Dec 27, 2012

Warsong - The caravan


Hey cats, what's up? Life here in athens are pretty "cool" with all the shiity things goin on and around of Villa Amalias squat and the constant trying of the police eviction, but we will take it back for sure (some columns in english here). A lot of the fellow athenian punks feel Villa Amalias like their second home and so i am too, so this post is dedicated to the squatters, the squat and the punks.

Warsong comes from the Zaragosa desert, where the sand is gold and there is no water, nomads of the modern-day-life Warsong sing their loving interludes as an elixir to our poisonous and ruined lives. You may be familiar with bands like Insomnio and No Escape, bands who recorded some of the most intense yet melodic, soft yet PUNK rock tunes the last 5-6 years (or maybe more). Tracks like "Too hard", "she says no", "still remember" or "any moment" holds a great place in my heart, mainly because when i'm tired of all the speedy hardcore tunes or the dark crust/core bombardment i tent to listen to some smooth and chilling tunes, tunes i can go sing along or shed a tear. Mihael (the good friend behind Teenage Lobotomy and Doomtown records) was kind enough to sent me this ep (12'' lp) but i never listened to it (stubborn i fucking am) cause their previous album "Ancient Times" it was THE letdown. While a friend spined the record on his turntable i was "what's that shit?", and i immediately went to buy a copy. "The Caravan" is the lost Atlantis of the modern melofic punk, bass rtyhms anchored to the drumming simplicity, while the lyrics have been forged with ice and fire, strenght and gentle. Add a great cover to the "window shop for love" of Wipers and you got what it takes.

"You shine, but on my skin i'm feeling nothing
You shine, but deep within i'm feeling frozen"

download (link provided by the band)

Dec 23, 2012

Statement by the Villa Amalias squatters held in the police HQ in Athens


The Villa Amalias squat has been an open political, cultural and social space, as well as a housing collective, for the past 23 years. In all these years there have been plenty of active groups in the squat including groups on theatre, concerts, musical studio, stained glass, kids’ space, dancing, foreign languages, computing, printing press, screenings, lending library, vinyl exchange – while the squat has also hosted plenty of political and cultural events by other groups. Apart from these activities inside its building, Villa Amalias has also contributed to the resolution of neighbourhood issues by participating in the residents’ assembly of Victoria square and by organising open, outward looking activities in the area – including open mic interventions, free markets, collective kitchens and kids’ events at the square.

In all these 23 years, the Villa Amalias squat has formed multiform qualities that reflected the equally multiform composition of the subjects and groups comprising it – and which in turn derive from the wider squat movement, from the Anarchist and Anti-authoritarian space and from the movement for class and labour antagonism. These qualities have materialised through the co-organising and participation in demonstrations, interventions and mobilisations concerning labour, antifascist and antiracist struggles; solidarity to persecuted squats, to migrants and persecuted comrades, to university and high school student struggles as well as the to struggles for the reclaiming of open, public spaces.

The squat’s building was abandoned since 1973 and it had been in a horrendous state. Since 1990, which is when it was occupied, it has stayed alive and maintained thanks to the financial contribution and personal work of the squatters themselves as well as all the comrades in solidarity.

The apparent owners of the building ( the municipality of athens, which has has some enormous property wealth and the school buildings’ organisation) are both renown for cases of expropriation of private property and illegal declassification [of listed buildings]. The most extravagant case of such was the enormous Haragioni building at the junction of 3d September and Ioulianou street, which turned overnight from a plot designated for the construction of a school building into a shopping mall.

In contrast to them, who see buildings and spaces as yet another arena for profit, the Villa Amalias squat and its activity is a concrete example of its premise for the creation of free social spaces that oppose financial exploitation of any kind; that are set upon anti-hierarchical, self-organised, solidarity and horizontal structures; that respect humans and support those at the bottom end of the calss pyramid, to which we also belong.

This is why the maintenance of the building, as mentioned above, is undertaken by the squatters and those in solidarity with them – in the last 4 years in particular, after the two murderous arson attacks that the squat received from para-statists, whether waged or not. These particular attacks caused gross material damage which nevertheless did not form an obstacle in Villa continuing its action. To the contrary, they boosted the morale of the people that comprise it. With the aid of all comrades, the facade of the building on the side of Cheiden Str was renovated while the restoration and further improvement of the building have commenced with the aid of architects and civil engineers.

The continued attacks are not the only ones that the project has been subject to in all these years. Due to its location but also due to its ideological values and political characteristics, Villa has oftentimes found itself targeted by the state and parastate alike. In all these attacks we always responded with our words, publicizing the events and propagandizing our positions and our beliefs through open social interventions.

On 20/12/12, at 7.00 am, men of the state security raided our Squat under the pretext of an investigation concerning “drugs” and “explosives”, following a supposed anonymous complaint. They arrested 8 people who were inside the Squat at the time, of which three were guests. They confiscated objects from the squat which the state security then used as evidence for the fabrication of charges including felonies and misdemeanors - charges that we reject. Especially when our felony acts are based on some empty beer bottles and on a tiny amount of petrol that was discovered next to the heater.

For us, this move is an explicit political choice by the state. At a time of financial and systemic crisis, the state launches an attack in all directions, degrading the life of those from below and trying to wipe out any cell of resistance and of creation of negation: this may translate in the botching of labour rights, in the promotion of racist ideals that contribute to a fascist turn of society, in the creation of conditions of insecurity aimed at us accepting the constant surveillance of our lives, or in the persecution and slandering of political spaces and subjects that rise against all the above.



