HELL OF A SATURDAY ON THE WAY!

It's gonna be a bit of a rock-out on Saturday, for the first time Kristoffer and I will be putting on a live band at HELLOFAKVÄLL!

We're hoping to bring some cool stuff to Borås so chose the band SNAKESTORM. I met their Singer Johan working at Metaltown in Gotenburg last year, he was a young guy with a musical knowledge and cynisisim that matched my own. He told me about his band that he was starting together with the guitarist from legendary Swedish punk band Dia Psalma (that he worked as a guitar tech for). After checking them out I decided that they were pretty kick ass and certainly going to be on the way up in the near future, so what better band to play. It's one of those kick ass things I want to happen in this town when, in the future when they no doubt will become quite big band people can say "I saw them at Hellofakväll before they were famous".


So, with begged and borrowed gear we will do our best to put on a good gig for all involved, we'll also be playing the new EP from local band EGONAUT - and I have it on authority that a few local rock celebs will be showing up.

Getting the club up and running has been very heart warming and seems to be a great way of getting people together to enjoy themselves.

So, here are some links for the bands - come rock out!

SNAKESTORM

EGONAUT

Come visit us at MYSPACE or on FACEBOOK.

ROCKING OUT TO THIS WEEK...

My ears and eyes have been loving the following this week and I think you should all be enlightened and check them out too!

LUNARSAPIAN

First of, we have something that should be a treat for all of you out there that sit about crying over your old BATHORY records. The band are a Black Metal/Ambient/Doom/Pagan called LUNARSAPIAN from Clevedon in North Somerset UK.



They are a relatively new band and the brain child of Matt "Sigebróðor" (or sometimes Lord Blackthorn) Rogers who has been a stable one-man underground output machine for around the past 20 years or so. He has been behind or involved with acts like SUCCUBUS, ANGELFUCK, DRUNK, RIPPED APART and about 100 others. Tucked away in the remote rural parts of England he has become the English version of our man Quarthorn. If you dig on bands like BATHORY, the early DARK THRONE or even SUNN O))) then LUNARSAPIAN is your ticket. A lot of the Norwegian and Norwegian influenced "Black Metal" acts these days do their best to sound like everything has been created so organically, the difference here is that it has in fact been created without the help of any labels or studios but with just the tools to hand and a lot of creativity...along with no doubt a great deal of gaffer-tape, cider and passion.



The line up is completed with "Habban" and "Heorwearg" and all three members just play pretty much what comes to hand.

Visit them at their Myspace HERE where you can buy all of their releases, patches and more.

And enjoy the video below!



Next up...

THE KENNEDY CURSE

This young band from Borås & Gothenburg, Sweden are treading the screamo/metal-core vein like a lot of bands are doing these days but if I didn't think they were worth your while then I wouldn't give them the time of day eh!


What's the difference? Well these guys are fucking GOOD! Doing it with a whole truckload of energy and passion and some really class-act musicianship to boot. Taking influence from a lot of different bands other than what's just cool these days. They've already been getting a lot of action locally, even supporting local amazing-turned-pop heroes DEAD BY APRIL...I give it a few years before they do a Kiss/Blue Oyster Cult and D.B.A are supporting them, mark my words!

If anyone can save the genre and take it away from becoming a clone factory fashion show, it's The Kennedy Curse. This my readers, is where it's at.

Check them out on Myspace HERE


What more for you today? Well you like watching things yeah? We all like a good watch of things, oh things, they are great to watch!

A documentary on the New York Hardcore Scene featuring 25 TA LIFE, 108, MADBALL, V.O.D and a fuck load more - you go watch and windmill round your bedroom now!



Till next time - The Elk.

THE PIRATE PARTY 3-POINT PLAN TO GRINDING THE WORLD TO A HALT.

If anything indicated a need for change in politics and the way they are presented to the public it was that last year the PIRATE PARTY (Piratpartiet) won seats in the EU. Basically - for those who don't quite get it (or those that do) here is my take on them.

