Friday, June 24, 2011

[event] Anatomically // Self-Destruct vol. 4 w/ Atomgevitter (SCT/DE), Family Man (DE), Injakmati (ID), and Michael Crafter (AU)

And the 7x0x7 collective is back with another installment of Anatomically // Self-Destruct (what the hell does that even mean?), this time with a quadruple touring bill of 4 bands. There're a lot of 4s here it seems -- nobody better bring up some superstitious ideas.

Expect to see fast hardcore nutters ATOMGEVITTER from Scotland, who also shares a member with "archaic hardcore" band FAMILY MAN from Germany. Blasting their way through is 2-piece posiviolence crew MICHAEL CRAFTER (Australia), with the icing on the cake that is crust-grind outfit INJAKMATI (Indonesia).

Of course, no show is complete without local supports. Ex-"boyband of the year" a.k.a. brutal death fiver FLESH DISGORGED will be playing as well as veteran hardcore-punkers BLOODY REJECTS.

Not to be missed. At $10, it seems like it's worth every single cent!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

[event] House of Incest: an Ob/Scene Surrealist Cross-Disciplinary Art Rave // 28th June-5th July 2011 @ Post-Museum

"If only we could all escape from this house of incest, where we only love ourselves in the other, if only I could save you all from yourselves." -Anaïs Nin, House of Incest (1936)

Post-Museum collaborates with literary revolutionaries Grapheme Zine Lab to present House of Incest, a week-long multi-disciplinary groupshow that features a surreal, provocative art exhibition, in addition to other fringe events such as academic talks, film screenings and an intimate poetry reading.

Post-Museum is an independent cultural and social space in Singapore which aims to encourage and support a thinking, pro-active community. It hosts the Singapore Really Really Free Market, has seen talks by local Green groups, performances by Japanese Fringe Theatre practitioners, and art workshops amongst others.

However, Post-Museum will be closing down in its current premises come end July with the end of their current lease, and will be fund-raising in the hopes of opening a new independent space.


==============================================


28th June 2011 (Tuesday)

House of Incest Opening

Free entry

obscene & surreal art (interpretations of Nin's erotica)
feat.

KILAS / Michy Witchy / Clogtwo / Tiffany Lovage / Leonard Wee / Pourquois / Kristal Melson / XOTL / Miranda Mori / Eeshaun / Genevieve Chua / Elix Arkan / Xin Jie / Lee Wen / Winnie Goh / Speak Cryptic / Holly Pereira

lo-fi music
feat.


**********

29th June 2011 (Wednesday)

Private Film Screening of Lino Brocka's masterpiece Macho Dancer (1988).

**********

30th June 2011 (Thursday)

Talk: "Female Ejaculation meets Hardcore Pornography: Part 2"

**********

1st July 2011 (Friday)

Private Film Screening of Gough Lewis' Sex: The Annabel Chong Story (1999)

Film will be followed by a post-show discussion with Gerrie Lim, author of Singapore Rebel: Searching for Annabel Chong (2011)

**********

2nd July 2011 (Saturday)

4-6pm
Mini-lecture: "Queer Theory" by Professor Brian Bergen-Aurand

9pm-2am
House of Philia Fundraising Party!

play for your pleasure before handing over to the DJs over at 4imaginaryboys to spin up the night.

Think un chien andalou, hearts spat out, garters. Imbibe raw, heartfelt music.

Partygoers will also be invited to participate in the Exquisite Corpse, creating a collaborative artwork by the end of the night.

Tickets are priced at $27 (pre-sale) and $32 (at the door), and come with one complimentary vodka jelly shot.

All proceeds go to Post-Museum's relocation fund. Contact Vanessa at 91254467/ho_xihuei@hotmail.com or Amanda at 96919727/circus.bunnies@gmail.com for tickets.

**********

3rd July 2011 (Sunday)

4-6pm
Singaporeans on Sex
roundtable discussion feat. Alex Au, Pat Law, Martha Lee, Trish Leong.

