Dead Buttons are a Seoul-based rock ‘n’ roll trio comprised of Korean guitarist/vocalist Jihyun Hong, Paraguayan/Korean drummer/vocalist Kanghee Lee and Korean bassist MJ Moleman.
A veteran of Korea’s indie scene, Hong previously played guitar for the Seoul hardcore band Combative Post as well as punk bands Sweet Guerillaz and Oi! Resolute, along with the psych- and pop-tinged garage rock act The Infamous Orchestra. He met Lee after Lee had finished his mandatory military service and the two decided to make Dead Buttons.
The band was originally formed as a trio in the fall of 2012. Showing their ambitious nature early on, less than two months after making their live debut they traveled to Tokyo in December 2012 to perform at the Japan-Korea Punk Festival. In the summer of 2013, Hong and Lee parted ways with their bassist.
Wanting a fresh start for Dead Buttons, they threw away all of their older material and began crafting new tunes as a two-piece. In October 2013, they made their first appearance at Hongdae’s Zandari Festa, an important international showcase for Korean bands, at which they caught the attention of several organizers of overseas music festivals, including Liverpool Sound City.
In February 2014, Dead Buttons issued their first EP, Whoever You Are. The five-track effort was recorded over the course of five hours. Whereas the band’s early material had more of a garage punk feel, the fantastic Whoever You Are boasts a wider sonic palette mixing garage rock, blues, country, punk, and psychedelic music to create an infectious sampler that showcases this fast-rising pair’s potential.
In the spring 2014, Dead Buttons performed several gigs in the UK in support of Whoever You Are including a stop at the Liverpool Sound City music festival. Continuing their foray into international touring, they were invited to play on the main stage of the groundbreaking V-ROX festival in Vladivostok, Russia, in August 2014, along with several prominent Korean bands such as Idiotape and Galaxy Express.
In October of the same year, they were not only one of the highlight acts of that year’s Zandari Festa, but also one of only five finalists chosen to play at the Mandoo Entertainment Showcase, with a view to taking part in the SXSW festival in Texas.
2014 proved to be a very successful year for Dead Buttons, as, after winning the EBS “Hello Rookie” award for July, they were also nominated for the “Rookie of the Year” under the same title, in November.
In May 2015, Dead Buttons are performing several gigs in the UK in support of Whoever You Are including a stop at the Liverpool Sound City music festival, Brixton Windmill and Milano Expo 2015.
In summer of 2015, Dead Buttons are to go to expand the variety of activities in South Korea, in October 2015 they does have Showcase in MU:CON. They were chosen to CMJ Music Marathon program to be held in October 2016.
From April 2016 a new song of the Dead Buttons were broadcast through various channels, including the UK Radio X, the Swedish national radio. In May, they are performing gigs more than 20 times in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, France in support of Some Kind Of Youth including a stop at the Primavera Sound, Primavera Pro, Sound City, Festival Circasismic, FestEvol.
In the second half of 2016, Dead buttons ended up being the first successful album to meet local fans at
Valley Rock Festival and Let's Rock Festival, one of Korea's largest music festivals.
In 2017, Dead buttons reunite with the first bassist, MJ Moleman, and start working again as a trio. The bassist has made them more stable and able to show off their diverse music. They released their second album, rabbit, and they get a good response through their Japan tour.
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