Saturday Night Pinoy Punk Fever

Saturday Night Pinoy Punk Fever

by rick olivares

Last Saturday night, February 17, at Mow’s in Diliman, Quezon City, was the reunion of 1980s Pinoy punk band, Intoxication of Violence, that also coincided with the re-release of their one and only album, Another Destructive Century, on vinyl. The show, featured also another 80s punk band, GI and the Idiots as well as some of today’s best and brightest young punk bands in Staid, Istukas Over Disneyland, Chokecocoi, Indifference, Badmouth, Repetition, Payfong, and Veils perform with the door proceeds going to the health care of one of the oldest Filipino punks today in Dennis Oi.

Aside from the top underground bands in the country, the evening was also significant for many things.

A retro mood but with an eye to the future.

For the first time since the 1980s, IOV was in the same billing as fellow Pinoy Punk pioneers, GI and the Idiots. Sometime late last year, during the 80s reunion show at the B-Side Collective in Makati, featured Betrayed, Collision, Philippine Violators, Collision, the Urban Bandits, and the Wuds. In some ways, this show somewhat completes the circle.

With only two members left from the original IOV line-up (former lead singer Xeres Anicete lives in the United States while guitarist Gerri Duenas passed away several years ago) in bassist Radzon Medina and drummer Ruben Querubin Jr., the band was just happy to “return’ and perform for a younger audience. “Iba na yung eksena ngayon,” remarked Querubin. “Pero basta kami, nagpapasalamat na meron mga nakakaalala at nailabas yung old album namin. Maganda rin yung eksena dahil marami na rin magagaling na banda.”

The cassette release of Reyerta

A few months ago, we featured Gwen Cañete, a Filipina who lives and works as a nurse in Singapore. When her day job is done, Gwen plays guitars for an all-female metal band called Tormentress (all her band mates are Singaporean).

Cañete’s musical tastes border on the extreme. To fulfill her dream of forming a powerviolence band, she formed Reyerta. “My definition of a powerviolence band is it is a sub-genre of hardcore punk in between thrashcore and grindcore with breaks and tempo changes,” said Cañete.

Like Tormentress, Reyerta is multi-ethnic. The drummer and vocalist, Andres and lead vocalist, Carmen, are Spanish. Ruel, the guitarist is Filipino and hails from Lucena, Quezon.

“I met Andres and Carmen here in Singapore and they both love this genre,” related Cañete. “Ruel used to work in Singapore but he moved to Malaysia. When I heard he returned to Singapore, I invited him to join the band.”

The band released their initial self-titled debut in cassette form and will engage in a mini-tour of Southeast Asia. Cañete and Reyerta perform in Manila, Lucena, and Batangas this coming March 16-18 then hit Kuala Lumpur on the 31^st of the same month before returning for a show in Singapore on April 7. “We hope to tour Europe next year,” wished Cañete.

Their cassette can be purchased through the Facebook page of local underground record outfit, Delusion of Terror.

The show drew not only locals but its own share of foreigners.

During the show, we counted about six foreigners – five Caucasians and one Asian – in attendance. The former declined to be interviewed but we learned that all work in Manila. The latter, a Japanese man who only offered his first name, Masa, flew all the way to Manila just for the show before flying back the next day, Sunday.

Said Masa, who also declined to be photographed but who wore a shirt of one of Pinoy Punk pioneers, Third World Chaos that once featured Tommy Tanchangco who now works with ABS-CBN, “On a previous trip to Manila about 10 years ago, I discovered the indie and underground music scene. I love our Japanese punk bands but I also learned to love the Filipino bands. I do not understand the songs in Tagalog, but I enjoy the music.”

The Japanese, who works in a publishing company back in his country, purchased a bunch of underground albums for sale at Mow’s. “I look forward to listening to all my new albums. Just coming over to watch, maybe it’s crazy, but that’s what you do when you’re a fan.”

According to many of the underground labels, their offerings – vinyl, compact disc, or cassette releases from local bands – have found their own audience abroad. “I actually sell more of the local bands abroad than here,” offered Delusion of Terror’s Emmanuel Jasmin.

Bam Sickos, an Indonesian who now calls Manila home, also has his own label, Sickos Records. He distributes not only Asian and Filipino bands but even crews from South America. “People from other countries are constantly looking for new music from different countries and cultures. There is a demand for these bands and because of this, it has become a good trade and sub-culture.”

Still Ill Records boss, Dangie Regala, offered special launch edition records of IOV. “Meron din mga collector. Growing din yung eksena,” he said.

Rica, who also declined to give her last name, also took the opportunity to sell her new underground magazine, Kontaminadong Karne”.

Said Rica, who previously published the hard-hitting zine, Mindrape, “This is a new direction where I talk and write about more diverse topics from tarot cards, tattoos, the hardcore scene in Bacolod, sexual harassment, and music among many others. The underground zine movement is thriving with people looking for alternative forms of writing and journalism. So if you’re into this, then look for Kontaminadong Karne on Facebook.”