Here is what the Pirate Party THINK the world would look like if they got into power.


Here is what it REALLY would look like:


Why is this? Well, because they have no idea what they are talking about. Lets have a look at their policies and then show them for the spoutings of an uneducated idiot that they really are. Now the PP only have three polices and they are:

1
REFORM OF COPYRIGHT LAW

What is this:

Summed up they want to make anything copyrighted to be free (for non commercial purposes). That means that all us fans of downloading films and music etc on the Internet could do so perfectly legally. They also want to scale down copyright on cultural works from Death + 50 years to just 5 years from the day it was made. So that means everyone can have access to any film, music, book etc whenever they like - free stuff for everyone!

What would really happen:

There would be no more music, films, books etc. If the second it was released anyone could get it for free then no one would bother buying it anymore. Why would you? Therefore there would be no more money in the industry and no one who creates said media or any company that finances said media could afford to continue and therefore would shut down. No band would be able to record, but albums out or tour, no films or TV shows could be made, no cinema would be able to be open. No DVD or CD company could continue to produce products. Millions would lose jobs, and not just the big rich musicians and actors but everyone from the camera operators, the man who makes the posters, the guy who packs the Cd's into the boxes etc...

THERE WOULD BE NO MORE CULTURE

Except for....government funded culture. If there was a demand, our taxes would pay to produce a minimum government controlled artistic outlet. Taxes would be raised because of this, oh and to cater for the newly millions unemployed worldwide.


When arguing this point with a hardcore follower of the PP last year his argument against was that THE GRATEFUL DEAD (pictured above) during their time had a special section in the audience at their gigs for people who wished to go in and bootleg the show and it did them no harm. I don't need to tell anybody sensible that this was a different time (before the Internet and even CD) when the band could do that and still sell millions of albums so it was no loss to them. It's not a valid argument these days.

Taking away the "death + 50" rule (which means that a work is copyrighted 50 years after the creator dies) means that the families and predecessors of the successful (think, Disney, Jim Henson, Bruce Lee etc) would no longer be able to continue. The PP think that 5 years is a good enough time to earn back the money from a creation and that if you don't do it in 5 years you never will. I don't need to tell you the madness in this, history is littered with examples to the contrary. Plus, no one would make any money back anyway because with the new "everything for free rule" that's the way it would be.

2 - ABOLISH PATENTS

What this is:

The PP believe that "the man" hordes patents on stuff like medicine making it unavailable for everyone for free. Get rid of this and everyone in the world would have free medicine forever.

What would really happen:

Pharmaceutical companies would become bankrupt. No one would bother to research for free and with no funding there would be no more research into new medicine. And not just medicine, with no patents NOTHING new would be created so we halt all new research and technology


...or we government fund new research. Is that cheap? I dunno, find out when the new tax bump comes in to fund it.

3 - Respect for the right to privacy.

What this is:

Taking away the madness of a "Big Brother" society.

What this means:

Pedophiles, murderers, rapists right through to petty criminals have a much easier job.


Now - remember these things next time the Pirate Party wants your vote! With a halt in progress (both technologically and culturally) a revolution is just a few steps away, and with nothing to protect you from it it won't be long before something short of civil war happens. Or, if it all goes to plan we'd live in a society where our technological and cultural contributions were government controlled and funded. Not to mention that these three polices are their ONLY polices...everything else goes to hell. What's left of it to go to hell.


Now, the PP do have some good points in principle. Which could be addresses and this is where they have done a good thing because people HAVE voted for them it shows that a simple, different 3-point party plan was something that people could believe and relate to. This means one simple thing (along with the BNP getting some seats also) - WE NEED CHANGE!

Just not the PP or the BNP.

MIKE V ROCKS!

FUCK!

I woke up this morning and I still wasn't Mike Vallely....I LOVE YOU MIKE!!!!

Sorry did that just slip out?

