cotoba and ikkyu nakajima plug Korea-Japan indie into Rolling Hall

Seoul's Hongdae live venue Rolling Hall will bring 6 Korean and Japanese indie musicians together on one stage. 'nowhere 2', held at Rolling Hall in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on July 26 at 2 PM, is the second performance of the Korea-Japan music exchange project that began at Shimokitazawa SHELTER in Tokyo, Japan, this past February.

The core of this event is that bands and singer-songwriters from both countries will stand directly before each other's audiences. Moving beyond a simple joint performance, it serves as a place for fans of the Hongdae live scene to witness the current state of Korean and Japanese indie music.

July 26 Rolling Hall second 'nowhere' performance

'nowhere' is a project where Korean and Japanese musicians share each other's culture through music and meet new audiences. While the first performance was held at a Japanese live house, Rolling Hall, a long-standing venue in Seoul, takes the baton this time.

The performance will be held in a standing format. Ticketing is available on Melon Ticket starting from June 23 at 8 PM. On the Melon Ticket search screen, 'nowhere 2' is registered as a July 26, 2026, Rolling Hall performance, so the most important schedule for fans to check is the ticket opening time.

3 Korean acts and 3 Japanese acts lineup

The lineup is balanced with 3 Korean acts and 3 Japanese acts. From Korea, post-rock band cotoba, Ghost Bookstore, and Zivenew will perform.

From Japan, ikkyu nakajima, who is the vocalist of the band tricot and also active as a soloist, singer-songwriter tamuraryo, and appi, who works based on shoegaze and dream pop, will take the stage. Rather than being grouped by a single genre, the composition is closer to a continuous flow of guitar sounds, delicate vocals, and dreamy textures within a single concert.

CEO Kim Cheon-seong: "I want to create a stage for continuous exchange"

The true point of this performance lies in playing music in front of actual audiences rather than grand slogans for overseas expansion. It is difficult to convey the temperature of an indie band through music releases alone, and especially for bands like cotoba, where rhythm and guitar progression are crucial, the persuasiveness increases during live performances.

The Japanese acts will also not remain as an invited lineup merely introduced by name, but will breathe at the same distance as the Korean audience. It is also noteworthy that the Korea-Japan music exchange is leading to a standalone planned performance rather than just being a corner of a festival.

Kim Cheon-seong, CEO of Rolling Hall, stated, "'nowhere' is a meaningful exchange project where Korean and Japanese musicians can discover each other's music and meet new audiences. We want to continue creating stages where artists from both countries can consistently exchange and provide opportunities to connect through music." For the audience, the most immediate schedule is the ticket opening on June 23 and the main performance on July 26.