Music Preview: MULE fundraiser with punk from the other Manchester
Article published: Tuesday, January 12th 2010
On Thursday 14 January three local punk bands will dominate the stage at Satan’s Hollow. The event is a fundraiser in support of MULE and features War Coma, Nephew Huzzband and Cash For Your Stories, who will also be launching their EP on the night. In anticipation of a night promising great local music, Alex Gallas reflects on the ever evolving Manchester punk scene.
Today ‘Manchester’ is an international brand designed to attract students and tourists, young professionals and enterprises, footballers and musicians with big ambitions. Punk has become part of this branding exercise. Allegedly, it was a Sex Pistols gig in June 1976 that kick-started the Manchester music scene. And thanks to them, a grey, impoverished, post-industrial wasteland was transformed into the hip and hedonistic second city of Britain.
If the crowd attracted by this myth ever ventured beyond the Northern Quarter, they would see that the wasteland and the poverty are still there. And they might even notice that Manchester punk didn’t end with the second Joy Division album. There is still a sizeable underground scene based in slightly seedy and run-down pubs and clubs at the margins of the city centre. And there are bands playing raw but gripping music with a rarely matched passion and dedication.
Take the Hammers. They are a four piece and have been around for little more than a year. They have already played dozens of gigs, toured continental Europe, and released two vinyl EPs and a tape – without the support of management or a label. Hammers play D-Beat, a version of hardcore punk that emerged out of Staffordshire and Scandinavian basements in the early 1980s. Their domain is lightning fast but hard-hitting drums, guitars heavier than tanks and grunting and growling vocals. Listening to Hammers is a pleasure comparable to flattening SUVs with a steamroller.
Or War Coma. They are just as active as Hammers in terms of gigging, and comparable in sound. Their guitars, however, are more melodic and create a tense atmosphere located somewhere between belligerence and melancholy. War Coma have just released an accomplished five-track demo that could have been a ‘proper’ record. It comes in a self-made box assembled out of recycled cardboard, is sold at gigs and costs less than a pint.
Then there are the Autonomads. Again a band that hasn’t been around for long, and again a band that has already toured continental Europe. The Autonomads infuse distorted guitar sounds with Jamaican influences – something that quite a few current Manchester bands do. But unlike their colleagues, they don’t fall into the trap of combining cheesy pop punk with über-hectic, sterile ska. Their off-beats are warm and groovy, and their capable saxophone player gives their sound subtlety and depth. Apart from that, they take a stand politically and support anarchist activism.
Ironically, none of these bands sound anything like the Buzzcocks or Joy Division. They have better things to do than peddling the myth of Manchester punk. This may explain why they remain at the margin – and why they are far more compelling than the myriad of Mancunian groups trying to be the next New Order or Smiths.
Alex Gallas
Come to the MULE fundraiser this Thursday, for the launch of Manchester’s Cash For Your Stories EP launch, and see War Coma, Nephu Huzzband, and Lie Cycle play at Satan’s Hollow, just off Princess Street.
More: Culture, Manchester, Music
Comments
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Why should I have to join Facebook just to find out the details of your fundraiser?
What’s wrong with Facebook?
Comment by Say NO to Facebook on January 12, 2010 at 2:35 pm
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/01/444523.html -
Apologies – the details are also in the MULE diary:
Comment by andyl on January 12, 2010 at 2:45 pm -
*****IMPORTANT******
THE VENUE FOR THE GIG ON THURSDAY HAS CHANGED. A BURST PIPE IN TIGER LOUNGE IS TO BLAME. THE GIG IS NOW AT SATAN’S HOLLOW, 101 PRINCESS STREET, MANCHESTER, M1 6DD. 8PM.
Comment by A. on January 13, 2010 at 1:29 pm -
Like the last Mule fundraiser I went to, all bands are entirely white men as far as I can tell. I’d think an overtly political paper like Mule would be more on the ball with regard to representation!
Comment by Kim on January 13, 2010 at 6:11 pm -
strange, i have been to mule fundraisers with women performing in bands. if you don´t like it, get in a band yourself and ask to play at the fundraiser!
