Friday, January 17, 2014

Punk Mot Rasism (Punk Against Rasism) Live Review

Where? at Kafe 44 Stockholm

When Jan 14 2014

Who? Psykbryt, Ligisterna and Project 9

Why?


In a way Punk needs its enemies. In the seventies the dinosaur arena rockers were the main offenders in the Sex Pistols aim. Then Maggie Thatcher,Ronald Reagan, far right where the real enemies in the eighties, something to write angry lyrics about. Then I think Punk became cute and adopted itself to mass market consumption. And with that, became dull.

Lately Sweden have been under the pressure of a right wing government. With that, new Swedish punk got vitalized. Even worse is that a racist party gotten into the Swedish parliament. Time´s up for nonsense lyrics, now it is for real.

Lately what´s left of the Swedish Nazi movement been trying to gain some attention by attacking peaceful antiracist manifistations,spray swastikas on Mosques and Kafé 44. The Nazi attack in the Stockholm suburb of Kärrtorp in December resulted in a manifestation against racism with 16 000 participants. Not 16 000 showed up at the punk place Kafé 44, but enough to fill up the place. Punk needs its enemies.

If the purpose was to scare the punks at 44an with nazi graffiti they were wrong. But some lads in the band Psykbryt thought it was a good idea to have a concert to collect money for the removal of the graffiti. The Lads of the band did call some pals in other bands and, viola, we got us a mini punk festival.

As was said from the stage by invited speaker Nathan Hemelberg, if you attack Kafé 44, you attack the heart of Swedish punk itself.  And from it came really good music.


Psykbryt
First out was the organizers band, Psykbryt, and believe me, punk need its enemies, because I have never seen them play better. Very focused, good sound and a perfect gig that engaged me as well as the crowd. Some very young, 11 or 12 years old I guess.  Angry and tight, but not without joy in it. The band have really developed a lot the last year. Especially singer Linus voice and how he use it.
A brilliant start on a brilliant night.

Next out was the invited speaker that was choosing not to be ranting about how ghastly the confused Nazis were, but how strong we are with our punk that hold us together.

Ligisterna
Ligisterna did continue its mayhem from the week before. What they have developed is their deconstruction of rock music. Bass player Cabbes playing style is unique, sometimes he didn´t touch the strings at all but hammered the wooden body of the Fender bass to make it boom out its message, this Tuesday was no exception.  What once ware angry songs about how unfair everything is, have in later time developed to therapy sessions for a bunch of thugs at large, (Ligisterna means the Thugs in Swedish), like their 78 style tunes are excuses to go into uncontrolled yelling more than singing. It was far from the safe world of bubble gum commercial skate punk that been on the top list the last 20 years. This was the unpredictable grey zone between real agony and entertainment.  Enemies or not, Ligisterna delivered their message in their own way.


Project 9

Project 9 is a very interesting band on the rise. In my point of view they´re gone from clarity to clarity. It was logical that they closed this manifestation. The lads are skinheads, but not any far right blonde boneheads ranting Viking drivel. Here it was an Asian, a Gypsy, a Black, a Russian and a Jew onstage, deconstructing the Swedish media cliché of skinheads.  They delivered melodic and hard Oi!/Street Punk. Three chords, a ranting singer that is all over the place as he should and Oi! choruses in numbers. Like the other two band this night, they had very catchy tunes that sticks.


I sum the night with a smile. Been supporting removal of Nazi graffiti, been listening to three good bands and been chairing it with a lot of punks from a numerous generations. Not bad at all. Punk needs its enemies. 

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