Cover photo by Defne Karaca.
“How are we going to live after what we experienced at Antipode?” became a recurrent question amongst some people in the public who took part in the festival. In my case, I can confidently say that there was a before and after Antipode.
I wish this review wouldn’t look like total propaganda but, for some of us, our chance to see people on stage and in the public, looking like us, fighting against the violence we experienced and speaking our language on the visceral rhythms of hardcore, used to be an an unattainable dream. This dream saw the light of day in Istanbul and some of us have not been the same since.
ANTIPODE,
not only the book
nor the tour
but the concept in itself,
the initiative to share, archive and document underground punk and DIY culture from the SWANA region and beyond
is one heartwarming gathering
and extremely needed gesture
from its people for its people
The initiative was started, led and coordinated by Doğa Sultan, in partnership with A World Divided, Boneless, Kaygusuz Vandal, other amazing people from the Turkish (and SWANA) punk scene. Every aspect of it - from the money gathered, the artists and public invited, to where the tour started, the performances, the music and the people making it possible - is coherently articulated and thought through community, solidarity and the love of punk.
“What is happening here is very important” from Nao’s words during Taqbir’s show.
Personally, I can’t say I didn’t cry silently with joy for half of the concert. Even the famous Close to the Edge who spent years documenting part of the South Asian punk scene was there and delivered this historic playlist, which you can access through this link. (For all those who would cry with joy during these concerts, please reach out to me)
Antipode, the book, places itself as a collection of interviews and highlights of bands and artists currently active in/from the SWANA punk scene. You find yourself between: enjoying testimonies of bands and artists you look up to, and discovering artists you wish you could see live. It is fulfilling its initial purpose: archiving and documenting artists in these scenes (even if some are missing like Ikhras - but a little birdy told me that they might be part of the next volume).
From the chosen aesthetic and design, Antipode is seen more like a book than a fanzine, as Doğa tried to tell us multiple times. Let’s say it is a DIY official zine that looks so serious that we can offer it to institutions. This book is perfectly filling some of the gaps in punk/extreme music (academic) books - eventually going beyond American and European borders, contributing in its own research, its own views and values. There is not a sea of books digging into punk, and the majority of those never tackle the existence of bands from the SWANA region.
I have never bought so many copies of a book/zine to offer.
Antipode, the tour, started in Istanbul, with two nights of incredibly moving lineups filled with bands who were destined to meet one day: Shafrah, Zanjeer, Ragum, Cerahat 40k, Goblin Daycare, Ta2reeban and Taqbir.
To exist - not only resist in our corners and local scenes
but all together,
beyond borders and nationalities.
The performances and the public’s energy were visceral, flowing somewhere between euphoria and a kind of extreme release transcending the usual moshpits and stage diving. As if we knew that we were witnessing a moment in time we would yearn and hope for again the moment we’d leave the venue.
Choosing Istanbul for this specific launch was one of the most inclusive ways to gather people from the scene, bringing diasporas of the SWANA region, and those based there in one common place without visa and administrative bullshit (unless you were bringing 200 copies of the same tshirt). The public and bands traveled from everywhere, crossing seas and oceans to not miss this unique reunion.
It felt like we eventually had a real place
to exist - not only resist in our corners and local scenes -
but all together,
beyond borders and nationalities.
And just for this feeling, I am deeply grateful to those who made this possible.
This tour was so needed. We were able to witness bands, Doğa and Boneless: jumping from one DIY organisation to another, from one city to another, from one country to another; always finding a place to play, eat and stay; gathering punk communities internationally.
It became a healing space where we were sure to meet, our own way to find home elsewhere with people we barely knew then.
The lineups usually differed at each stop but some groups like Ta2reeban and Zanjeer came back to play. For the European dates, other bands from the book joined the event: Haram, Maran, Multinational Corporations and Snake Eater for instance.
Besides concerts, some pop-up events of the tour showcased screenings and other talks about “DIY IN PAKISTAN - RISE, FALL AND FUTURE” (a presentation by Hassan from Zanjeer) and a documentary about the metal and punk scene in the South Asian Subcontinent.
Swana diasporas and friends had the time to hear about the sold-out gigs in Istanbul early enough to not miss the Antipode concert in their city. During this tour, you could find locals as well as the same audience from the OG Istanbul concerts still traveling to see the same bands over and over again.
It became a healing space where we were sure to meet, our own way to find home elsewhere with people we barely knew then.
You can support next volume of Antipode by grabbing a tee. Buy here.
