The global band-making survival show "Steel Heart Club" captivated viewers' hearts with an increasingly heated music war. Youths with different personalities and styles exploded their own "rock spirit" on stage, showing the true instincts of a band.
On the 28th (Tue) broadcast, the second episode of Mnet's "Steel Heart Club" revealed the previously unreleased first mission "club audition" stages. Then an enormous performance in which all 50 prospective musicians completed one stage with the signal song "Some Day's Youth," and the second mission "mega band mission" were unveiled, raising tension to a peak.
The episode's first showdown was a head-to-head between an "idol band vs. indie band." Jung Woo-seok, formerly of Pentagon, said, "Some of you may wonder why I appeared, but after my Pentagon contract ended I wanted to do the music I like, so I started trying band music last year," explaining his courageous reason. But the "idol band" with him as the vocalist chose BLACKPINK's "Lovesick Girls" and continued the stage passionately; however, they left regrets after mistakes caused by poor condition.
By contrast, the indie band, anchored by the punk band Pojer Army, reinterpreted Seo Taiji and the Boys' "To You" in their own color and perfectly recreated the 1990s Hongdae sensibility. Jung Yong-hwa could not hide his excitement, saying, "This is punk!" and Sunwoo Jung-a praised, "It was a raw energy that's hard to see these days." Especially at drummer Kim Eun-chanA's surprising charm, Lee Jang-won burst out laughing, saying, "The 'church oppa' is talented." The final result was that the indie band won with 198 points, an overwhelming margin four times that of the idol band (198 points).
The second stage was a global match between "M-influencer vs. J-influencer." The M-influencer band overwhelmed the venue with a powerful sound by performing Miyavi's "What's My Name?". Lee Jang-won marveled at Zhao Jiayin's explosive guitar sound and drummer Tae Sa-ho's energetic playing, saying, "It felt like I took a sauna. It was so refreshing."
In response, Hagiwa, who appeared wearing a mask, reinterpreted G-Dragon's "Home Sweet Home" in his own style and dominated the stage with a single drum. Jung Yong-hwa admired, "Even alone he has charisma. A real rock star." The narrow victory went to J-influencer Hagiwa. Ha Sung-woon highly praised, "I thought Hagiwa's concept was a variety show gimmick to make people laugh, but he is a true skilled performer. I think I fell in love."
The third showdown was between a teenage boys band and a 20s refreshing band. The teenage boys band arranged Nell's "The Earth Revolves Four Times Around the Sun" acoustically to stir emotions, and the 20s band that Yang Hyuk, who appeared in the drama Lovely Runner, was part of, showcased a refreshing band sound with Eclipse's "Run Run." After a fierce close contest, when the teenage boys band won, the boys offered their thanks with deep bows. By contrast, Yang Hyuk, who tasted defeat, said, "We can win from now on. I have no regrets about today's stage," promising a next time.
The final stage where the "rock spirit" exploded was a showdown between a hard rock band and an overseas singer-songwriter. The hard rock band chose YB's "The Cigarette Store Girl" and completely tore up the stage. Even as the vocalist's lip was split and the drums broke, Jung Yong-hwa went wild, saying, "This is rock. This is where even blood can flow!" and Sagisomer and Park Cheol-ki two members showed an overwhelming presence by receiving over 80% support in the live on-site vote.
The overseas singer-songwriter team performed DAY6's "Zombie" in an English version and competed with emotion, receiving selections from directors Lee Jang-won, Jung Yong-hwa and Sunwoo Jung-a, but the hard rock band achieved a final comeback victory in the on-site band maker vote. However, through the "heart pass" rule that activates when directors' and band makers' choices differ, the overseas singer-songwriter band was dramatically accepted in full and promoted to "heart musicians," completing a twist. The directors evaluated the overseas singer-songwriter team as "a stage where each individual shone with teamwork that showed delicate harmony despite the absence of drum sound."
At the end of the broadcast, the second mission "mega band mission" was revealed, raising tension. A massive performance in which 50 prospective musicians would play the signal song "Some Day's Youth" together was teased, exciting the venue. Then MC Moon Ga-young said, "However, not all 50 will have the same opportunity. The heart musicians who can stand in front are five per position, the rest are in the back. In particular, the very front position becomes the front person representing each position and gains the privilege of monopolizing the intro. And the lowest musician in each position must perform a flag performance instead of their position," triggering a "mental breakdown" situation.
Soon after, the scene of the "musician level readjustment" to select the "heart musicians" who would take the front seats in the "mega band mission" was first revealed. Depending on the day's audition results, an unprecedented situation occurred in which a "heart musician" was demoted to a "backup musician," and participants showed mixed feelings. With the five final "heart musicians" for drums confirmed, curiosity about who the prospective musicians who will stand in glory on guitar, bass, vocal and keyboard will be stimulated for future broadcasts.
Meanwhile, "Steel Heart Club" is a global band-making project depicting the process in which 50 participants demonstrate their individuality and skills and grow into one global iconic band, and it airs every Tuesday at 10 p.m. on Mnet.<
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