Korean indie rock band The Volunteers stole fans' hearts on Saturday when they performed their first-ever show in Houston, Texas. The three-member group, made up of lead singer Yerin, guitarist Jonny, and drummer Chiheon, started their first North American tour in Seattle and stopped at the House of Blues in Houston for the tenth show out of twenty-six stops. Yerin proudly announced that while she had previously performed in Houston during a solo tour, it was the band’s first time in Houston together and they were excited to meet their Texas fans.

Before the show started, many fans expressed their love for Yerin, who started the band with a former member shortly before the official launch of her career as a solo artist. Making a name for herself with her self written solo music, there were a couple fans in attendance who became interested in the band because of her, but over the course of the show, grew to love Jonny and Chiheon just as much. By the time the show was over, fans who shyly admitted that they weren’t really familiar with the boys went home with camera rolls full of photos of them and excitedly ran over to them to ask for autographs.

The band can best be described as subversive. At first glance, The Volunteers look like your typical rock band with mismatched clothes and arms covered in tattoos, but then the members start to speak and catch you off guard with their soft voices and shy demeanors. Their music has a similar effect. The show started off with their song, “Velvet Glove,” a low-tempo track that emphasizes Yerin’s light vocals, but it was immediately followed by “Violet,” a song where the vocalist’s soft tone works perfectly in contrast to the heavy instrumentals that encompass it.

The intimate venue gave fans plenty of opportunities to interact with the band during the show. Every question asked or compliment yelled out was easily heard by both the band and the other audience members. This led to some amusing moments such as when the band expressed their love for Houston, while also mentioning their love for Dallas, which they performed in the day before. A fan proudly proclaimed that Houston was better than Dallas, earning cheers from the crowd and making Jonny laugh.

The band was also able to hear fans’ responses to their questions, like when Yerin asked if they liked their latest EP L and what their favorite songs were. The audience paused for a moment before each fan yelled out a different song, including the next three songs the band would play — “Tell ‘em boys,” “Starfish on your head,” and “L.”

Each song showcased a different side of the band, further proving to the audience how multifaceted they are. “Tell ‘em boys” was one of the more uptempo songs of the night. Instead of going against the power of the electric guitar and fast-paced drumming as she does in other songs, Yerin matched their energy completely, making for a very entertaining performance. This upbeat song being followed up by the slowest song of the night, “Starfish on your head,” shows that the band will never stop surprising you. Yerin started the song with tears in her eyes after getting inundated with compliments from fans, and pretty soon, the beautiful ballad shifted those tears onto the faces of the fans in the crowd. “L” was the best of both styles, with smooth instrumentals that matched Yerin’s airy vocals without losing any of their signature flare.

Throughout the show, fans gave the band multiple gifts including a stuffed rabbit and a handwritten letter. Most of the gifts were given by fans who saw the band before and were even recognized by some of the members. When the band pulled out a Houston flag for the group photo, one excited audience member handed Yerin a disposable camera, which the band used to take the photo in addition to their photographer’s professional camera.

It wouldn’t be a Texas concert without a cowboy hat and one lucky fan got to give it to Yerin, who wore it during their performance of “Starfish on your head.” Yerin was hesitant at first, blushing as she asked fans if she was wearing it the right way and if it looked good on her. However, fans were quick to shower her with compliments, telling her to say “yeehaw” and calling her the “Texas Queen.” Even Jonny wore the hat for a short time while Yerin commented that he was usually too shy to do something so bold.

All good things have to come to an end, so after a two-song encore, the band was forced to say goodbye to their fans. Yerin told fans that although she knew the show had to end, she didn’t want to let them go. It was clear that she meant it as she got off stage and went into the crowd as the other band members played the ending of their final song, “Let me go!”

Have you seen The Volunteers on tour? What was your highlight of the concert? Let us know by leaving a comment below or by reaching out on Instagram or X (Twitter)!

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Edited by Martina Yee

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