**********

5th July 2011 (Tuesday)

730pm-9pm
Carnal Stash
an intimate erotic poetry/prose reading

feat. the private collections of
Alvin Pang / Ng Yi-Sheng / Pooja Nansi / X’ho / Amanda Lee / Sudév Suthendran / Tania de Rozario / Madeleine Lee

9pm-11pm
Private Film Screening of David Lynch's surreal, acclaimed Blue Velvet (1986).


============================================


Entry to film screenings, talks and the poetry reading will be by donation to Post-Museum's relocation fund (suggested $10).

Entry to the art exhibition is free on Opening Night, and by donation of any amount at other times. If you donate to enter for a film screening, talk or reading, you can of course enjoy the exhibition as well.

Note: Contact Vanessa at ho_xihuei@hotmail.com for more information on timings/to reserve a seat for film screenings and talks. We're keeping the details a little sketchy for good reason.

[event] Dream: Borderlands and Other Territories // 1st-15th July 2011 @ Goodman Arts Centre Gallery

"...this exhibition traverses the dual domain of waking and dreaming; in so doing, the nebulous interstices of hypnagogia are probed as well. These explorations run the gamut of potential angles of attack: From meticulous charts of individual dreams and general treatments of dream phenomena, to the instantiation of phantasmagoric scenarios, collective desires and forgotten futures." - Bruce Quek


Artists Participating:

Mike HJ Chang
Chun Kai Qun
Debbie Ding
Joo Choon Lin
Elizabeth Lim
Yuzuru Maeda
Bruce Quek
Zai Tang
Mark Thia
Mark Wong Wenwei


Come join them for their show opening 1st July at 8pm, where there will be sound performances by Kai Lam, Yuzuru Maeda and Zai Tang, plus a special guest! The show continues until 15th July.

There will also be talks by participating artists on the 9th July at 2pm.


Show opening times:

1st July - 11 am - 9.30 pm
2nd July - 14th July, 11 am - 8 pm
15th July - 10.30 am - 1.30 pm


For more information on the artists' work for this show please visit:

Saturday, June 18, 2011

[tour] Comadre (US) Singapore/Malaysia Tour (July 2011)

Skramz fans rejoice!

The rumours are true: COMADRE (US) are indeed coming to Singapore and Malaysia for a short 1-week stopover in between touring Japan and Australia. Established in 2004, this "Bloodtown Crew" screamo 5-piece play a style of hardcore-punk which is at once energetic and fast but which still retains a sense of melody amidst the chaos. Sure, they've got all the trademarks of the prototypical screamo band: barely intelligible screaming, intertwining dissonant guitarists, and stupid (yet highly entertaining) voice clips. However, there is one thing you can't deny, and that is that the band does it amazingly well and you can't imagine not dancing to those tunes!

Also, if anyone is curious about the origins of the name, "comadre" is loosely translated as "godmother" in Spanish, and is also a slang term for anyone who is not related by blood but still feels like family. How's that for E-M-O? Bit of skramz trivia for you there, folks! We can imagine those skramz points going up a notch.

They will be touring with Malaysian emoviolence outfit FUJI (who used to be known as FUJICOLOR) throughout, with the Singapore show on the 26th of July set up by Prohibited Projects.

It wasn't gravity. It was the witches.

We can't bloody wait.

Friday, June 17, 2011

[shoutout] Raivoraittius SE Asia tour blog

Finnish hardcore-punk fellas RAIVORAITTIUS have been on the road since mid-May and are approaching the final leg of their tour now with a last show in Bangkok next Saturday. They have documented some of their experiences in an online tour blog which you should check out if you are: 1) interested to know what kind of shenanigans they have been getting up to, 2) interested to hear a bit more about what touring SE Asia might be like, 3) have intentions to tour SE Asia and want to get a bit of a lowdown, or 4) all of the above!

These folks have plans to eventually come up with a documentary of their tour and the SE Asian DIY punk scene so we would suggest that you watch very closely for developments. We know, there's that belief about punks wanting to do stuff and never getting anything off the ground but we've got faith in these ones!