Comment by M on January 13, 2010 at 9:43 pm -
The “why don’t you just do it yourself” argument is typical of white men. According to my admittedly back of a postcard calculations, there is a 3.9% chance of a 4 person band being all white male in Manchester, therefore a 0.06% chance of 3 bands in a row being white and male (not counting other issues like class, sexuality. ableism, etcetc). I think the issue is not that the bands don’t exist, just that they are not asked to play. Mule as a specifically political organisation I think would be aware of this, its a simple issue of who does the paper represent – 0.06% of us?
Comment by Kim on January 14, 2010 at 2:41 am -
the always present topic of why aren’t bands of girls/non white etc … if you raise this topic doesn’t mean you are open minded … being open minded means to do something about it … make a proposal to the organisers and if you are refused then point a finger
Comment by LeFkY on January 14, 2010 at 7:08 am -
At the Cool Runnings fundraiser with dancehall, dub and reggea DJs – the racial mix up was different. But just sayin’ like!
Comment by Josie on January 14, 2010 at 2:37 pm -
Dismissing an argument because it is “typical of white men”… that sounds both racist and sexist to me.
Comment by Eric on January 14, 2010 at 4:43 pm -
>> The “why don’t you just do it yourself” argument is typical of white men. >>
It is actually the ethic of DIY punk
Comment by M on January 14, 2010 at 8:05 pm -
There might well be a 3.9% chance of a 4 piece band being all white male, but in terms of punk bands in Manchester, the chances are more like 95%. In fact, having attended most hardcore punkrock shows for the last 9 years in Manchester, I struggle to come up with hcpunk bands from the entire country that had anything other – it’s a very white, male genre. There’s been changes in the audience, and there are lots more girls going to shows and people from other ethnicities which is good to see. But your comment is just silly and shows a complete lack of understanding Kim.
Comment by John on January 15, 2010 at 9:38 am -
I could reply to the comments individually, but I think this one gets tho the crux of it:
>> There might well be a 3.9% chance of a 4 piece band being all white male, but in terms of punk bands in Manchester, the chances are more like 95%
What other explanation than “the hc scene is institutionally sexist and racist” is there for this? If this happened in a place of work, government or university, questions would be asked. There are plenty of bands from all over the North West with women or PoC in who both do and don’t fit in to that (very specific and quite divisive) genre – in fact the fact you can’t think of a single example is probably tells us as much as anything. Why do we still need to have (and incidentally get shouted at) Ladyfests and specifically feminist events – it’s exactly this, women statistically just do not get asked to play events such as this.
@josie: I was not aware of that fundraiser. Sounds great!
@john: your comment is incredibly patronizing. please comment about the argument, not the person.
Comment by Kim on January 15, 2010 at 10:14 pm -
@eric: i think you have a very weird view of what racism is. I would advise checking up on more progressive opinions of what constitutes racism and sexism.
Comment by Kim on January 15, 2010 at 10:16 pm -
@John: the excuse that “that’s just how it is” is simply not good enough — that’s just like saying that men earn more than women (in general) and that’s just how it is. All this is doing is maintaining the status quo which is not helping anyone but those with the power.
Comment by Nicky on January 15, 2010 at 10:54 pm
@LeFkY: Talking and pointing things out IS “doing something,” it is highlighting stuff that gets taken for granted and questions what is thought of as “normal.” Being open-minded is also about engaging in conversation and not just dismissing a point because it might seem trivial or outside your comfort zone.
@Eric: Your attitude to racism and sexism seems back-to-front: white men cannot, by some definitions, be discriminated against for being white or male — they are the group that holds the power. I should point out that I do NOT want to engage in a discussion about this at this point; it is the duty of each and everyone of us in a privileged group to learn more about privilege and what (potentially) to do about it (this includes me). -
Off the record as a mule volunteer I would say that mule doesn’t organise gigs, different groups offer them to us fairly frequently which we are very grateful for. Next time someone calls me to offer a gig there is no chance i’m going to ask them what their skin colour is, or what their genitals look like. I think it’s a shame that what is a serious issue has been made to look silly here by wild finger pointing and invented stats. Peace x
Comment by Jen on January 16, 2010 at 12:48 pm -
@ Nicky: “white men cannot, by some definitions, be discriminated against for being white or male — they are the group that holds the power”. Class?
Comment by M on January 16, 2010 at 8:10 pm -
@jen: why do you need to belittle others to make your point? just because demographics are clearly not important to you doesn’t mean it’s “silly”. And given people won’t accept that sexism or racism exists any other way, what do you suggest *but* stats?