WE DENY ALL CHARGES

OUR WORDS ARE OUR WEAPONS

WE SAID IT BEFORE AND WE’LL SAY IT AGAIN:

“WE’VE BEEN GAME ALL THESE YEARS AND THE END IS STILL NO-WHERE IN SIGHT”

SOLIDARITY TO ALL SQUATS (AND TO OURS)

22/12/12
The arrested of Villa Amalias

Dec 17, 2012

Bastards


-Snow white and the mighty d-bill :

Wear your parka, your hiking boots and a pair of warm socks, grab a cognacand get ready to pogo your way straight to santas' cold village in Finland.

Maybe Terveet Kadet is what makes Borja trim his mustache with candles up his buttocks, maybe Mike was impressed with Cavalleras' Kaaos t-shirt, but when i think of Finland the first thing to come in mind is FUCKIN BASTARDS and their patented "Siberian Hardcore".

This 1983 LP starts off like a well oiled Kamaz war-truck running over everything in the ice tundra, and never lets go!! Simple, catchy as hell and to the point hardcore riffs, and some Finns doing their best english accents (sounding like russians giving you instructions in your home town), while screaming their lungs out. This record has a slight Discharge feel to it, but think more cold, drunk and demented (Finland!)... Bastards is essential

...on a not so punk, but Finland related ending note, the Finn Sami Hyypia was amongst the most loved players according to Liverpool fans... This has little to do with Bastards, but defensive Hyypia almost scored a header goal at his last game against Tottenham Hotspur. Continuing the non-punk related notes to seal off this really really good Bastards post, Sami Hyypia has also run a marathon in 3h 56 min and 09 secs.

download

Dec 15, 2012

KAAOS


I first got into finnish punk through thrash metal. As a young kid and living in a small town with no punks it's natural to start listening whatever your classmates listen, and so i get in love with Sepultura. For my own good, Sepultura had a lot of hardcore and punk influences plus political and social aware lyrics so it was so good to listen to a band that was not stupid metalhead-type. When i saw for the first time the Arise video-clip i noticed that max was wearing a shirt with the logo KAAOS, and thought "nice pun". But after some time a friend of mine pass me the "Ristinnaulittu Kaaos" tape and fuck, i was blown away. Fueled by hate, those "crucified" (ristinnaulittu) bastards delivered a feast of unchallenged music power, with a crazy guy yelling at the microphone with the reverb to be on max, the guitars spitting riffs of chaos like venom with clear and deep drums, Ristinnaulittu Kaaos must be the best finnish punk album of all time. You can just hear "Syytön Sivustakatsoja" or "Vaihtoehto" and you can think about how many bands copied that crazy riffs, the pumpeling drums and the reverbed vocals (i'm just thinking of Destino Final...heheheh).

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Dec 14, 2012

Terveet Kadet


First band of our mini special for the Finland series, and could not be else than the first punk band outta there, Terveet Kadet and their 1982 ep (their third ep) Aareton Joulou. Although i had some concerns if we must post their self titled Lp, borja made himself clear : "the 7'' is way better".

-Borja, with candles in his butt :

It is always a difficult thing to talk about finnish hardcore punk because of this fucking diversity they had. bands like kaaos, lama, 013, riistetyt, rattus, appendix, eppu normaali (the first seven inch, Poliisi Pamputtaa Taas, is one of the best punk records in fucking history) bastards... or fucking destrucktions... you see and even much more bands i don't write down... exactly when i talk about terveet kadeet, then i just talk about hardcore. last time i tried to explain the differences about finland and sweden i said that finland was freaky and crazy and that swedish bands were just more brutal... and i am fucking wrong. finnish hardcore is freaky, unique and totally ultra-brutal. brutal as the wild youth in athens getting crazy in front of the fucking cops. this unique singer, screaming the last shit out of his mind, out of his ass, out of his skin and in fact out of YOUR fucking life. fast as shit, when hardcore was being invented and it was definitely the best time. this band made two really great 7 first seven inches, but when you listen to to aartun joulu (fucking 1982) 7 inch... then you don't really now why nobody was able to play close to this totally demented frenetic hardcore. yes, this is the word. tervett kadeet are just a demented hardcore and frenetic band. and maybe one of the few ones.

download Aareton Joulou 7''

Dec 13, 2012

Suomi hardcore : a mini tribute


To be honest, i'm totally bored with all the new trends and revivals towards the hardcore punk music. I can't go on with shitty dark wave / post-punk, everyone seems to enjoy nowadays, i can't even listen bands everyone talks about them (bloggers, friends etc) on how fucking "awesome" and brilliant are, playing just fast u.s hardcore (guys, it's just hardcore.). My friend dbill and I have that idea (long long time ago) to do some specials on different scenes from around the globe mainly to educate our fellow greek punx and secondly for our own amusement. You can check the tribute we did on danish (k-town) hardcore and punk scene, and i think is the right time to have a look on the finnish scene of the early 80's and how the "russians" made so deadly great punk (guys, it's just great). I've chosen the country and the era mainly due to the band Kaaos while i was listening "Vaihtoehto" and "Syytön Sivustakatsoja". The raging power of the band remind me that if you don't know your roots you can't figure out who you are and where you're going - as a person and as a scene - and fuck, We are pissed off punks. Some friends will help me out with this one and i hope that we'll post 5-6 albums of that exact era. Take care, we'll begin posting tomorrow...

Dec 10, 2012

Kobayashi - Neuanstrich LP


Kobayashi is an amazing melodic hardcore / punk rock band from bremen, germany. While i thought they are gone for good, they are active and they did a german mini-tour back in september. I have to say that three years ago i knew shit about them. By luck i got on my hands this lp (i have made a big order from a distro and the guy was kind enough to sent it as a gift). From the first guitar riff i knew i'll go mad with them. I have to admit that i really like bands with melodic riffs and clean bass-lines and Kobayashi delivers those amazing deutsche anarcho-punk tunes from the 80's with a great refreshing air. Here you can check the translations to their lyrics.

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