APOLOGIES FOR THE LACK OF ACTIVITY

We will be back for 2014. Promise, snap & twist.

KONTRASOSIAL (Bandung D-beat warriors) 17th May

KONTRASOCIAL are back to play here again, its their 3rd time here and they never fail to give us pure d-beat hammering.

VIVISICK (Japan) 30th April 2013

You've probably seen them back in 2005, now they are back. 

HARDCORE HELL #5 11th May 2013

TRAGEDY in Singapore - Live Report!

Ever since I have received words that dark crust overloads, Tragedy are going to hit Singapore shores sometime in March, I was fucking overridden with joy. I meanTragedy, the band that put out classics such as Vengeance and Nerve Damage,is playingin Singapore? Embarking on their South East Asia tour with Singapore being the third date, they were about to set a new milestone and a high point in the local punk scene. They might be the biggest to ever step foot and to grace the ears of the underground this year. The date was marked very well in advance, calendars were slowly being filled up, and days of anxiety before the gig was ever-consuming for us all.

Fast-forward to that day, it was a cloudy Friday evening; the sun has been laid to rest and the night is slowly taking over. I was first greeted by a sign adorned in true Black and White fashion, and by following it, the eagle will then lead me the way to Ceylon Sports Club, the punk-claimed territory for that few hours of musical chaos. The trinity of Abrasion, Vaarallinen and Tragedy are set to destroy tonight; tonight, the stage will be fuelled with relentless hatred and aggression.

I continued following the sign, and the sighting of colourful mohawks, patched vests further validates my doubts. I realise I was among the earliest to arrive, so I checked my phone and it clearly reads, 6.30pm. Thus, I had the chance to check out the venue before the show started. The building was embellished with a number of high ceiling fans, something which I was eternally grateful for, well at least for that day for they were going to be proven very useful. It was really just a small place yet it possesses a homely feel which I could relate to instantly.

With Abrasion doing their sound check at the background, I paced around the room for a while, with eyes darting hastily around every corners of the room, observing and absorbing the many details of settling in. Overall, the venue was pretty neat, and that coming from someone who was not really asking for much. I then proceeded to the merchandise tables, and begin looking through the wide variety of zines, tapes and cds, focusing hard, like a kid choosing his first toy. They were laid out as clusters amongst themselves, and I managed to spot some rarities in between here and there. However, being a poor ass dude as I am, I could only bring home the loot that was mostly tagged with the name of Tragedy.

Determined to get some fresh air, I stepped outside only to be swept over by the rising crescendo of cigarette smokes. Well, this is definitely no place for a non-smoker, but alcohol, damn I’m all in for it. And as the local punks light up sticks one after another and the drinks were passed around with humble graciousness, I couldn’t resist smiling to myself. At this time, there was now a big gathering of attendees all marked with prideful colour of black. In this sea of commotions, the people were all immensely drowned in their interesting conversations, of which the air was filled with the joy of youthful laughter. Handshakes were literally flying everywhere, contributing to a lively scene of friendliness with an authentic, punk passion.

“First band, Abrasion!” and that came right out of the blue. It was the throaty announcement of the first band that was going to play and it finally came through. As the rush of excitement follows, people soon transformed into a flock of hungry wolves, and to begin occupying the small, crammed room. Seemly no strangers to the local scene, Abrasion was readily showered with overwhelming supports.Abrasion, a 2 piece battle machine that regurgitates hard, mind-grinding riffs and an insane array of blastbeats, all engulfed within a wall of heavy distortion. Wasting no time, and leaving no heads intact, Abrasion opens the well to the energies that was about to unleash that very night. There was no room for breaks or pauses, and at one point, it begins to feel like I’m listening to just atonal noise. With that, Abrasiondefinitely lives up to their eponymous name with their brand of straight-up brutality. Validating the fact that numbers could do just less, the army of two tears and shreds every foundations and barriers to dust, and in return receiving teeth-gritting acknowledgement from the crowd themselves. With grindcore as their weapon of choice, it was the perfect medium for their inaudible onslaught, giving rise to decibels of relentless chaos and the inducing of intense headaches. Their set then collapses down to seemly, unending sweeps after sweeps of feedbacks. This my friends, is aural embodied violence!

Continuing on the path of destruction were local d-beat veterans, Vaarallinen that kills with a unique flavour that is drenched in heavy reverb, and not forgetting their Finnish tongues. Often seen as a crowd favourite, Vaarallinen are masters of the 1-minutes, pumping out fast, catchy grooves right after another. It will soon occur to spark some friendly activities in the pits, and amidst all that fist-throwings and whatnot, the crowd brings the atmosphere to a higher level of intimacy by shouting out the words that are housed in most of Vaarallinen’s punk anthems. People were now going fucking nuts, raging but all truly satisfied in getting their fix. Ending off with an impact, Vaarallinen commands the people to hype up for the last few songs, adding onto the craziness that was now out of control. With the closure of the set come weary necks but above all, a great number of tired legs and arms.Vaarallinen’s place at the top of the league is definitely irreplaceable.

