It’s time once again for Kpopalypse Nugu Alert! Let’s check out some more k-pop nugus!

Recently I purchased my latest guitar, a Gibson Flying V. I’ll probably do some tabs videos soon so you can see this instrument in action, but in the meantime, I thought that it would be important to do a Kpopalypse Nugu Alert episode especially dedicated to the most rocking of all guitar shapes.

The Gibson isn’t the only Flying V guitar model in existence, but it was the first. Essentially the guitar was just a “futuristic” reconfiguration of the Gibson Les Paul with similar electronics and a really impractical shape that looks cool and allows easy access to the highest frets but also makes it very hard to sit down and play comfortably. The instrument began life in the 1950s and was a spectacular marketing failure – futuristic indeed, the guitar was way ahead of its time and didn’t gain any real popularity until the 1970s when glam rock and heavy metal bands looking for something different that would stand out started latching onto it.

Thanks to the surging popularity of hard rock and heavy metal in the 1970s and 1980s, there are now many different version of the Flying V, from many different guitar manufacturers. They vary cosmetically but all feature the same basic characteristics – a V shaped body, sharp edges and a severe disregard for sensible guitar ergonomics.

Of course, today’s pussy-ass Korean pop fans mostly don’t know how to rock, so it’s time to use the educational powers of caonima blogging to highlight some Korean artists who have seen the virtue of the V. Usual rules apply:

Less than 20,000 views on official YouTube channels

Not groups that I’ve seen international k-pop fans give any fucks about

Relevant to Kpopalypse

Let’s get it started!

Novadox – Alone

Just scraping in for Nugu Alert inclusion due to their relatively high view count (which will likely edge slightly over 20k by the time this post actually gets published), Novadox have a pretty standard anthemic millennial-style rock song which doesn’t have much musically noteworthy about it, but does feature some hot sexy V action. The Flying V on offer here is the Gibson satin-finished “faded” model which is the one in the first guitar picture above and also the same one that I own. The future-yet-vintage style of the Gibson instruments means that they look equally cool in the hands of metal, rock and even blues players, and the first noteworthy Flying V players were actually bluesmen Albert King and Lonnie Mack in the 1950s who also agreed that it looked pretty cool. However if that’s not sexy enough for you, the music video also features plenty of sinewy bare-chested action from the singer, and a hefty-looking drummer that all those of you who voted for Shindong in every category for my most recent objectification survey will no doubt appreciate. This song is also the “most like k-pop” of anything here, so it hopefully won’t be too unsettling for those of you who are learning about Flying Vs and rock music for the first time and actually find this post educational rather than the condescending time-wasting bullshit it probably is to everybody else.

YouTube views at time of writing: 19948

Notable attribute: green hair on the singer thoughtfully colour-matched with the backdrop

Nugu Alert rating: average

FatalFear – Apocalyptic Crusade

Of course, the main users of the Flying V are extreme metal bands, and they tend not to favour the Gibson model but instead the more modern variants that came to the fore in the 1980s and 1990s thanks to manufacturers such as Dean, Ibanez, Jackson and B.C. Rich. FatalFear use several different V and non-V guitars throughout the course of this video, and certainly their money seems to have gone straight to their guitar collection as they didn’t have much left over for video footage and thus cobbled their official video together from grainy mobile phone footage. The Flying V on offer here appears to be the BC Rich Kerry King model but the footage is so blurry and wobbly that it’s hard to even tell for sure. If nothing else this video proves that there must be some decent metal venues for groups in Korea because the lighting rigs at all the different shows are bright enough to make sure that you can’t really see what the fuck’s going on most of the time (which tends to be the aim of rock concert lighting for some reason). I’m not sure what happened to FatalFear because they don’t seem to have been active for a number of years, what a shame that Kpopalypse Nugu Alert wasn’t around to stan them in 2009 when they really needed it.

YouTube views at time of writing: 3162

Notable attribute: taking a leaf out of MBK’s book, their official video is on their YouTube channel three different times with slightly different names

Nugu Alert rating: extreme

Trash St – Follow Me

Taking the award for “most Flying V use per band member” for this post is definitely Trash St, who have two guitarists and a bass player all with V variations – two Dean models and an ESP. They also have by far the best song here, a bizarre melodic folk tune in hilariously over the top metal clothing. Most of all however, they have the best crowd. It seems that not many people turn up to Trash St’s gigs, but I doubt they really give much of a fuck, the band seem to be having a good time and so do the small audiences in attendance. These are the best type of gigs to attend – from a fan’s point of view, it’s always best to watch a performer play in as small and/or empty a venue as possible. What would you rather do – see your favourite k-pop groups in a crowded 10,000 seat venue where they’re just a tiny speck in the distance and you can’t even see their faces properly without the help of video projections, or have them come over to your house and sing their songs for you in your lounge room? The closer you can get to the second option, the better, and the great thing about being fans of groups nobody gives a fuck about is that the second option can realistically happen for you. I reckon that guy really getting into it right at the front of the stage knows it – and even the most nugu metal band ever has at least one fan like that, that one guy who stands right up the front and is really into it and everyone else in the room thinks is a weirdo. I know this because I’ve been that fan quite often. Trash St are still around at the time of writing as far as I know, so maybe you should send them an invite over to your house for a lounge room jam session if you’re living in the area.

YouTube views at time of writing: 668

Notable attribute: politely head-bopping fangirl/supportive girlfriend at 1:36 is my new Korean metal bias

Nugu Alert rating: off the chart

That’s all for Kpopalypse Nugu Alert for this episode! Kpopalypse will return with more nugu action!