Basically, Mike Vallely, the pro-skater, musician, actor...FUCKING ROCKS!

So just recently I was having a film night and I started by watching the film THE HANGOVER which made me chuckle, during the film this kick-ass riff starts and I think "ooo that's duurrty!" and soon I realise that it's (Mike V's band) Revolution Mother. Next thing, Mike V is in the film throwing tuxes out of a van.



So, film done, tea and toast made, next film goes on PAUL BLART: MALL COP which f.y.i made me laugh so much that I nearly did poo poos. Guess what, Mike V is in that film too playing the part of a bad guy on a skateboard.

This was obviously telling me that I needed to hunt down the new REVOLUTION MOTHER album "Rollin With The Mutha".


Fuck me, every tune on that album is a belter! It's like a bunch of truckers and car wreckers got together and wanted to be Black Flag but were far too rock & roll. Definitely a great disc worth your while to listen too (especially if you are skateboarding through Borås and weaving round pedestrians).

Mike Vallely for those who don't know was one of the "Bones Brigade" back in the 80s, the skateboarding crew that featured Tony Hawk, Steve Cab and more legends and has been a pro skater since then. He pretty much embodies punk with his skating style. Recently he's started acting and fronting the awesome band Revolution Mother.

MIKE V ROCKS.



Lets see some classic Mike V in action below.





Yeah, he does skate sometimes too!

THE SIMPLE JOYS OF "ADULTHOOD"

10 things I (and everyone else should) do at home because I can now that I am an adult that I have my own place.

1 - Have chocolate etc before my main meal.




2 - Eat with my hands.

3 - Eat in bed.



4 - Put my feet up on the sofa, the table or whatever else I like.



5 - Jump up and down on the sofa or bed.



6 - Stay up as late as I like.



7 - Burp, fart and swear whenever I like.



8 - Play on the computer or go out skateboarding before I do my homework.

9 - Not wash for weeks.



10 - Make a fort out of a box and/or bed sheet and hide in it.

THE BNP ARE FUCKING NAZIS (and other religious issues).

***DISCLAIMER BEFORE I START***

I do not support or want to slander any religion in this blog - any following religious statements are made from an academic stand and from the view of those following said religion (assuming all is real).

It's election time again in the UK and I just can't let it slip by without making my little voice heard on one factor that's very close to my heart. I know that mostly I'll be "preaching to the choir" but to everyone that will vote in the UK election. Please, please....do not vote for the BNP!

Should the BNP (that's British Nationalist party or NATINAL party as their official Facebook page said for a while) get into power it will not "restore Britain to it's former glory" but quite simply - start WW3.

BNP leader Nick Griffin is the new Hitler. They can dress it up however they want, try to get rid of the skinhead "boots 'n' braces" look, they can say whatever they want about themselves but one look at their policies (VIEW HERE) and it's quite obvious to anyone with half a brain that they are quite simply neo-Nazis. Along with a whole deal of people who will vote for them (see picture below).


Their policies is a nutshell -

• Send back immigrants.
• Withdraw from the EU and start a new "British Empire".
• Only jobs for British people.
• Stop political correctness in schools and train the youth in British Pride.
• Stop foreign aid.
• Boost Britain's military budget.
• Re-instate capital and corporal punishment.
• Stop political correctness in the justice system.

Now is it just me or was "Mein Kampf" pretty much the same thing?

Now you see, a few years ago the BNP were just another small party in the UK but of late they are gaining momentum. The main cause of most of this? Well it's obvious isn't it, anti-Muslim/Islam propaganda. It's a simple as that. Oh and your basic xenophobia (fear of Lucy Lawless).

With more and more immigrants from the Middle East pouring into the UK (and many other countries too, including my home, Sweden) people get on edge simply because they look, dress and act differently and because of all the simple anti-Islamic rubbish that people spout without any education in the matter.