[tour] Atomgevitter (SCT) / Family Man (DE) / Michael Crafter (AU) / Injakmati (ID) SE Asia Tour (July 2011)

It seems like quadruple touring bills aren't that run-of-the-mill. This July, DIY tour booking collective 7x0x7 brings you 4 hardcore-punk bands which will tour the region including Singapore. Fast hardcore thrash unit ATOMGEVITTER from Scotland, who also shares a member with "archaic hardcore" band FAMILY MAN from Germany will tour with Australian posiviolence duo MICHAEL CRAFTER and Indonesian raw grind outfit INJAKMATI. Sounds like a hardcore powerviolence grind extravaganza, if you ask us!

Details for the Singapore show will be released soon enough so keep checking back.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

[tour] Goum (JP) and Jah Excretion (JP) Singapore/Malaysia Tour (July 2011)


The past couple of years has seen innumerable touring bands in the SE Asia region, and this July is no exception. Some of you may be spoilt for choice for any number of reasons, but if you were to ask us, we'd advise you to make it a point to catch them all -- you don't want to miss out on the good stuff! After all, we'd never know when any of these bands would make the time (or the money) to tour these parts again in the near future.

Late July sees 2 Japanese acts GOUM and JAH EXCRETION tour Singapore and Malaysia. Little is known about Tokyo's GOUM really. Malaysian label Crysis Records had released the band's demo on a tape in October last year and that was as much as we'd heard. They play a dark, depressive variation of the modern crust (or "neo-crust", if you will) sound; think MADAME GERMEN meets SCHIFOSI but rawer and less refined. The dynamics also remind us of Japanese sludge/doom act BIRUSHANAH, who would use Japanese traditional percussion instead of the regular rock'n'roll drums.

And what about JAH EXCRETION? That is essentially a one-man sonic machine featuring Yu Iwasaki (fun fact: he used to play bass for grinding hardcore-punk powerviolence unit BRUTAL TERRORISM, who were on our shores last year), who has 3 releases out since 2009. Flitting between harsh white noise to trippy psychedelic ambient soundscapes, the man fucks with your mind. Prepare to be awed.

The Singapore show is slated to happen on the 24th July and is brought to you by Prohibited Projects. Line-up to be unveiled real soon so keep your eyes peeled.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

[shoutout] Blackhole Radio #4 May-June 2011

And Blackhole Radio returns for another installment this mid-year! Listen to your favourite Japanese hardcore bands, discover new ones, or both!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

[announcement] R2D2 V2

What you are looking at right now is the "new and improved" version of LIONCITYDIY. Some of you slightly more ardent fans may have seen this change take effect somewhere in the wee hours of 04/06, when we were still in the midst of some tinkering around, and could have been taken by (pleasant) surprise or (rude) shock. Either way, this is it, and it seems opportune that we launch this in June, the halfway mark of the year. To quote DIY-punk art extraordinaires Feeding, "If you do not like it, we do not care."

Following this revamp is a slew of upgrades that might potentially result in some ear-to-ear grinning. Well we would only allow that, and if you were to so much as flash a frown, we would suggest that you: 1) piss off outta here, you unappreciative punk, or 2) send us an email at lioncitydiy AT gmail DOT com to tell us what you don't like and/or would like to see. In true egalitarian spirit, we will take all suggestions into account and work towards making your stay here a pleasant experience (if it hasn't been, already).

We've added a spanking new navigation bar above, with an "Upcoming!" tab which serves as an one-stop glance at what's on for the current month, as well as a "Community" tab which provides links to other DIY-punk initiatives/projects/websites around the Australasian region. We have also added a "Resources" tab which will point you to other useful DIY-punk resources like this one. We believe in fostering solidarity amongst our comrades; after all no punk is an island.

Also, if you look over to your right you will see a "Subscribe Via Email" thingamajig which acts as an automated RSS feed for when we post new material. Enter your email address into the form if you are so inclined -- it would definitely save you the trouble of constantly checking back!

