Ayrshire-born musician leads a Seoul punk band and returns home

An Ayrshire-born teacher and musician led the Seoul punk band Gallus Alice, performing songs in Scottish dialect, and plans to return to Scotland after five years in South Korea.

An Ayrshire-born teacher and musician, Pete Wilson led Gallus Alice, a punk band in Seoul that used Scottish patter and cultural references in its songs. He moved to South Korea in 2020 after his wife was headhunted for a job and formed the band after advertising for musicians on Facebook. The group played covers and gradually began writing original material with a goal of recording six songs. Wilson balanced teaching English by day with performing in Seoul's underground punk venues by night. Known details: - The writer attended Gallus Alice's last concert at an intimate bar in Seoul and met Wilson beforehand in a cafe in the Hongdae neighbourhood. - The band performed rowdy covers of groups such as The Ramones and the Pixies and later wrote six songs, playing three gigs with their own material. - Wilson said he used a standardised American English voice while teaching in Korea but embraced his Scottish dialect during live shows, sometimes amusing or baffling audiences. - The Craic House and the local scene organised fundraisers and support for a musician who suffered a stroke, illustrating a supportive social network within the community. - After five years in South Korea, Wilson and his wife are moving back to Scotland for a more settled job situation. Summary: Wilson brought elements of Scottish language and references into Seoul's underground punk scene and helped form social connections among expat and local musicians. The band moved from covers to original writing and performed a small number of gigs with their own songs. Their return to Scotland after five years is the next step noted in the article and marks the end of this chapter of their time in Seoul.