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's 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.

Press Quotes:

“Dead Buttons is one of the most exciting and extraordinarily talented acts to come out of the new generation of underground bands in Hongdae (Seoul).” – Do Indie

"Dead Buttons’ music is excellent. With the mixture of styles, the band goes in a lot of musical directions while keeping it interesting and fun to hear." – Korean Indie

“…specialise in fast'n'furious garage punk with an itchy energy that is sure to get any crowd jumping.” – Listen with Monger

“The indie two-piece were a bundle of raw energy and charm, and tracks such as I Want It All were instantly memorable. With guitar/drum duos, comparisons to the White Stripes are more often than not pretty lazy, but in this case could definitely be forgiven.” – Getintothis

“Dead Buttons play an eclectic mix of strong, 60-70s rock, indie/garage rock, punk, country, hardcore, alternative and grunge with some strong/accented vocals. There's a lot of sass and I feel like this could easily show up in Kill Bill 3.” – OPENmind/SATURATEDbrain Talent

“There are only two words to describe the guys: PURE AWESOMENESS!” – View of the Arts

“…fast, catchy, energetic, reckless and tongue-in-cheek straightforward garage rock, rockabilly and country blues in a terrific mix… great melodies and raw, rocking riffs... Definitely a band that is worth checking out for any rock fan.” – Mikkel Falk Moller, GAFFA.

“A Dead Buttons set continues the international vibe of the evening, hailing from Seoul, South Korea offering up a tasty plate of Blues Rock that features a uniquely alluring pronunciation of lyrics.” – Getintothis

“While their previous album, Some Kind of Youth, felt like “teenage Dead Buttons,” rabbit seems to present the band in their 20s. They are pure and passionate, but not naïve and know how to control their dynamic energy.” – Korean Indie

Members:
Jihyun Hong (24) – Guitar and vocals
Kanghee Lee (26) – Drums and vocals
MJ MOLEMAN (28) – Bass

Discography:
Whoever You Are (EP) – 2014
16-22 (Single) -2016
Desire (Single) -2016
Some kind of youth (Album) –July, 2016
rabbit (Album) –June, 2017

/ INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS /

2016 Jisan valley rock festival [Icheon KOR]

2016 Primavera Sound [Barcelona Spain]

2016 Liverpool Sound City [Liverpool UK]

2016 Fest Evol [Liverpool UK]

2016 Festival Circasismic [Besancon France]

2015 Milano Expo [Milano Italy]

2015 Liverpool Sound City [Liverpool UK]

2014 V-Rox [Vladivostok RUS]

2014 Liverpool Sound City [Liverpool UK]

2012 Japan-Korea Punk Festival [Tokyo Japan]