Last but not least, thanks to all for the support so far. As the days and months pass we only see our site hits increasing and that is what keeps us going. We don't know which of you faceless punks keep coming in here (except for the vague notion that you are from the region, and even from places as far away as the US and Russia) but it is nice to know you care. Expect more content in the coming months and write us an email (or comment! We hardly see any comments here... what, do you keep all your comments exclusive to Facefuckingbook?) if you ever want to make yourselves known. In the meantime, up the punx, and keep fighting the good fight -- whatever that is.

Monday, June 6, 2011

[tour] Grand Hotel Paradox (AE) SE Asia Tour (June 2011)

We didn't think there'd be a punk rock band in the United Arab Emirates. But there is one, and in Dubai, no less! As we see DIY hardcore-punk expand to parts of the world where the mere idea would be unheard of before, it gets us excited. And to think that one of them is touring here makes us even more psyched!

Therefore, it is apt to announce that 3-piece post-punk-rock band from Dubai GRAND HOTEL PARADOX will be travelling around the region to play shows in Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The Singapore show is organized by Prohibited Projects and has already made its rounds on the site. If you missed it, check back here.

You can also check out 2 interviews with the band on the links below:


Thursday, June 2, 2011

[event] Napalm Death (US) live in Singapore // 29th June 2011 @ *SCAPE Warehouse

Tell your friends that Barney and company will be performing in Singapore on the 29th of June 2011!

Tix rate:
SGD50 (early bird promo limited to 50pax) - SOLD OUT!
SGD60 (standard tix til 20th June 2011)
SGD70 (21st June til 28th June 2011)
SGD75 (At the door)

Kids below the age of 12 or those born disabled gets free entry.

Available at: Inokii (14 Scotts Road, Far East Plaza, #03-30) and Roxy Records & Trading (5 Coleman Street, Excelsior Shopping Centre, #02-15)


[event] Night of Circle Pit #2 feat. Grand Hotel Paradox (AE) // 21st June 2011 @ The Substation

Night of Circle Pit #2
Presented by Prohibited Projects / Blackhole 212
Tuesday 21 June 2011, 7pm
The Substation Theatre
Admission: $8 available at the door

Grand Hotel Paradox is a DIY & independent punk band. The band performs punk music that experiments with harmony, rhythm and texture. Their performance at The Substation forms part of their South East Asia tour, which will also include shows in Malaysia and the Philippines.

In August 2010, Chris Ryan (Guitar/Vocals) was mixing live sound at a show that Mike Priest (Bass/Vocals) was playing with his band gopilot. After the soundcheck they talked for hours about genuine punk music with real emotion, energy, dynamics and true power. Grand Hotel Paradox was born when they were joined by Michael Sydenham on drums a few months later. In March 2011, the "First World Problems" EP was released online for free download or purchase. In June 2011, they will tour Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.

[event] Heavyweight Dub, Blistering Ska & Roots Reggae // 18th June 2011 @ BluJaz Café

Dub Skank'in Hi-Fi Soundsystem presents:
Heavyweight Dub, Blistering Ska & Roots Reggae

With live performances by:

FISHTANK (SG)- This band has been around since the late 90's gigging in the local music scene. Our local ska heroes FISHTANK doing their classic original ska set.

JOHNY COMES LATELY (KL) - ska-punk

THE GARRISON (KL) - reggae, punk, dub

With DJs on the 2nd floor:

RUMSHOT - ska, dub, reggae
SHAM EM - dub, reggae
TWICA - dubtronica

And in the 3rd floor chill-out room:

PLUS NUEVA - dub, live visuals
RAE IRIE - roots, reggae, dub
TWICA - dubtronica


Entrance by donation; this is not a free event!
Support your local music scene and soundsystem with your kind contributions.
A strictly 18 and above event.

Supported by Straits Records and Blujaz Café.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

[event] Cruel Hand (US) Live in Singapore // 7th June 2011 @ *SCAPE Lab

Tickets: $20 (only available at the door)

*$10 off for those with a ticket stub from RELENTLESS & ABHORRENCE LIVE IN SINGAPORE on 4th June 2011.

Opening band: STRAIGHT FORWARD

Brought to you by ECHO Productions.