Since going to school in Sweden and sharing my classroom with a lot of Muslims from different countries and faiths (just like Christianity there are different versions of it) I have a new found respect and sympathy for the Muslim people who I feel are being persecuted, just as the Jews were during WW2.

Lets look at a few of these statements and the truth behind them.

Who is the main Muslim-Bashers? Of course, it's self-righteous Christians! And when did this all start? Well it was in 1095 when THE POPE of the time decided that he would rally all of the Christians that he could from Europe and go march on Jerusalem and kill loads of Muslims. It pretty much starts there. The Catholics threw the first stone.

And the stupid thing is, Islam is a peaceful religion. To say that it has anything to do with hate or terrorism is not an untrue statement because there ARE people who carry out these acts in it's name.

...Just like the Pope did in God's name in 1095. Just like George Bush did in his recent rule...and everything in between.

In the 1980's when the IRA were blowing up this that and the other almost every Irishman was branded as a terrorist, if we compare that to today's terms we should have been branding every Christian as a terrorist. Or now in today's terms, a pedophile.


Islam and Christianity have a lot in common. They both pretty much believe in the same god. Allah is God. The Muslim prophet Muhammad respected very much the teachings of Jesus and was pretty much spreading his word with different spin. In Muslim history it was in fact the Angel Gabriel that revealed the Qur'an to Muhammad in the first place. Yup, that's the same angel that pops up in the Bible time and time again.

The root message of both religions is "for fucks sake just be nice! Is it so fucking hard?" (Although I may have elaborated on the language a bit). So why can't both religions just accept that they come from different angles but want the same goal? It's actually that simple.


Well, for a start we know that's not true. There ARE acts of terrorism carried out by people of the Islamic faith but if you take the time to learn about Islam and actually talk to your average everyday Muslim you'll see that this is the most damaging thing that has ever happened to their religion ever and of course that the majority of them are opposed to what happens. It's exactly the same as when an act of violence is taken by anyone of any faith in that faith's name. It does not relate to that faith at all.




The Pope and the Catholic Church are right now being accused of a paedophilia case. The Catholics of the world are not all tarred with the same brush. Some people of certain religions will take it all the wrong way and do stupid things in that religion's name believing with all their faith that they are the righteous and only true ones. See the members of the Westboro Baptist Church above for a good example.

"Treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers."
From the last sermon of Prophet Muhammad

It is a common misconception in the western world that Muslim women are treated badly and pushed under their men. The world's first ever Muslim was Kadijah, Muhammad's wife who supported him during his rise.

Some statistics:

• In a 1995-1996 study conducted in the 50 States and the District of Columbia, nearly 25% of women and 7.6% of men were raped and/or physically assaulted by a current or former spouse, cohabiting partner, or dating partner/acquaintance at some time in their lifetime (based on survey of 16,000 participants, equally male and female).
• Approximately 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are physically assaulted by an intimate partner annually in the United States.
• Intimate partner violence made up 20% of all nonfatal violent crime experienced by women in 2001.
  
• In 2000, 1,247 women and 440 men were killed by an intimate partner. In recent years, an intimate partner killed approximately 33% of female murder victims and 4% of male murder victims.
• Of females killed with a firearm, almost two-thirds were killed by their intimate partners. The number of females shot and killed by their husband or intimate partner was more than three times higher than the total number murdered by male strangers using all weapons combined in single victim/single offender incidents in 2002.
• Most perpetrators of sexual violence are men. Among acts of sexual violence committed against women since the age of 18, 100% of rapes, 92% of physical assaults, and 97% of stalking acts were perpetrated by men. Sexual violence against men is also mainly male violence: 70% of rapes, 86% of physical assaults, and 65% of stalking acts were perpetrated by men.
  

I probably don't need to tell you that in the Islamic world the statistics are considerably lower. Now, there is some debate as to if wife-beating is actually allowed in the Islamic faith. Well, here is the chapter from the Qur'an:

"Men are the protectors and maintainers of women. because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband's) absence what Allah would have them guard. As to those women on whose part you fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (next) do not share their beds, (and last) beat (tap) them (lightly); but if they return to obedience, seek not against them means (of annoyance): for Allah is Most High, Great (above you all)."

