The Rise of the Neon Youth: what is your name? and Asian Glow Conclude their American Tour at the Vera Project
- Jul 22
- 7 min read
By Blix Bloomfield
One of the most exciting trends to see with independent rock music this decade is young artists taking their music from the internet to a live stage. The Vera Project was buzzing with another special show that only happens about every other month, an energetic crowd rushing in early for a long night of shoegaze featuring three openers and two headliners. Fans flooded the floor with anticipation and the merch tables were packed, an exciting feeling for two beloved artists touring the U.S. for the first time.
A completely joint effort, what is your name? and Asian Glow performed with the same backing band. The brief but potent world tour's first leg started in Seoul, South Korea on April 26 at the venue Baby Doll, the same place that Asian Glow and what is your name? had played a year before in a one-off show. what is your name? played their first show in Oct. 2025 with Asian Glow. Reuniting for a full American tour, the 2026 tour ran from April 26 to July 2, the American segment starting in Chicago on June 2. The Vera Project had the pleasure of being the last stop on this short but sweet tour.
Asian Glow grew up around the hardcore scene but started pursuing music more heavily around 2019. They released a large amount of music during COVID years like a lot of other artists in this Korean indie scene. These artists gained online fame years before playing live, Asian Glow, part of a youth shoegaze movement in Seoul that centers a very digitized sound.
Arguably the most successful within this scene is the mysterious Parannoul, centering a glitched-out, larger than life sound of guitar distortion. Pitchfork wrote a great, brief article documenting this scene in "Parannoul and the New Generation of Korean Indie"
The first official Asian Glow show was the one night only Digital Dawn on Aug.ust 14, 2022, featuring 6 names from this new scene including Asian Glow, Parannoul, Wapddi, BrokenTeeth, Della Zyr, and Fin Fior. This was a moment all of these artists came out of the shadows of the online space to perform to hundreds of fans face to face.
While all these artists take influence from an eclectic mix of genres, there is a lot that ties them together. This shoegaze scene is defined by traditional shoegaze distortion mixed with MIDI guitar interfaces, sampling, layering, and synths.
All of these artists have larger than life sonic worldbuilding, creating huge walls of sound that carry emotion beyond just one person, some devices and a guitar. What was unique about this show specifically is the lack of backing band for these artists despite the adaption to a first ever live experience. It was once in a lifetime, but also the start of something new.
The prolific and collaborative nature of artists like Asian Glow and Parannoul have attracted worldwide attention, connecting with an international community of artists, fans and critics alike. Asian Glow worked with Swedish noise rock musician Weatherday and the genre-hopping Lua from São Paulo, Brazil (under monikers sonhos tomam conta and Antropoceno). One of my favorite split projects ever which this article takes its name from is "The Downfall of the Neon Youth" which features Asian Glow, Parannoul and sonhos tomam conta. Yet another continent away, what is your name? is from Toronto, Canada, taking major influence from the Seoul shoegaze scene and adapting it to their own styles. While I think what is your name? is somewhat separate from the Korean scene, tours like this show how much Korean indie is expanding its horizons. Korean indie artists influence others like what is your name? while non-Korean artists further inform Korean indie.
This web of beautiful connections proves how malleable scenes can be and prove that music transcends borders. It is amazing to see how music can bring people together in the internet age, helping inspire networks of artists in the youth generation, many starting around the COVID-19 pandemic. Similar to the claustrophobic disillusionment of COVID-19, there is a lot of pent-up anger and anxiety confined to what is your name? and Asian Glow’s recorded music. Moving towards expansive live sound and collective catharsis is with no doubt the most logical and powerful step for these artists.
The energy of the show was electric, hundreds honored to hear the artists they had loved for many years find their legs and perform live. I didn't know what to expect, especially considering how prolific Asian Glow has been, releasing almost two albums and EPs a year and playing under multiple side-projects. I had gotten into Parannoul in 2023, this year jumping back into exploring the Seoul scene when I was introduced to sonhos tomam conta and Antropoceno. It is a scene I have been aware of on and off, something always leading me back to relisten or go further. It was just a show that I needed to be at, the end of these beloved artists' first tour and a transition into a possible full-career in music for both. It is well-worth highlighting these young artists because they are tied to an exciting new generation of indie rock that should be watched.
what is your name? came on with a lot of comical swagger, a modest-dressed 20-something that clearly was having the time of their life playing music. It was a 30 minute set packed with noisy freak-outs, building improvisation with the supporting band and the heart-pulling, melancholic riffs that make the songs memorable. It was only a 30 minute performance, but there were many people in the crowd glued to everything played, like they had been waiting for this moment since albums like "The Now Now and Never" released quietly. I absolutely loved the cuts from that album, like the hypnotic sample-looping and synths of “You Can't Turn Back Time”.
The set ended with the 10-minute epic “Youthful Days” with another looping sample, midwest emo adjacent riffing and the building emotion to a jittery climax. It is a song that can easily get stuck in your head, alluring and beautiful.
what is your name? plays music that speaks for itself, creating comfort and nostalgia within atmospheric worlds. It was awesome to see with the inclusion of saxophone and impressive drum fills. I could have done with less empty commentary, especially for a tour where loyal fans would love to hear stories and meaning behind songs. While concluding “You Can't Turn Back Time,” there was almost a heartfelt message behind it when they started to talk about poor mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic, but that reality fell flat with the running Family Guy jokes that they ran with during the whole set. There’s no problem with leaning into slacker rock banter, but you should at least have more jokes at your disposal. This said, it is easy to be washed away by the emotions within the songs themselves.
The best set of the night came with Asian Glow who played gems throughout his catalogue for a whole enchanting hour. It was eye-opening to see the production stripped away, the shiny, meticulous production something that made Asian Glow's recent album 11100011 so fantastic. The same backing band stayed, the inclusion of the saxophone, churning live guitars and hyper drum fills adding a lot to what I was used to with the recordings. Some of the highlights included “Circumstances Telling Me Who I Am” and the epic closer “When Summer”. These were mixed with a lot of shorter tracks including the noise pop he is known for and those that lean on a heavier punk or emo edge.
A substantial catalogue of songs and ideas is why a tour after so long is so exciting. Looking through some of the past setlists, there is so much to choose from because it is the first time that any Asian Glow songs are played on a consistent tour.
I wasn’t prepared for how varied the setlist was going to be, thinking that newer songs would be favored. This was not the case, instead pulling from the entire catalogue to celebrate a long artistic journey There were also songs that were harder to recognize because they simply sounded so different live. One of these was the cut from the Weatherglow EP, “Late Time Stroll” which included chaotic saxophone instead of the scorching guitar tones of Weatherday. Songs had a distinct live energy with faster tempo than the originals and leaned much harder on the vocals. The backing band breathes a lot into the performance, especially with such a breakneck drummer setting the pace.
I love seeing artists for the first time live because it is always so much more raw, explosive and real than the studio music. While I do think the evolving production styles and studio magic of Asian Glow’s career are incredible standalone material, this show was was like experiencing the many sides of Asian Glow again. The show had commanding presence and orchestration, the group of musicians who had probably only met a couple months ago performing a tight show spelling a new chapter for Asian Glow’s music.
This was truly a special show, I hope that there is a touring future for many artists like what is your name? and Asian Glow. I also hope to see even more international collaborations with artists in the Seoul shoegaze scene because it is extremely new and vibrantly original. It already has far reaching influences and it will continue to expand. The Neon Youth are rising and I love growing up seeing it happen.
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