[event] Tribal Gathering of Tongue Tasters: An Alternative Ensemble // 4th June 2011 @ The Substation

Tribal Gathering of Tongue Tasters : An Alternative Ensemble
Saturday 4 June 2011, 8pm
The Substation Theatre
Admission: $15 / $10 (concession) available from the box office
Contact Mish’aal 6337 7800 / boxoffice@substation.org for tickets and more information

An Alternative Ensemble is a response to the dynamic music landscape in Singapore. AAE represents a palate within, and also an extension of, musical forms found locally. AAE is an experimental collective of musicians and visual artists, performing music written by Bani Haykal, following his recent developments on alternative music + narrative systems. All music performed is part composed and part improvised.

In this series of Tribal Gathering of Tongue Tasters, AAE reflects and expresses the complexity of urban living, the struggles and comfort experienced as inhabitants of this city. Throughout the performance, the audience and performers will interact through short discussions to better communicate the ideas of this experiment.

AAE presents the following performers:

Cheryl Ong (A Bigger Bang)
Matin Fellani
Misha’al (The Psalms)
Siraaj Anwar (b-quartet / mux / Page)
Yeong Shen (Snou)

With visuals by:

Jun (video projections)
Ila (OHP visuals)


About Tribal Gathering of Tongue Tasters

Each gathering is a sound and performance collaboration between established and emerging local music acts and artists to create a sonic event that recklessly challenges the imagination of home-grown music.


*Remember to bring your cameras and keep your ticket-stubs! Peek is offering all ticket holders 10% discount on cameras. Peek members will also receive 10% off their Tribal Gathering Tickets. More info at http://www.peek-ture.com.

[interview] Shock&Awe! (zine from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)


The Shock&Awe! team is something of a phenomenon. In the past year, they have worked tirelessly to churn out 3 issues* of a beautifully designed and smartly written (it is also offset-printed, no less!) zine that has taken the DIY-punk world in Malaysia by storm. Effectively gaining fans by the day and also trodding on a few toes along the way, that storm is slowly turning into a tornado. Which is spreading to us here in Singapore and then further afield: in Australia, France, Indonesia, and the Philippines where they are distributed and also in the States where they have recently been thought worthy of a review by the almighty Maximumrocknroll -- you know you've made it in the punk rock world when you make it into the pages of that rag!** Being the clever opportunists that we are, it was only natural that we ride the wave ("jump on the bandwagon", so to speak) before it dies down, by speaking to the 3 main cogs in the machine that is Shock&Awe Media on their inaugural interview. There is no hierarchy except a self-serving one in a world of lazy punks; sometimes we all need a push and a shove in the right direction. Remember, you read it here first!

First things first, how did the idea for Shock&Awe! come about?

Yuen: Well the idea has always been in a way floating around before. Alak and I had planned to make a zine way back in 2004 – more a perzine than anything else – but it never happened. However, when I was back from Sarawak for my sabbatical, I wanted to do something, and since I suck at playing musical instruments, I decided that a zine was the way for me to contribute to the scene.

Alak: Yes, earlier in 2004 we did have some rough ideas that never did happen. When we reunited recently last year, we had a serious discussion about making it happen, as we were getting bored and had some serious shit to complain about.

And how did Ci Chaan come into the picture? How many people do you have on your "team" or is the number more organic?

Ci Chaan: Because I'm good-looking?

Yuen: It's like the open-source operating system Linux: we provide the template and we look for interested collaborators – organic might be the word to describe it. So there are no actual numbers – people can come and leave as they like, which is relatively low commitment and therefore low pressure, but of course we do have core members who help to oversee the whole operation. Ci Chaan has stunning looks and excellent PR skills, so his addition to the team was very strategic and indispensable for our expansion. ;)

Alak: Well, doing the zine with only the 2 of us would result in another boring self-absorbed personal zine, which would only portray a one-sided view. So the bugger came along as the third opinion.

As we all know, zine culture is pretty much dying on a global scale, and is considered dead in this part of the world. So why a zine? Why not just a website?

Ci Chaan: You know, the vinyl industry is dying too but bands are still unrelentingly releasing records on that format. There is an essentiality that you can't explain.

