As reported on Louder Than War a few months ago Laibach have become the first western band to play North Korea and completed their gig their on Wednesday. The gig at the Ponghwa Theatre was a polite affair and a partial culture shock for the audience.
With a nod to their location the band played with a backdrop of images from North Korean propaganda posters projected on to a screen, with translations in Korean which was both a nod to where they were and probably a double bluff of toying with image and the band’s love of imagery and symbols.
Fantastically eccentric as ever Laibach delivered a set of songs that included songs from The Sound of Music, including Edelweiss, Do-Re-Mi and The Hills Are Alive apparently because the film is popular in North Korea.