“Even we don’t know what this show will be like, so don’t get your hopes up too much,” Ju Seongmin, head of label MAREUMO, told a packed Sunday crowd at YES24 WANDERLACH HALL this past July 6. Ju began his career as the guitarist for the metal band Schizo and later managed the club V-Hall in Seoul’s Hongdae neighborhood, becoming a part of Korean indie music history. These days, he’s been keeping busy with one of the artists under his label, LEE SEUNG YOON. Even for someone who’s been around long enough to have been through it all, he was putting on something far from easy and altogether new—“2025 LEE SEUNG YOON CLUB GIG [POKZOOTIME].”

“POKZOOTIME” was nothing like your typical concert, instead embracing the spirit of a club gig. It was set up so audiences paid at the door, but only as they left—and they could choose to pay as much as 54,321 won or as little as nothing. Fans who didn’t snag a ticket had the opportunity to watch the July 5 show live from seven movie theaters across the country, including at CGV Sinchon Artreon, directly above WANDERLACH HALL in the same building. It was a free, leave-at-your-leisure concert reminiscent of those at any number of underground clubs scattered throughout Seoul.

LEE SEUNG YOON took that idea and made it reality. With no specific end time and no set list, he chose the songs on the spot, taking cues from screaming fans in the audience, and just kept the wild energy going. He kicked things off by charging out from the crowd, belting out “POKZOOK TIME” to get everyone fired up. Without a word of banter, he dove into the rock ’n’ roll energy of “Strings as a Sword” and “Return Match,” giving himself over to the music and bouncing around the stage. Every decision was spontaneous. He debated between something more like a festival set or to perform his entire album live, then said “I’ll figure it out as I go” and ended up doing his first studio album, “Even If Things Fall Apart,” in full. From acoustic numbers performed solo to songs featuring a full backing band, the singer absolutely boiled over with inventiveness and passion. With Song Hyeonu on bass, Ji Yonghee on drums, Cho Huiwon and Lee Jeongwon on guitars, and Bok Dajin on keyboards, LEE SEUNG YOON and his band kept the fun up for four hours and 40 minutes. The show started at six, but by the time the band wrapped up and the audience was back outside, it was already 10:40 pm. During the show, I couldn’t help but wonder why there was a microwave and ramyeon cooker off to one side of the stage. It wasn’t until later that I had a good laugh after I found out he actually took time out during the first show to fix himself a meal and enjoy some dinner conversation with the fans.

For LEE SEUNG YOON, underground clubs are the sun at the center of his musical solar system. He built his career performing at countless venues, starting way back when he began his journey as a solo singer-songwriter competing in a university music festival in 2011, and throughout his time as a member of indie bands Ddaband and Alary-Kansion, You don’t have to look far to find videos even now from the 2010s of LEE SEUNG YOON as a laid-back young man, singing live for intimate crowds. With the 2016 release of his first studio album, “What to Steal,” a compilation of previously released singles, the singer was living as “Mr. Obscurity from Earth”—a bedroom musician unable to bring stability to his musical solar system. Just figuring out how to get by made every day an overwhelming struggle, with thoughts of his own creative potential overshadowed as he questioned its very usefulness. Naturally, LEE SEUNG YOON began exploring the purpose of his music and the life of the person behind it. His introspection from the time is reflected in two unique places—a letter he sent in anonymously to a radio show in 2017, where he asked himself if he possessed anything special and unique to him, and the liner notes to his 2018 EP, “How Pretty the Moon is” (“This album is my breath, trying to inscribe a short sentence in the vastness of space and time, stretched out by some grand equation”).

