WE MUST HAVE BLOOD

Fuck ! We're in 2010, and guess what ? I'm really late concerning the update of this blog, as for all the other things i have to do. But what can you expect ? I am still on heavy painkillers, and i spend my time working, or at the rehab, or in front of the T.V. half awake, half asleep...a wonderful life.

Let's try to remember few things that happened before the beginning of this new year...

INFRO / SNAREKILLS / FORGET ME NOT... in Kitakyushu, December 6th, 2009

Well your lips are moving

But I can tell that you lie

'Cos your teeth are too white

And your mouth's open too wide...

(Newtown Neurotics : Fools)

That's what i had in my mind almost all the afternoon when i was at that show. Once again our good friends of Kitakyushu organised a "30 minutes punishment" show, and it was cool to see some friends, but still something was wrong with the bands for me. Well half of the bands.

SNAREKILLS started the show, and that was cool. Fast, short, and well done. High pitched vocals, dissonant guitar and chaotic song structures. Remind me of bands like Swing kids or The Crimson Curse, that kind of stuffs, although i am not a specialist. Not bad, but not what i prefer. But i admit that seeing them live is great, they're really good and really into it. Taka-chan is always jumping everywhere or crawling on the floor, and i like the chaos they are doing in less than 20 minutes...

INFRO too did a very good show that night. But they were too many people so i had to stay very far from them. I feel they sound less and less like Yaphet Kotto, even if you can still hear that influence. But i am not sure if i know the new influences. The songs are longer, more instrumental maybe. All in all that was a great show, and a good way to celebrate their new ep.

MY NAME IS was also playing. If i remember well they are from Tokyo and i thought they stopped playing like 3 years ago. When i saw them at that time, they were trying to be funny while playing their modern emo hardcore, the kind of things that makes me walk out the room in less than 10 seconds...But now they seem more serious. Even their music is more serious, but i couldn't stay to watch, as i really didn't like the kind of music they were playing. The Newtown Neurotics song came in my head while i was watching them. Then i thought it was time for me to go outside and have a cigarette.

FORGET ME NOT did a really good show, as usual. Last year when i heard their new songs, i didn't know what to think, but now i feel ok with that. You can still hear the Shotmaker/Kurt influences, but their songs are more complex. Maybe sometimes it sounds like math rock (although i never listened to math rock)...anyway more instrumental, longer songs, and less in your face emo hardcore than before, but still very good. And they are so nice people involved in the scene for so long, it's always a pleasure to see them. Humble, honnest, devoted...i really like those guys ! And the show was really great !

Another band played but i forgot the name, and it's not so important...at the end of the show we took time to talk with some friends, that was cool. But i had a weird feeling. Half of the bands were cool to see, but in the other hand, i coudn't stop thinking about "your teeth are too white". It's not only about the bands, but it's also about the audience. There are more and more people coming to that kind of shows recently, which is cool, but i wonder if we are living in the same world. All those university students, whith their trendy clothes, their good manners, their teeth too white...i wonder why they come to see a punk show ? Entertainment ? Hype ? Curiousity ? I don't want to sound like an asshole who judge people in 30 seconds (which i probably am), but i really feel those people and me are not in this for the same reason. There is really something wrong here...I always thought it was great to have new people coming to the shows, but in the same time, i think this shouldn't be a place for everybody. Normal people should not be attracted by punk hardcore. What the fuck is going on with hardcore punk these days ? Is it the new hobby for the trendy people ? Is it a place we go to hang around, like if we were going to see a movie or play bowling with some friends ? This is definitely too clean for me, and i feel we let that happen for too long ! I feel we all have been too nice with everyone, and we forgot that we can, sometimes, say fuck off, especially to those people. We need to take back what's ours. Our community, our music, our ideas, our ethics, or goals...Our world, made by people who move their asses to keep this local/international network alive. Where people care about bands and not fashion. Where people care about records, distros, fanzines, counter culture, noise, sweat, dirt and blood !

And once the Newtown Neurotics song left my mind as we were going back home, another song came through my head. That sum everything up for me at that time, when i was remembering those nice kids, whose teeth are definitely too white...

It's not that we don't love you

It's just that we don't care

And when we're coming down beware...

(The Dwarves : We Must Have Blood)