Superband: My favorite music survival reality show (Bearblog Carnival)
This is part of this month Bearblog Carnival.
I'm deeply enthusiastic about music reality shows. I like seeing the growth of the participants with each performance and the different arrangements of songs that I know, how every person can transform a song. I've seen more than I could count. I think it started watching The Voice growing up, it was like a ritual, tuning in the weekends (don't remember if it was Saturday or Sunday) and watching it with my family while eating dinner.
When I stopped watching TV, I turned to YouTube and the immensity of videos that I could find. There, I would watch those America's got talent clips or any other talent show. After I got into Korean music, naturally (for this era of the internet) my algorithm started to throw out Korean music reality shows as well, I was impressed about the great quantity of reality shows that they have in general but they have a lot of music ones as well!
They have very unique shows (that already have been introduced in other countries because of this) like I Can See Your Voice and King of Mask Singer. I used to be obsessed with the first one. They have realities for rap (Show Me The Money), ballads (The ballad of us), there are a lot for creating K-pop groups of course (Produce 101, Boys Planet, etc.), and I could go on and on. But for this post I want to talk about one in particular: Superband, like the name says It's about forming a band.
I had the thought of writing about this reality since I said in another post that I wanted to watch it again, and I finally did, no so long ago! I saw the theme of the Carnival and this draft popped up in my mind.1 This is a call for me to finally yap about this show!
Into Superband
Superband is a survival reality Korean show produced by JTBC in 2019, where musicians join with the goal of forming a band.
I'll talk without spoilers of course, even if it's an old show, I don't want to ruin the experience if anyone wants to watch it2. This show has a very special place in my heart. I was so hooked that, every week without exception, excited, I'd go to see the little clips on YouTube while guessing what they were saying. Because, this reality mixes two of my favorite things together: Bands and music reality shows.
What I love about it, is that there isn't just the common instruments you would see in a band, they didn't limited it to guitar, drums and bass, there was a saxophonist, a percussionist, violinist, armonica, etc. And on top of that, every one of them are highly skilled, you can attest that in the firsts episodes when they play their first stage, most of them alone.
There are also very different types of people there. Some already had their bands (like GIFt and The Rose) or working as soloists, street musicians, classical musicians, students, a profesor, etc. It was great to see what would they come up in every presentation having all different styles, or when unexpected instrument combinations would form (like the time with 3 acoustic guitars and a bass, mini spoiler, they crushed it).
Now, about my favorite performances. I'll mention a few because there are a lot, but I'll say that almost all of them are worth give a listen. I'm sad that they removed some of the original videos from YouTube, but I think all the audios are still there3 (thanks to people that reupload a few of them, so I hope the links are still working in the future). However I managed to find in a Korean websites for videos (Naver TV), the official channel where they uploaded all the performances and clips from every episode, with no subtitles though.
From the solos
This section I'll mention the solo auditions from the first episodes that impacted me in some way. I liked the auditions as much as the group performances, because I liked that they introduced each contestant with their main instrument.
Kim Youngso - Like A Star (Guitar). This is an original song composed by him. I like the clear tone he's able to produce, it feels very light and magical? It's not that the song is overly complex, but you can still see that he has great technique. The melody is precious. Listening again it felt too short, today I found his channel and the full version, I'm happy!
DPOLE - HONBANDO (Electronic). I think this was my first time watching a performance like this and because of that I realized how cool electronic music is. He is also one of my favorite on the show, I love every performance he's in.
Lee Chansol - Everglow (Vocals). (on YouTube the original video is deleted, but is on Naver TV) His voice is full of emotion. I've listened to this cover so many times and I can't get tired of his voice, it's truly great.
Jeong Sol - intro＋3월의 밤 (Percussion). His rhythm is impecable, it's so satisfying to listen to. It was nice to just focus on the percussions, because I often (sadly) forget about it.
Mellow kitchen - Way Back Home (Saxophone). I forgot about this one, but watching the clips again I remembered how good it was. This cover is so tasty, I didn't expect a saxophone version for a pop song like this one, but this arrangement is very well made!
From group presentations
Here is where the competition really started and various groups where formed. Every round they would change, until the last rounds where they formed the final bands.
F = ma. The Stars wars references were a great detail. This group is so charismatic, they really felt like an already formed band, great chemistry. This is one of the originals that I keep listening a lot.
Smooth. The groove is so good. I especially liked the drums here, the way they change at the half end uplift the song even more. Great energy! (Video on Naver TV)
Love me through the night. It's a city-pop banger! I know this song by heart now. It's such a fun performance to watch and listen to.
Still fighting. One of the most touching performances in the show (and there were a lot). The piano sets the mood perfectly, everyone together supported the emotion of the main vocalist. (Video on Naver TV)
Dancin'. It really makes you dance. That bass is crazy good, plus a solo. Their playfulness on stage is everything, they put a great show.
Swim. This is a perfect performance for me. They always made the songs their own, this is a cover, but it feels like an original. The ambient sound they add makes the song shine. I believe this was their first performance as the group LUCY, when I watched it, I couldn't stop thinking about how well they sound together, like they were destinated to it. (Video on Naver TV)
선잠 (Snooze). Yes, this group again. You can tell my favoritism, and yes, I was rooting for them, but at the end, I was rooting for everyone to be honest. This was their first original song they did for the program and I can't express with words how much I like it. The violin parts fits the song so well. It's incredible, every time I watch it It puts me in a good mood.
Honorable mentions
Lee Jonghoon - Penetrate (Bass). Very skilled bassist, I was in awe when I watched it.
Hold back the river. Earlier stage of LUCY. I have a soft spot for this vocalist (Lee Juhyeok) too. I've listen more to this than the original. (Video on Naver TV)
Marble. I love the fact that they include the chemical formula in the lyrics. The truly rock spirit.
Fairy of Shampoo. A little chaotic performance, but I like it!
Superband second season?
There is also a second season of this program, but I haven't watched it fully. From the videos I've seen, my favorite so far is a Britney Spears cover by a rock band, it's the song "Oops!... I Did It Again". They take the song to a theatrical and dramatic version, is fantastic to listen to. This performance is in my top of Superband stages in general.
I'll watch it someday that's for sure. Still haven't found a place to watch it, there are only clips on YouTube, but I think I'll go with that.
For mention other programs I liked, there is:
Every time a new reality is aired I immediately get clips recommended on YouTube, so you can tell how much I enjoy watching these. I could talk about every single performance but I don't have that much time...This post is also very long, it shows I was excited writing about this hahaha.
PS: I kept reviewing this post and now I'm working on the clouds one, I have the draft.
Thanks for reading :)