Finally, it was almost coming to the highlight of the night and the arrival of the eagles was now imminent. As the heroes take central stage, the room was now bustling with life and vitality, with many eagerly waiting for the strike of the first chord. As Tragedy greets the crowd with an unpromising conviction, the welcoming punks cheers on with monstrous screams to return the favour. The room was now in a constant state of anarchy, heavy boots were ever roaming the grounds and the number of crowd-surfing was just uncountable. Basically the crowd were separated into two sections, ones that are in awe and the others who are just thrashing the hell out. But there was one thing in common, and that everyone was having a great time. However, Tragedy is definitely not fond of keeping things at a balance, but instead tries to keep them wrecked and moving with towering intensity. “Do you feel it? Do you feel the hunger?” shouted the pissed-off Todd, which was now sending goosebumps all over my body, which was now made worse with the barrage of dark melodies. It was now getting fucking humid, and the perspirations that were being garnered could easily fill an entire water tank. But the universal response was that they couldn’t care less, and I was keeping things running as if with my last ounce of energy. It was overwhelming, and I could totally imagine seeing the actions from a third-person perspective, and I’d be like “Wow! What a mess!” After what seem like hours, it was now nearing the end of Tragedy’s set. However, the people were hungry for more, encores after encores, Tragedy was more than just an addiction. Along the way, even my personal favourites were being chanted out, namely the crushing Eyes of Madness and Crucifier. The people were now patiently awaiting the return of the heroes, but all was done, and the eagle had taken its flight. Although my ears were disappointed from not listening to my favourite treats, it was a fact that Tragedy has played in its full glory. And I could only look for the words in my head, and they came out to be, “What a night!”

By Stephen Lua 
please check out : thelightoftheinvictus.tumblr.com

TRAGEDY - 22-3-2013

Thanks to everyone who attended the TRAGEDY show last Friday. It was insane,awesome and no other words can describe what a night it has been. For those who missed it, that was probably the best show of the year.

check out photos and videos from the show! 

photos by : Chubbyharus Direjam

video by : Freewheelin Man

video by : Amatos

video by: Yadi

ZOO (Indonesia) in Singapore 21 march 2013 @ Night & Day

Yogyakarta experimental rock band ZOO kick off their regional tour in Singapore with their singular blend of math rock, noise, tribal and reconfigured traditional music. Their live performances are intense, charismatic and wild. This is a band to be experienced in the flesh.
with AWK WAH 
and CACTUS

21 Mar 2013 (Thu)
Night & Day, 139 Selegie Road
8pm
$15 (includes 1 drink)

Presented by Ujikaji and the Independent Archive & Resource Center

Venue hosted by Night & Day
===================================
ZOO

The band was formed in 2005 after a year of building the concept. In the first EP Kebun Binatang (2007), Zoo was still playing fast, mathematic, and noisy music as often seen in Boredoms, Ruins, Melt Banana, or Hella. But in their first full album, Trilogi Peradaban (2009), elements of ethnic music was introduced, and then in their latest release, Prasasti (2012), Zoo’s music has now progressed toward significant direction; ethnic and tribal elements are no longer elements but has becoming an integral part of Zoo as a band and therefore creating a new undefined music. All these contrast crossovers of many different influences are there in order to align the music with theme that they try to put forward.

The theme behind every lyrics are all about modern civilization, human ambition of immortality, deterioration of cultural roots and some theme that encourage optimism.

PERSONNEL

RULLY SHABARA– VOKAL, DJEMBE, REBANA, SYNTH
BHAKTI PRASETYO– BASS
RAMBERTO AGOZALIE– DRUMS
DIMAS BUDI SATYA– DRUMS, CUSTOM PERCUSSION

YOUTUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/manekinbermesin?feature=watch
MEDIA PUBLICATIONS http://zoo-indonesia.blogspot.com/p/tautan.html

BLOG http://zoo-indonesia.blogspot.com/
EMAIL manekinbermesin@gmail.com
FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/zooindonesia
TWITTER https://twitter.com/Zoo_Indonesia

TRAGEDY (USA) Friday 22nd March Ceylon Sport club

Friday 22nd March 2013
venue: Ceylon Sports club 
101 Balestier Road, Singapore 329678
(opposite ITE Balestier, take bus 145 from Lavender MRT, few stops away) 

with: TRAGEDY (US)
ABRASION
VAARALLINEN
starts: 7pm

$20
no tickets will be sold at the door/show. 200 tickets only.
get your tickets from:

Blackhole 212 - +65 94817382
Epidemic distro- +65 94746702
Transcendence666 - +65 96496272

or look for us at upcoming shows.