It is said that this can be taken out of context and that "beat" has been mis-translated. As it says further "it is not permissible to strike any one's face, cause bodily harm or even be harsh".

Muhammad also said:

"Do not beat the female servants of Allah;" "Some (women) visited my family complaining about their husbands (beating them). These (husbands) are not the best of you;" and"[It is not a shame that] one of you beats his wife like [an unscrupulous person] beats a slave and maybe he sleeps with her at the end of the day."

...How does anyone of you beat his wife as he beats the stallion camel and then he may embrace (sleep with) her?...

So, that's that myth busted eh? Or sort of, again, everything has to be taken in context and to fit in with modern times. Most Muslims know this, I learned this from a Muslim woman that I go to school with. Yes, her husband lets her go to school.

So, the Bible couldn't come up with anything nearly as bad...right?

• God sends a plague on the Pharaoh and his household because the Pharaoh believed Abram's lie. 12:17
• "Every living substance that I have made will I destroy."
  God repeats his intention to kill "every living substance ... from off the face of the earth." 7:4
• God tells Abram to kill some animals for him. The needless slaughter makes God feel better. 15:9-10
• Hagar conceives, making Sarai jealous. Abram tells Sarai to do to Hagar whatever she wants. "And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled." 16:6
• Lot refuses to give up his angels to the mob, offering his two "virgin daughters" instead. He tells them to "do unto them [his daughters] as is good in your eyes." 2 Peter 2:7-8. 19:7-8

...And so on.

"Comin' over 'ere, taking our jobs.."

So what's every bigot's arguments against immigrants "comin' over 'ere, taking our jobs.." etc etc.

Well, for a start, in the beginning we had just that "they are coming over here and taking all our jobs..." Nowadays we have "They come over here and get on benefits.."

C'mon bigots, make your mind up!

"Half of 'em can't even speak the Queens!"

Actually I think if we were to examine it, probably most immigrants can speak English. I myself am an immigrant in Sweden and it took me five years to be fluent in the language. I learnt at the free language schools that the Swedish state provides. So if language is an issue, there's your solution!

"In a few bloody years we'll be speaking Arabic in schools"

And that would be a bad thing, why? With the population leaning that way it would make things a lot easier! It's gonna happen so just make peace with it. It would be a lot more useful than French or German if we're being honest. And lets face it, if by today's standards the Western World is enemies of Islam then wasn't our enemies during WW2 the Germans? Why do we learn German then?

"I 'erd that you can't have Christmas Cards at work because it offends them bloody Muslims"

Bollocks. This statement and many others like have been repeated for years and it's nothing but anti-Islamic propaganda. I have never in all my years and jobs and places actually seen anything to prove this, only heard the rumours. It should be on Snopes.com or Mythbusters.

"You can't have anything Christian in Schools anymore because of 'em Muslims"

I'm sure you could if you went to a Christian school. The fact of the matter is that public schools in the UK stopped being Christian and having mandatory prayers and Christian teaching because it was irrelevant. It is one thing to learn about religion in schools but to take one and tell everyone that they have to believe it...just dumb.

BNP's Nick Griffin wants to change this. He wants to re-introduce Christian ethics back into schools. He also wants to re-introduce competitive sports. So only the biggest strongest will get good grades. Could anything say "We want to create a Master Race" any more?

"They want everyone to be a bloody Muslim!"

1
*Ding dong*
"Umm..hello?"
"Hello, we've come to speak to you about God"


2
*Ding dong*
"Umm...hello?"
"Hello, would you like a copy of the Watchtower"

'Nuff said.

See also: Mandatory Christianity in public schools.

"Soon there'll be bloody mosques everywhere".

