

 

How do you look after your voices?

 

(물을 많이 마시고 너무 큰 소리를 내지 않는 것.)

 

By drinking lots of water and avoiding making loud sounds.

 

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

 

(건강하기. 예의 있는 사람 되기.)

 

To stay healthy. To be a respectful person.

 

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

 

(여러 기타 이펙터 중 Proco Rat을 좋아합니다. 예전에 White Face라는 80년대 복각 리미티드 모델이 있었는데 투어 중 멕시코에서 도난 당해서 지금은 Packrat이라는 페달을 쓰고 있습니다. 아직도 White Face가 그립습니다.)

 

I really like the Proco Rat guitar effect pedal. I used to own a limited reissue of the White Face version from the 1980s, but it was stolen during a tour in Mexico. These days, I use a pedal called Packrat, but I still miss the White Face.

 

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

 

(*익스팬스 (The Expanse)*라는 SF 소설입니다. 개인적으로 SF 장르를 좋아합니다. 경험해보지 못한 세계이기에 끝없는 상상력을 자극하기 때문입니다. 그 상상력을 새로운 사운드로 표현해보고 싶습니다.)

 

It would be The Expanse, a science fiction novel. I personally love the sci-fi genre because it stimulates limitless imagination about worlds we haven’t experienced. I’d love to express that imagination through new sounds.

 

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

 

Envy, Sepultura, Nine Inch Nails, Explosions in the Sky, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, MONO and many, many, many more.

 

What makes JAMBINAI happy, and what makes you unhappy?

 

(관객들의 환호가 가장 기쁘게 합니다. 불행한 적은 딱히 없습니다.)

 

Cheers from the audience make us happiest. There hasn’t been anything that made us unhappy.

Feature Image Photo Credit: Siyoung Song

Sunday 5th October 2025 | Barbican Hall

JAMBINAI with London Contemporary Orchestra

Post-Rock band JAMBINAI make their Barbican debut in a rare and electrifying performance with the London Contemporary Orchestra (LCO) led by Robert Ames — a conductor renowned for his work in contemporary classical music and for collaborations with artists such as Radiohead, Frank Ocean, and Steve Reich.

JAMBINAI sound less like a band than a force of nature, fusing the full dramatic range of post-rock dynamics to Korean folk roots to create an exhilarating, vivid and unique fusion. Their instrumental music is coloured by combining traditional Korean instruments like the haegeum, geomungo, and piri with crushing guitars and cinematic textures. 

Formed in Seoul in 2009, JAMBINAI have earned international acclaim, including 5 recognitions in the Korean Music Awards and a breathtaking performance at the Closing Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics. After captivating audiences during their sold-out appearance as part of K-Music Festival 2023, they return ready to unleash their bold and immersive signature sound, unlike anything you’ve heard before.

This programme is presented by the Barbican in partnership with the K-Music Festival.  

 

Performers:

Ilwoo Lee (Piri, Guitar, Vocals)

Bomi Kim (Haegeum, Vocals)

Eunyong Sim (Geomungo)

Jaehyuk Choi (Drums)

B.K Yu (Bass)

London Contemporary Orchestra

Robert Ames Conductor

Tickets are on sale now and available from serious.org.uk/k-music