TRAGEDY (Portland, Oregon) formed in 2000 and was born from the ashes of influential modern hardcore bands His Hero is Gone, and Deathreat. The band has toured extensively around the world and is finally making it to our part of the world! 

DUCT TAPE SURGERY from JAKARTA! Sunday 17th March

DUCT TAPE SURGERY plays 80's style hardcore in the vein of Jerry's kid,Black flag etc.
feature ex-members of legendary bands like Tanpa batas,Taste of flesh..


17th March - 7pm - LCUBE studios 
Hardcore Destruccion 4. with
DUCT TAPE SURGERY (Jakarta's 80's hardcore worship!)
YUMI 
VULGAR WORDS
$8 at the door.
     support the touring band!!!!

*Tragedy tickets will be sold at this show

Celebrating the re-opening of The New Lithe Paralogue Studio.

The Lithe Paralogue Studio was first introduced in 2009 back at The Old Fire Station at Upper Bukit Timah as an all purpose space for musicians. 

"There were the days when the studio held intimate, jam-packed, sweat laden shows, regugarly headlined by touring and local bands alike," Suhayl of Canopus. 

The studio moved to Joo Chiat, the heart of Peranakan heritage in 2011 but had its short existence there as it closed down on April 2012. It has now re-opened to re-ignite its legacy, known as a unique and homely space and provide support to the local music scene.

Celebrating the re-opening of The New Lithe Paralogue Studio.

With performances by: 
TAPESTRY
THE PSALMS
SUB:SHAMAN
THE LIVID SUN
THIS IS ATLANTIS
BAY TAKSEN

3 March 2013
6pm till late
20B Haji Lane
Entry $5

DARKER DAYS AHEAD.

More info will be up real soon. watch this space!

Meanwhile...

after sitting on this thought all night.. 

i am not going to repost the photo of the 'gross misrepresentation of punks' that occurred yesterday at Hong Lim Park (ie some dude i don't know and have never seen at a punk show before fully decked out in 'punk gear' holding a placard that said 'Singapore for Singaporeans'- a statement with purportedly xenophobic and nationalist connotations). Instead i am going to counter post with an image of what i view as a larger, more pressing issue than what people's stereotypes lead them to think about me and my lifestyle, and those of my friends who also identify as punk.

Just to be clear, i DO NOT support blind nationalism and xenophobia, NEITHER AM I SYMPATHETIC towards those who harbor those views.

Anger and discomfort were the main emotions portrayed by those i know who have seen the placard at the protest or the photo which was posted by TOC and Say 'No' to an Overpopulated Singapore's page. While we discussed 'damage control', i took notice of how often we referred to ourselves as 'kita', 'we' and 'us' when referring to the person in the photo, as if to say it's 'us (the punks)' against 'him (the fake outsider punk)'. the idea was a little unnerving, as the entire focus of turning up at yesterday's protest with the banner below shifted from having something to say to.. 'saving face'. Even i was guilty of repeating the line 'the public are going to think it's us!' (wait.. when did we start caring what 'the public' thought? WAIT WAIT.. aren't those sentiments somewhere along the lines of nationalism, just on a smaller, social group scale?!).

Punk to me has always been about self-education. but how many of us can actually say we've learnt everything we've had to learn, literally on our own? did we not have friends to correct us/argue with us, music and books written by friends, penpals, band mates, an international network of amazing, supportive people? i can safely say that i've said, thought and felt my fair share of fucked up things while learning through punk, and the journey to growing into a less fucked up person is still in its due process- it will probably never end. the learning and unlearning, the building and destroying of my mindscape will not stop until there is equality in this world.

we know this person has never been to a punk show. we know he is younger than most of us (not saying that age as a numeric is a good guage on a person's credibility, but we all know he probably hasn't identified as 'punk' for a very long time). we know that whatever was portrayed in that photo does not encapsulate how we think and feel. we also know that reposting the photo of him and swearing at it is counter-productive within the bigger picture.

what i'm suggesting now is that if you are worried about people getting the wrong idea, speak up. no one bothers if you have a grade A hold on the language you use, no one cares if you 'spell funny' or can't tell past-tense from present. if you have something to say, say it. put up a photo of a banner/placard that you agree with along with the post. COUNTER POST. glorify the just, not the wrong. Write to him, encourage discourse (giving him the benefit of the doubt, i am not dismissing the possibility that he could mean something entirely different and i hope he speaks up too, if that is so), keep the discourse going. and always remember,

OPPOSING THE WHITE PAPER IS A HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE, AN ISSUE OF THE GOVERNMENT FAILING THE PEOPLE, NOT ONE OF SINGAPOREANS VS IMMIGRANTS.

stop xenophobia. fight power not people.

credit : Vanessa Victoria 

Spread this around : from the recent demonstration against over-population

Spread this around.