Newsflash....when England was founded it didn't come complete with it's own set of churches. Nope, it took an Algerian bloke in the 500's to come over and convert all us heathens. How do you think we all felt when that Algerian menace came over and threatened our religion then? But really, what difference does it make? A mosque is a place of worship, you don't have to go there. It's not a factory for terrorists any more than a church is a factory for peodophiles. The mosque won't send out Muslim-rays and kill everyone. People might go there and pray....

But what if our youth go there and are converted!?!?!?

"Once you become a Muslim you can't leave the religion!"

Sorry, what happens if our youth go to the mosque and are converted again? This statement again is rubbish. Perhaps in certain cultures they take extreme methods to prevent it (even death) and that's not right but it's also not part of the Islam faith any more than Christian parents sending their Gay or Heavy Metal children away to camps to "get converted" is.

"Soon everyone will be wearing a burqa"

In today's Islamic faith the burqa is not a requirement but a way for Muslim women to show that they are Muslim. It's the same as a Christian wearing a cross. Again some cultures have it as a requirement but it is not a fixture of the Islam faith in today's society, 99.9% of the time it is worn through choice.

Schools tried to ban them but they won't ban crosses or any other type of religious garment.

"There's too many of 'em! They're everywhere!"

That's because most of them are escaping war or a dangerous country. Some of the war is caused by people like the haters. Some by their "own people" with extreme views. Imagine if the Westboro Baptist Church suddenly got loads of followers and started taking over your town... you'd run!

George Bush sent a bunch of brain dead followers over to the Middle East to solve the issues and all they did was shot the shit out of everything that moved. Seriously, imagine if it happened right now in your town, right where you live. If suddenly a bunch of people you'd never seen before showed up and started killing your friends and family. THAT is why they are emigrating.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed my lecture for today and remember not to vote BNP. Nick Griffin is a neo-nazi maniac.


We can learn from history. Back in the 40s there was a man that managed to gain power and convince his country that by ridding it of immigrants and people of a certain religious persuation he could restore it to it's former glory...









....and we all know how that ended.

...

ON THE DECKS THIS WEEK...

FOUR bands I think you should check out this week... What? I can't just write something that isn't moany, sarcastic or negative once in a while?

OK - this is what has been destroying my ears this week, go check out!

SHADES OF GREY

This Stockholm-based band (although not sure that they are all actually Swedish) have been around in one shape or form since 2005. They play D-Beat/crust that really gets dark and brooding, which is fantastic for me as it's quite similar to AMBULANCE (one of my favourite bands that seem to have disappeared of late). Although I would say that SHADES OF GREY are far more musically accomplished, this is far from your regular straight-forward "ta-da ta-da-da" stuff.

The band released a split with Massmörd in 2008 and have recently finished their debut album, which is out although fucked if I can find it - I've even mailed the band and individual members and can't find out! Any info on this would be helpful!

SHADES OF GREY MYSPACE

ABIGAIL

These unholy bastards of metal formed in Japan in 1992 and have released an ungodly amount of material since then. They draw their influences from early black/death/thrash bands like VENOM, HELLHAMMER and you get the picture.

There are a lot of bands just now going for the nu-thrash/retro-thrash thing and I reckon these boys got their mosh on way before and are fucking great at what they are doing. If you're hungry to lay down your soul to the god's rock and roll then drink a six-pack, whack on some ABIGAIL real loud and pull the legs off spiders.

ABIGAIL MYSPACE

TO WHAT END?

A few years ago when I live in Stockholm I started to hang out with Ellan from WTE? She was a kick ass friend and introduced me to lots of cool people and brought to my first gig at the (sadly missed) Fullersta collective. Anyway, it's taken me until now to discover her band TO WHAT END?

This was a bit of a super-group with members of WOLFPACK, WOLFBRIGADE, ASTA KASK and IMPERIAL LEATHER thrown in to boot. They play melodic D-Beat punk with dual M/F vocals. The album "Concealed Below The Surface" is a face-ripper. Sadly the band broke up because members moved all over the world and started dropping babies and all that stuff that bands do to stop them being able to fully commit to a band. And fair play, die young, leave a lovely corpse eh!

