Rock band Mate invited to perform at Japan music festival

Korean rock band Mate will perform at a major Japanese music festival next month, according to their agency Gem Cultures on Tuesday.

Gem announced the boys have been invited to take to the stage of Japan's two-day Summer Sonic Festival 2010 being held simultaneously in Osaka and Tokyo on August 7 and 8.

The group's manager explained Mate will perform at the site in Osaka but have yet to find out which stage they will be performing on, while adding "It's a great honor for the boys to be invited to such a notable festival."

An official from the music fest was quoted as saying, "After watching Mate perform in Korea, we invited them to take part in this year's music fest because they have the possibility of making it big in Japan."

Many international artists who have participated in the Summer Sonic Festival in the past include Radiohead, Coldplay, Marilyn Manson and Green Day. This year's line-up features top stars such as Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, A Tribe Called Quest and Sum 41.

The trio will be the third Korean rock band after Seotaiji in 2001 and quartet Nell in 2008, to take part in the event. Korean boy band Big Bang is also part of the line-up consisting of many Japanese rocks musicians as well as international recording artists.

Mate, composed of members Lim Heon-il, Jung Jun-il and Lee Hyun-jae, made their debut with their first album "Be Mate" in April 2009. They released a follow-up mini album "With Mate" this year and are currently hosting KBS' DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) music show "Radio Planet."

Reporter : Lucia Hong luciahong@
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@