4850812But rather than just sing about the challenges and changes
of the socio-political system, Rebel Riot have been at the
helm of Myanmar’s “Food Not Bombs” chapter since 2012,
distributing vegetarian meals to Yangon’s needy.
In spite of their efforts to do something positive for the
community, Kultureshock vocalist Khaing says that punks are
still looked down on: “Still, punks are viewed as misfits and
outsiders of society by the general public. In Yangon, people
are getting used to seeing punks on the streets. But it’s still
not socially acceptable, for punks are considered hoodlums
or petty criminals by most Burmese people.”
Music with a Message
For 16 years, Riz Farooqi, frontman of longstanding Hong
Kong hardcore band King Ly Chee, and a revolving cast of
musicians, have been the flag bearers for the Hong Kong punk
scene. King Ly Chee has toured several countries in Asia, and
made it to the US in 2016 for a series of gigs with American
hardcore legends Sick of It All. As a result, they’ve won
themselves a worldwide following.
International success notwithstanding, Farooqi has found
that promoting the music he loves in his hometown has been
an uphill slog. “There are only a small handful of bands within
the world of hardcore and punk rock in Hong Kong. Because
there’s such a small number of groups, most of the bands are
pretty friendly with each other. There seems to be some sort of
kinship, somehow, in finding that little group of people who are
super into this music in a city of seven million,” he says.
The small number of Hong Kongers who have embraced
an interest in punk music have maintained this niche since
the late 1980s, but development has been relatively non-
existent, says Farooqi. “It’s just what it’s been like here for
a couple of decades now,” he laments. “There has been no
growth whatsoever. Any time there seems to be some sort of a
breakout band, it only lasts a few months.”“We believed that people have the
power to oppose the military system.
That’s why we became a punk band –
to speak loud for justice”
Kyaw KyawNevertheless, Farooqi’s passion is still going strong, and
he continues to write new music and plot new courses for his
band. The Chinese government’s increased political meddling
in public life has impacted the punk scene for over a decade.
In 2004, King Ly Chee – a band that has never shied from
expressing its dissenting views on the political system –
was placed on a blacklist of bands banned from playing on
the Chinese mainland.
This banishment, says Farooqi, has stopped King Ly Chee
and similar bands from being able to take their music from
a part-time passion to a full-time vocation. “In China, the
money is all in the festivals. Bands can make a living from
just doing the festival circuit because so many companies
are dumping tonnes of money into those things. Since we’re
almost never allowed to play in those festivals, we don’t
get access to any of that cash which could go into further
developing the band,” he says.
An important part of keeping punk alive in Asia is passing
on its message of perseverance. Farooqi, father to a young
daughter, hopes that the lessons he learned through punk
might be imparted to her: “I have no idea if my daughter
will go the same route in playing music. But if she does –
regardless of what music she plays – I hope she understands
that being actively involved in something means going out and
making things happen yourself. More so, the lesson is about
respecting people from different backgrounds.”The Hom egrow n House
Another Southeast Asian stronghold of punk is located in the
Muslim state of Malaysia. Since 2010, Rumah Api – which
translates to “House of Fire” – a Kuala Lumpur punk space
owned and operated by 37-year-old Man Beranak, has become
the primary live venue for the local punk, metal, and hardcore
music scene.IMAGES © GETTY IMAGES