Yuen: We all know that punks are always nostalgic towards the traditional format: vinyl and tapes for example. So here we are expressing our own nostalgia for the paper and ink format. It is interesting to observe how many magazines have gone online to remain "relevant". However we still relish the full sensory experience of reading a magazine: the crispness of the paper, the smell of the ink, the pleasant feeling of reading from paper and the non-ephemeral feeling of print. Try reading on your iPad at the beach.

Alak: I have always been fond of that fresh smell of print and being able to read something that I can hold in my hand. I'm pretty sure that are still some people who do think alike.

Ci Chaan: Plus, people wouldn't give a fuck if Maximumrocknroll was just a website, don't you think?

Kudos on the great job. I'm sure there are a lot of people who appreciate the effort put into the printing, design, and layout (and of course, the thought-provoking articles!). What do you hope to achieve with Shock&Awe!?

Alak: A better one than the last issue.

Ci Chaan: Freebies?

Yuen: It is so not punk to have “objectives”! What are you asking, Cher?! Well seriously, we do hope to stir shit up so more people would want to do zines again while also raising the bar on the quality of output. The “official” objective is to showcase the Southeast Asian scene to the world, yadda yadda. But then again, we might just shut this operation down after 12 issues – we are not lambs for the illusion of longevity or any sort of permanency – and move on to other projects. True story.

Ci Chaan: The magazine is a physical manifestation of the voice where you can put in your respective opinions and get heard. Subjectively speaking I don't intend to impress anyone, plus knowing the fact that I don't possess a degree or whatever shit in journalism; I just wanna write.

On the subject of stirring shit up, you HAVE been. How have responses from punks in SE Asia and the world been so far? Tell us the gossip.

Alak: You have to get the next issue I guess as we're trying to compile some shit-stirring.

Yuen: Well, we wish that people would write longer (remember e-mail, people?) than those Facebook one-liners. We have had three proper (read: not of those one-liner quality like previously mentioned) responses and it shows that people are actually reading and taking us seriously. Other comments are either just “Good”, “Keep up the good work”, or the pun-ny “Awe-some”. Oh yeah, and there is a review on MRR which I have yet to read. It was a good review, I was told. I have also recently discovered that Shock&Awe! is used by Malaysian kids to trade with overseas zines, so I guess that is some sort of non-verbal approval.

Alak: Yes, Facebook conversations are somehow killing the real conversation on issues, especially with the invention of the "like" button. People seem to be lazier to give opinions and seem to be giving less of a damn about things.

Ci Chaan: So far, I did manage to score a few hate mails and I'm very proud of it. You know, it's not easy to wake people up to say that I'm wrong. All of this seems to open up a healthy (I hope) discussion which I think is a very good sign. But it’s not healthy to use a fake email yo.

What would you say about the punk community where you live in Malaysia? What kind of changes has it seen over the years? How strong and important is it?

Yuen: Well everybody thinks their era as the salad days. We ourselves see 2010 as our very own Year Zero. I've heard some stories that the 90's was pretty exciting with the number of mushrooming collectives at the time. But WE, today's surviving people, have Pustaka Semesta INFOSHOP! Take that old tymahs!

Alak: With the cheap AirAsia flight tickets, gigs are becoming more often than not nowadays – local bands are flying out of the country while we're also seeing lots of foreign bands coming in. Even bands that we've never heard of! Also, it's really good to see venues opening up in small towns. Kids are getting more empowered to do things themselves.

Ci Chaan: Changes? Both. How important? May vary. Lots of shows, yes. Lots of people coming, no.

Alak: Actually there has been a lot of divergence within the scene itself. More sub-genres are blooming and kids are scattered all over. And one of our hopes with doing Shock&Awe! is that we might bring everyone together.

Ci Chaan: Maybe I should stop being sentimental. If we want to talk “scene”, the scene itself consists of people, so naturally it depends on the direction that provides. If they want the entire “scene” to happen for real, they should work on how they want it to be. So the punk community in Malaysia is all what you see now. It’s how the people themselves who generate the “scene” want it to be (despite how good or bad it is). It’s never important, you gotta believe me.

