The punk movement in music is famous for its critical views on political and societal topics. The birth of punk dates back to the early 70s, when the band, Sex Pistols, emerged to fame in the UK. Around a similar time, the same loud punk music roared in New York and LA. In its earliest days, garage rock in the 60s birthed this one special kind of music, which then earned the punk-rock nickname.
As a part of the punk subculture, punk rock holds the same anti-establishment ideologies. Naturally, criticism of governments, corporate businesses, and consumerism made their way into the lyrics of punk rock songs. The distinct style of punk aesthetic is also prevalent in how the instruments sound. Most punk rock bands sound so “in-your-face”. They have this almost abrasive style, which only garners them more attention.
For Indonesians, it has been a nerve-racking period after the election. And hey! When this post finally reaches you, the election result might be already out there. With a new government, we must maintain our scrutiny and keen eyes for the incoming political dilemmas.
This is exactly what some musicians have been doing. It’s not easy to do such a thing, melting unfiltered criticism to the authority while keeping the music sound great. After all, turning societal unrest and frustration requires a certain degree of political and musical knowledge, more than what armchair politicians on the internet know.
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Voices From The Bottom
Government bodies such as the parliament or the Council of People Representation work by addressing the emerging and existing problems in a nation. However, what the common people talk about and are concerned about clashes with what the politicians decide. Yes, they ha
This is where music comes in and shines a light on what is happening in society. Combined with the raw and simple drum beats, and catchy, rough guitar riffs, what punk rock musicians say in their songs often depicts what people think. To give you a better idea, let’s take a look, or rather, listen, to Seb Lowe, a British musician.
Seb Lowe’s songs are a mix of indie, folk, and punk. One of his songs, Terms and Conditions, is a simple yet profound irony from the average UK citizen’s point of view. His content is mostly UK centric, considering that’s where he is from. But, upon looking at his lyrics, what he wrote resonates with what we have here, doesn’t it?
A f*ck ton of corruption, the Houses and the courts
Part of Terms and Conditions lyrics – Seb Lowe
The Great British arse that soars
Right before it shits all over its own people in hoards
In education, policy, tooth and claw
And then somewhere between the crackheads and the Lords
The people who believe ’em and the police force
Is a most glorious nation of pride and patience
No, I’m only joking, of course
The Authorities Power To Silence The People
Music can be a literal scream to the government, either asking for help or throwing heavy criticism. It’s a shame that whistleblowers frequently get vilified just for speaking the raw truth. Much to our horror, these days, it’s not just the authorities who will actively hunt you down for simply exercising free speech.
Although it is not uncommon to see the word “punk” associated with disorder and rebellious behavior, we can’t dismiss all the art that comes out of the punk culture altogether. Constructive criticism can come from all sources and in all varieties of forms. Sometimes, it’s not the suited-up gentlemen in government office who have the sharpest eyes. However, anybody with good enough political knowledge can spot the imperfections in a nation, and this doesn’t exclude politically literate musicians.
But hey! When you don’t have any political power, it’s easy to end up in jail like the Iranian musician, Shervin Hajipour. It’s somewhat ironic that when a government receives criticism, one of the most predictable results is the arrest of the critics. Actively silencing the people isn’t the way to make a better nation. It just gives birth to the same problematic government but with a quieter opposition. Let’s hope that won’t be the case with our new government in the upcoming term.