This has got hopelessly sidetracked. The point I was originally trying to make was “my, the mule sure seems to support a disproportionate number of white men”. It was a very simple critique that people seem incredibly defensive of. I actually can’t believe this is still a controversial thing to say!
@jen: that’s interesting, but still
a- this is an album launch, it’s hardly altruistic (i do not have a problem with this just saying its a stretch calling it a benefit)
b – it’s interesting the groups that feel they are a part of mule are, you guessed it…Yet again – I HAVE NO ISSUE WITH THIS SPECIFIC LINEUP OR ALL WHITE MALE GIGS IN GENERAL! I just thought that the white, male centric nature of the entire DIY scene was worth mentioning when it tried to pass itself off as political. This was just an unfortunate scapegoat.
Comment by Kim on January 16, 2010 at 11:04 pm -
no worries kim, think you got me and mule wrong and i’m happy to leave it at that or chat about it sometime if you like? message me x
Comment by Jen on January 17, 2010 at 1:56 am -
ps, I meant to be funny and make a point, not to belittle so apologies for that. Plus I agree that your original comment was not very offensive (although a little harsh and inaccurate) x
Comment by Jen on January 17, 2010 at 2:13 am -
as a mule volunteer i put as much time as i can into the publication and its events. at the core of our convictions – the driving force of the organisation – is inclusivity, social justice, and providing a progressive platform for those who would otherwise be ignored. on my part i apologise if we fail in this endeavour. however, as somebody who is in employment outside of the publication, there is only so much time possible to dedicate. this means that (unfortunately) we rely largely on the people we know, and the links we have with varying organisations to put on events. i sincerely wish i could search manchester looking for writers, designers, contributors and bands from all different backgrounds but sadly it simply isn´t possible. but we do our best. and we always welcome contributions from people who wish to get involved. for me it is unfair to overly criticise a penniless, volunteer-run organisation which does the best it can with limited resources. that said, we want your feedback and thoughts on how we can improve our content and modus operandi. and i would reiterate, that if you want to get involved, please contact us – after all, it is only through the efforts of volunteers who care about it that we exist at all. best wishes. MP
Comment by michaelp on January 17, 2010 at 3:50 am -
As a co-organiser of this event I feel like I should respond to some of the comments Kim has made.
Comment by Tommo on January 17, 2010 at 2:47 pm
I should firstly point out that this wasnt obstensibly a gig organised by the Mule but rather an EP launch party with a portion of the takings going to the collective. So criticism shouldnt really be levelled at them but to us.
Secondly the line-up was chosen entirely on the basis of how well the bands sounded together. I cant imagine many bands being pleased to learn they were included on a bill because they represented a demographic. The fact is that bands playing this style of music are mostly white males. If we had gone for a different mix of bands the line up may well have been more representative but that wasnt our main objective.
The punk and hardcore scenes have massive problems with inclusivness and have done historically. I totally agree that this is something that should be discussed and confronted, and to an extent the DIY does this (although admittedly not much seems to change).
I would challenge your inference that a DIY gig involving only white males cant be political, or that we should question its validity as a political act.
Thanks a lot to everyone who came Thursday night, the bands were great and there was a good turnout. Cheers -
Not only was there a good turn out, the crowd was also quite a diverse one. And from all I could tell, bands members were a rather diverse group, too. After all, there are huge differences between white males — in terms of class, ethnicity, sexual orientation and numerous “other issues”.
Comment by A on January 19, 2010 at 4:58 pm -
At a broader level there’s a big need to have a discussion about how a politics of representation intersects with a politics that critiques capitalism. The box ticking or Benneton approaches, as people have pointed out, offer no solution to understanding how to develop inclusive political spaces, yet that doesn’t mean it should be just swept under the carpet.
Comment by Jo on January 23, 2010 at 12:55 pm
I do find it interesting that the target of the discussion is this particular event, since as a queer woman who has attended a fair few hardcore gigs including this one, I actually find them very inclusive spaces. Just because it’s usually a bunch of white men doesn’t translate to it being sexist and racist, in fact it seems to me that hardcore can be a space for white men to disrupt dominant constructions of white maleness, and surely that’s an important part of an anti-racist feminist project?
The comments are closed.