Now that we are talking about "scenes", how would you juxtapose the one in Singapore to the one in Malaysia? What kind of differences do you see?

Yuen: Do you recognize the differences in political border construct, Cher? (Interviewer's note: Yes, I do, but it is interesting nevertheless to hear what your views are about any perceived differences.) Haha. Well, for myself, I can't say that I have seen enough of the Singaporean scene to comment. The difference is that we have more "real" punks compared to the Singaporean scene – as much as not having a job is being a “real” punk is concerned because I guess some of us in Malaysia can still afford (won’t die starving) being that, running punk-related initiatives full-time. But even then, individuals here still have jobs on and off. In terms of political awareness, same-same but different – some get it, some don’t. Our numbers may be larger, but percentage-wise, it might be similar.

Ci Chaan: What do you have in mind? Are we talking about physical appearance? If we're talking about that, the Malaysian scene kids would obviously win.

Alak: Pretty much the same I guess, except for how most of the Malaysian Malays in the scene view punk and religion. In the Malaysian constitution, Malays have to be Muslims and it is stated in their ID. So most of the Malay kids have certain conflicts within themselves about being non-conformist towards religion and such.

Yuen: Alak has a good point there, I wish I’d thought of that. Yeah, religion seems to be a bigger issue among the punks here – sort of a thorn in the flesh – which has been that way since the 90’s. And with that it shapes different opinions on sexism, homosexuality, abortion, pre-marital sex, alcohol consumption, and so on and so forth. We are more diverse in that way I guess.

Ci Chaan: I see no differences at all. Same shit, different assholes.

As we all can see, SE Asia is currently on the map at the moment as the destination du jour for Western DIY-punk bands, with as many as 3 touring bands a month sometimes. This may go back to Yuen's article about “punk rock hospitality” in Shock&Awe! #3 – but how do you think this benefits/affects the scene in general? Not to mention the whole business of too many touring bands and not enough organizers? How do you think we can navigate this?

Yuen: This is a double-barreled question. People may be spoilt for choice now than ever before as touring bands are becoming a common thing. The benefit is of course the possible collaborations, networks and exchange of ideas that could result in the bigger picture of human mobility globally – but deep down, who can go where and who is more prone to receive whose hospitality? To speculate, this might be a subtler neo-imperialist phenomenon (oooohh...). I have no answer to the second part of your question, but I do think that if the kids want to do it, you can throw whatever to them and they will manage.

Alak: All I see is that we really do need to establish more venues and continue our diverse activities to ensure that things don’t get stagnant and boring at the end of the day.

Ci Chaan: Well, as a passport-less punk rocker, this is quite beneficial to me. I can catch DIY-punk bands live without the hassle of crossing borders and having to get my passport (ahem!) stamped. Plus, it is always fun to meet new people especially punks from other parts of the world and have conversations with them. But unfortunately, not all punks think like you. For some of these touring bands, touring another part of the world (read: Third World Country/ies) makes them forget that they’re DIY-punk bands. DIY touring bands should mentally prepare themselves for whatever that is necessary before they come here, unless they’re hosted by Universal Music. Don’t expect that these little organizers can and will provide the Hilton for you.

How do you see Shock&Awe! evolving in the near (and possibly, far) future? We know that Yuen is returning to Sarawak soon, how do you think that will affect the zine, especially since it is obvious that most of the work is distributed (out of necessity, I'm sure) amongst the core members?

Ci Chaan: Sigh. That will not affect us at all. No. We could talk to each other still. We could set teleconferences for meetings and for anything else, Gmail is always there for us. I don’t see any reason for us to be worried all of a sudden – Yuen won’t be around forever! What we need is commitment and anything else is just excuses. Ok, I’m kidding.

Yuen: Of course it will affect the zine in some way but I guess we have to adopt the mobile-worker model for the management of the rest of the issues (who knows we can afford to give a Blackberry each to our people in the future? I’m just joking, for those of you who take all the things you hear seriously). Only Alak and I live in the same house together, and we have been doing most of the work online anyway – from the submission of the articles and artwork, editing, promotion, etc – with the rest of our team. Plus we have more people helping us with Shock&Awe! now so it just lies on the acu(wo)men of task delegation.

