Punk hardly needs an introduction. Music, fashion and
lifestyle converge in this unique subculture, known for its wild
Mohawk hairstyles, spikes and piercings, black leather and
“emo” disposition.
In Asia, a continent whose many different cultures
tend to share a deep-seated appreciation for cultural
traditionalism, you would be forgiven for thinking that
punk barely registers in the social strata in the more
conservative parts of the region.
But it does – and not just in terms of fashion statements –
although in fashionable areas such as Taipei’s Zhongxiao-
Dunhua and Tokyo’s Harajuku, you can drop several hundred
dollars to get the look of strung-out Sid Vicious, even if
without the Sex Pistols’ true grit.
But while punk culture comprises a very small segment of
the population in Asia, there are several dedicated punk scenes
stepping into the spotlight.
opening page
Myanmar punks attend
an underground music
show at the Thingyan
water festival in Yangon
right Yu Ziyang of
D-Crash performing
during the Beijing Punk
FestivalMusic, fashion and lifestyle converge
in this unique subculture, known for
its wild Mohawk hairstyles, spikes
and piercings, black leather and
“emo” disposition
punk r evolution
Myanmar was run by a ruthless military junta which crushed
any voices of dissent for decades. Here, punk has remained in
the underground for some 20 years, but it is finally emerging.
According to 36-year-old Thet Khaing – also known as
“Skum” – a vocalist in Yangon’s D-beat “crust” punk band
Kultureshock, and a leading figure in the Burmese punk
insurgence, Myanmar’s punk scene started out as one of the
city’s fashion factions before it evolved into a fully-fledged
music movement.
“It all started in the mid-1990s when a group of guys
started to dress up like punks on festival days,” he says.
“Younger kids wanted to copy their style and began the
practice of going out dressed up like punks. Eventually, that
fashion punk scene evolved and became the punk music scene
you see nowadays.”
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