Leenalchi, Femcel

Seoul alt-pop sensation Leenalchi live at Pioneer Works, co-presented with WMI. The Seoul-based seven-piece phenomenon brings their infectious fusion of 17th-century Korean storytelling and deep-groove psychedelic funk to Brooklyn for an unforgettable, danceable night in the PW Main Hall, with support from NYC post-punk duo Femcel. Pioneer Works is thrilled to team up with WMI to present the Brooklyn debut of Leenalchi, the sensational Seoul-based band celebrating their Luaka Bop debut EP, Here Comes That Crow. Led by visionary bassist and film composer Jang Young Gyu, Leenalchi completely upends modern alternative music by reimagining pansori—a traditional Korean musical storytelling style rooted in shamanism—as blistering, bass-heavy synth-rock. With a singular lineup featuring two bassists, drums, keys, absolutely no guitars, and four transcendent vocalists, Leenalchi crafts a sound that is simultaneously spiritual, ancient, and fiercely futuristic. Their lead single and title track, “Here Comes That Crow,” transforms an epic centuries-old allegory about a warlord's precarious battle into a cross-cultural dance floor filler driven by hypnotic, driving rhythms. About the Artists Leenalchi (EEE-nal-chi) is a seven-piece alternative pop/rock band from Seoul, South Korea, that has taken the international music scene by storm. Rooted in the traditional Korean art of pansori—an epic, operatic form of musical storytelling dating back to the Joseon Dynasty—the band strips away conventional rock tropes, opting for a rhythm section consisting of two bassists and a drummer to ground the soaring, acrobatic deliveries of their four vocalists: Ahn Yi Ho, Park Soo Bum, Ra Seo Jin, and Choi Su In. To achieve their mind-bending vocal strength, pansori singers traditionally train alongside roaring waterfalls to mimic the complex, sonic nuances of rushing water. When layered over Leenalchi's collaborative, wordless funk grooves, the result is a masterclass in rhythm, storytelling, and danceable avant-garde pop. Jang Young Gyu, an Enigmatic bassist and bandleader, looms large as a pioneer in South Korea's indie and alternative music scenes. His relentless drive to experiment with pansori began in 2007, eventually leading him to form groundbreaking groups like BIBING, the viral sensation SsingSsing—whose legendary NPR Tiny Desk concert garnered nearly 10 million views—and ultimately, Leenalchi. Beyond his massive contributions to alternative music, Jang is one of South Korea's most prestigious and sought-after film composers. He has written the critically acclaimed, pulse-pounding soundtracks for some of the country’s most celebrated cinematic masterpieces, including the horror phenomenon The Wailing, the stylistic western The Good, the Bad, the Weird, and the global blockbuster thriller Train to Busan. Femcel Slap-sticked together in 2023, Jagger Demel and Jane Starr birthed Femcel. Raw and unfiltered. Sultry but mean. Strange. The duo births a post-punk sound that mixes 90s nostalgia, abrupt pauses, and raw feminine aggression.