Alak: It will affect the working process a lot. To be honest, I am kind of worried about being apart from Yuen and doing things online. It works better to discuss things over beer or coffee. All I know is that once Yuen goes back to Sarawak, it will be much more of a hassle for me to coordinate things alone and I do hope Ci Chaan will always be available to lend a hand. We can hope for other people to help, but at the end of the day it basically all goes back to ourselves to run things.

Ci Chaan: I just hope that Alak won’t call me often.

Perhaps this is a spillover from our dominant culture, but what is your opinion on most punks lacking the initiative to do things themselves, instead only waiting for a leader's (i.e. authoritative) direction before doing so? How do you think we can all start empowering ourselves to start doing stuff on our own, without merely consuming the fruits of others' labour? Or is that an utopian ideal?

Yuen: This was mentioned in Rupert’s article in issue #1. I think in every scene at any time, you have only a handful of people who are dedicating their 100% for any initiative. It finally dawned on me that it’s funny that most of the people who work on DIY-punk projects expect other punks to do something too, that punks expect so much from other punks – be it to appear at a mass rally, to participate in collectives, etc. I guess on a personal level, what each person can do is to share, inform, and hopefully inspire. It struck me recently that what we take for granted in the DIY circle, like producing our own CDs for example, is not even a fathomable idea for non-punk independent musicians. What I realized from that point on is that there will always be ever-relevant things like workshops on how to print CD sleeves yourself, so people will feel empowered to produce things and to work on projects. With this I would love to thank Mr. Talib Revulsion publicly for helping us so much especially for the printing of issue #3.

Alak: It is so not punk to not get self-empowered and not do things themselves. Haha.

Ci Chaan: I have no opinion on this but you know, laziness is still a disease.

What can we expect in the next few issues? Are you going to piss more people off? Inspire more people?

Yuen: Pissing people off is a side effect as it was never intended. People can expect better output and constant innovation from the zine. We are still experimenting with a lot of things, taking cues here and there, from the layouting to the textual content, which is apparent from the lack of a certain style or identity in the present. So, new surprises for every new issue. We are now working on a few new things for the upcoming issue, but it’s still a secret as of now. We hope to inspire, if that is a punk thing to say.

Alak: I just hope every new issue gets better and better overall (writing, issue-wise, design etc). We’ve always talked about how to escape that stereotype of always being the same so we try to make things as different and as attractive as possible. We hope to live by our name in getting people to feel Shocked and Awe’d!

Ci Chaan: I think I should piss more people off. Somehow it seems like the only way to pull the trigger and inspire more people to write. You see, without a ridiculous statement people won't bother to waste their precious time and write back (fueled with anger, sometimes) to contradict that statement. Even if it isn’t assured that the feedback would be helpful, it would still certainly excite me.

We have come to the end of the interview. Thanks guys! Any last words?

Ci Chaan: It’s a secret. Sorry Cher, but I can’t tell you what my last words are going to be.

Yuen: “Support” is a weak word used to oblige friends to buy your zine, so no “Keep on supporting us” or “Thanks for the support” (at least for this interview, ngeh). We welcome collaborations from mobile independent workers everywhere. It’s the age of the Internet, so no need for geographical proximity. We hope that this project would be a good platform for collaborations within the Southeast Asia scene. Do contact us: drop us a word at shock.awe00@gmail.com if you have something to share.

Alak: Up the Punks and more Power to the people! Cheers!

Ci Chaan: Discharge.
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*Their fourth issue is currently in the works. So keep your eyes peeled! 

**To quote Yuen somewhere in this interview, "I’m just joking, for those of you who take all the things you hear seriously."

Shock&Awe also has an online arm, which is a focus on regional DIY hardcore-punk media production in electronic form. You can check it out here: http://shockawemedia.wordpress.com.

For queries, ideas for collaborations, contributions, or just to say hi, Shock&Awe can be contacted at shock.awe00@gmail.com.