LEE SEUNG YOON was never obsessed with succeeding in the underground scene or hoping for a lucky break. Instead, he developed his own musical language and experimented with it to learn about the vast universe within himself and learn how to take it and open it up to the world. He had always approached music with the skeptical and ambitious but humble attitude of a scientist, long before he appeared on the JTBC reality audition show “Sing Again” and people really started to pay attention to him. Whether playing gigs at clubs, performing at rock festivals in Korea and abroad, competing on reality shows, or making other TV appearances, LEE SEUNG YOON’s unique musical world is always at the center of it all. His lyrics may seem borderline pretentious at first, but once you grasp their meaning, you discover the honesty he packs into each and every word. “In short, clearly, and sad as it is, we can’t embrace one another wholly,” he said when describing his song “Docking.” “That’s why I wrote this song. Let’s dock into each other in this song.” In other words, for LEE SEUNG YOON, music is its own language—one with linguistic nuance through which we all, no matter the time or place, can work together to communicate, unite, and keep moving forward. And that’s the most powerful thing about the music and words that make up songs. It’s precisely this philosophy that guided him steadily along after his reality show win and helped him build up his fandom, “BBI DDU RU,” so quickly.

The concert was four hours and 40 minutes long, and I was utterly captivated the entire time. Unlike the doubts the artist expressed onstage (“The show’s over when my voice goes … Feel free to leave halfway through … I don’t know if this show’s actually any good”), his fans sang their hearts out and couldn’t stop moving. The power of the music ensured there wasn’t a single dull moment even after hours went by. LEE SEUNG YOON’s performances tend to be on the long side, averaging around two and a half to three hours. Between his first nationwide tour in 2023, putting on performances last year for his third studio album, “YEOK SEONG,” and all his appearances at countless festivals, I’ve seen quite a few of his shows, and yet, there was something unique and fresh at this one that could only be felt in that free-form world he shaped. His screaming punk rock reimagining of “Canon”—one he once threatened to stop performing altogether if it felt unsatisfactory—will likely come to symbolize how in his element LEE SEUNG YOON was in 2025. Other new twists included his voice, solitary and naked without a microphone, still filling the venue as he sang “Two-Hundred-Thirty-Second Pledge,” and the amazing connection he made with the crowd during “Once In a While,” reminiscent of a Jacob Collier show. Completely unrestrained by any concert format, the singer, and his never-ending potential to amaze, shined bright.

The most memorable moment was when singer-songwriter Jeon Yoodong took to the stage as a guest. LEE SEUNG YOON introduced him to the crowd, recounting how Jeon had inspired him musically and imparted some invaluable survival tips for the indie scene back when they used to perform in underground clubs. For Jeon, who’s released two studio albums and numerous EPs and singles exploring his delicate folk sound, this appearance at WANDERLACH HALL marked the biggest stage he’d ever performed on. Performing as a folk trio alongside Song Hyeonu and Bok Dajin, Jeon sang heartfelt renditions of songs like “The Abstract Painting Named April,” “Moss,” and “Spirea,” and was met with warm cheers and encouragement from the audience. It was more than just the kind of collaboration you get between artists at an underground club—it was LEE SEUNG YOON, still in perfect harmony with all the musicians he once struggled through the indie scene with, and proof that their fans were still sticking by their side.

Contrary to label head Ju’s initial concerns, “POKZOOTIME” exceeded expectations. After the guest performances and a brief intermission featuring a prepared acoustic set, LEE SEUNG YOON, as always, bolted across the stage like greased lightning, rousing the audience to raise their voices even louder and pouring his soul into every song until just short of exhaustion. As he had put it, this show wasn’t meant to be a mere feat of endurance. It felt as though all the songs he’d painstakingly preserved through years of trials were meant to be heard further and wider than ever. Casting away all the limitations that come with cookie-cutter concerts, he roared ferociously, signaling there were still many more stories left to tell. Is it selfish to want a show like “POKZOOTIME” every year, even if it’s not really feasible? It wouldn’t have to be at WANDERLACH HALL, even. Whether the next venue’s smaller or more grandiose in scale, what’s certain is that LEE SEUNG YOON’s words will continue to be heard in even further-flung corners. I can’t help but be reminded of his speech at the recent 22nd Korean Music Awards, where his 2024 album “YEOK SEONG” earned him three awards: “The time I feel most like I made the right choice by making music is when I feel my songs resonate with the emotions or moments of today,” he said. “For all of you, living here and now, I’ll keep making music that seeps into every last corner of your drawers, your pockets, your flowerpots—songs that won’t ignore the times we live in.” The 1,000 fans in the audience for “POKZOOTIME” bore clear witness: The era of LEE SEUNG YOON is in full throttle.