Seemingly minor issue but important enough to correct possible misconceptions.

The above picture you see on the link above shows a guy dressed up in 'full punk gear', whom interestingly has never been around at actual punk shows, events and the like, holding a 'Singapore For Singaporeans' placard.

This can be misconstrued as punks supporting blind nationalism and xenophobia. 

Please be informed that this does not represent the punk community at large, we oppose blind nationalism, racism, xenophobia and other forms of bigotry in principle, though admittedly many of us may also say things that seem politically incorrect from time to time, we urge COMMON SENSE and INTELLIGENCE to read between the lines.

Giving the benefit of doubt the message 'Singapore For Singaporeans' could mean something else that isnt particularly xenophobic or nationalist, but its simply more sensible to prevent a mistake than correcting one.

Love // Peace // Defiance.

credit : Shaiful Zerox 

= VISUAL DISTORTION = Last Chaos 24th Nov 2012

= VISUAL DISTORTION = 

Photos from Hardcore Destruccion with LAST CHAOS 24th Nov 2012 at The Substation

Taken by: apitphotography.tumblr.com

SHOW THIS SATURDAY! 16th February

SATURDAY NIGHT FASTCORE

16th Feb 2013

8pm - 1030pm

L-CUBE Studios (145 Jalan Besar, tip of Hindoo Rd, nearest MRT Little India or Bugis)

$8 at the door

with

MARTYR (hardcore from Medan, Indonesia)

FOREVER YOUNG (punkrock Malaysia)

FALSE PLAINTIFF (emotive hc)

SMILING JOHNSON (thrash/sludge, first show!)

Singaporean filmmakers being investigated and equipment consficated.

Videos they produced interviewing 2 ex-SMRT drivers allegations that they have been beaten by police during interrogation. 

read on here. 
Police investigates ex-bus driver’s allegations of abuse during interrogation

CONGRESS OF WEIRD FOOLS #4 / 9th Feb 2013

CONGRESS OF WEIRD FOOLS 4

* A Visual De-composition *

Sat // 9th Feb 2013 (CNY eve)

The Substation Theatre

6pm - 11pm

$10 at the door

with

FILASTINE (Indo-Espanol, soundscape!)

The PSALMS 

VULGAR WORDS

CIRCUIT TRIP

TAPESTRY

SJANSE

Prohibited Projects

'7 DAYS PRINTING MATTER' starts now!

For 7 Days of Printing Matter, Zaki and Singaporean punk-rock son Shaiful Zerox will conduct a seven-day zine-making workshop: all in the name of providing an opportunity for those who have something urgent, desperate and passionate to say. Everyone is welcome to join in and create their own zines! This is part of Zaki’s research project, Bl nd: The Darkness of Being and the Age of Darkness, as an Associate Artist of The Substation , which delves into the physical and spiritual dimensions of blindness. With 7 Days of Printing Matter, he hopes to challenge the dominance of mainstream media by encouraging the expression of individual ideas and reflections through writing and independent publishing.

                            Come on down, create your own zine.support diy and alternative press!

Thursday 31 January to Wednesday 6 February, 12pm – 9pm

The Substation Gallery

Admission: Free

FULL DETAIL/FLYER HERE. 

2nd March with HELL AND HELL from Japan.

                                        Here's the teaser flyer given by Jali. watch out!

Video interviews of ex-SMRT drivers describe physical assault by police officers

" I have ways to make you confess"
The industrial action caught Singapore by surprise. More than 100 mainland Chinese bus drivers at transport operator, SMRT, refused to report for duty on the 26^th of November 2012.

It took some time for authorities to label the stoppage an ‘illegal strike’.  Once that happened, things moved quickly. 29 drivers accused of participating in the action were swiftly rounded up and deported. Five men were also arrested. One has already been tried, jailed and sent back home. The rest – He Jun Ling, Gao Yue Qiang, Liu Xiang Ying and Wang Xian Jie – are waiting for their cases to be heard.

see videos here: 
http://www.lianainfilms.com/2013/01/i-have-ways-to-make-you-confess/

DISTRO DAY OUT 2013 / Sneak Peek

a sneak peek of what to expect for this Sunday's DISTRO DAY OUT 2013

SNAGGLETOOTH 'your time is up' t-shirt by EPIDEMIC DISTRO

Regional and international Black metal releases by: HAXANHAUS Media and Distribution

Papercut handmade art pieces by: TEMPUS PRESS

VAARALLINEN beer koozies by: EPIDEMIC DISTRO

Limited screen printed Pazahora A3 poster by : PAZAHORA

Expect tons of other merch coming from our local and regional DIY/Alternative/Independent record labels,distributions,collectives and bands. 

see you there.