TWE? MYSPACE

BLACK BREATH

Enough is already being written about this band - they rock, go check out!

BLACK BREATH MYSPACE

THE AGING CRUST/GRIND/THRASH-PUNKER FASHION GUIDE FOR 2010!

Just recently I've noticed that all the most read blogs in Sweden are written by these girls from Stureplan that just seem to talk about fashion and themselves.

In an attempt to make this blog a bit better read I present to you Greg's Spring/Summer fashion guide for the concerning aging crust/grind/thrash-punker. Everything you will need to know and have so that you too can be "up to date and look great" this year!


We'll start with the basics. Notice that there is hair and tattoos. Tattoos is one of the basics of this year's fashion and they never really go out of style so you can't really go wrong! Make sure you get them where everyone can see them and make sure that they are big. Some classic band or culture logos in there won't hurt either. Here I have opted for some tribal/Celtic designs which were popular in the early to mid-90s which is post-retro and says to the world that I may have got these done in a time long ago, in fact I just had the ink in grey instead of black to make them look older. Just ask your local tattoo parlour for for information on this.

THE HAIR

Hair is an important part of the overall look, the fashionable aging crust/grind/thrash-punker might go for dreadlocks. Spiky hair is very '77, short hair is too formal and long hair is too "heavy metal" so dreadlocks is a good way to go. You might want to get some highlights in there too to make it look not so conformist.

Most towns will have a hairdressers these days where you can get dreadlocks made for a reasonable price. Ask your hairdresser to make some of them bigger than others and some shorter than others, you might want to leave a bit of regular hair in there too so you don't look to perfect. Extensions are also optional to save you actually growing long hair first.

THE T-SHIRT

The t-shirt is an statement of who you are and what you like. It's good to wear one of either a more obscure band or friends band, or one of an old classic band. Here are some examples.

Black and white is always a safe classic, red and black is also good. You can buy any of these and more from H&M's new punk line this spring, the red one also says "European Tour '99" which implies that over ten years ago you have have actually been to a concert with the sort of music you look like you should like. This will mean an extreme amount of credibility and scene points from your peers.

THE JACKET

This year the cut-off denim jacket is back in a big way! It's almost essential wear. The good thing about it is that you can also put if over another jacket for those colder nights. Most stores will sell these ready made or you can buy a new one and cut the arms off, in fact this will come in handy later!




You'll probably want to find some patches and things to sew on there, just make sure they are black and white and say something a bit scary looking. If you can't read the band's logo that's even better! You'll see that here I have gone for a DOOM patch which is Lady Gaga's new clothing label. Authentic patches can be found on places such as e-bay. But don't forget the small details..

Here I have some badges that should always be worn on the left to state your leftist politics. You'll see that here I have gone for a Russian Space-Program badge and a Corrosion Of Conformity badge - again these can be bought from H&M's new punk line.

THE SHOES

Footwear is the ground level of every fashionable aging crust/grind/thrash-punker and it may seem simple but it's easy to get wrong - too much or too retro and you're glam rock, too little and you are a hippy. Since the late 90s CONVERSE is always the way to go and like denim and tattoos will probably be around for a long while yet.


I've taken a small patch of denim used over from the cut-off jacket to repair a "hole" there, this looks like you wear your shoes all the time and maybe have no other ones, it's very hardcore. A lot of punks might spurn CONVERSE these days as they are now owned by NIKE (for some reason punk-types like to get sensitive about political matters sometimes) who may employ child labour. The shoes pictured are actually copies from a street stall in Shanghai so I can be sure that an infant stitched these together for a bowl of rice.

ACCESSORIZE, ACCESSORIZE, ACCESSORIZE

You don't want to be out on the street all naked in your looks, you can add these things to top off the look.


A silver ring will always compliment your finger tattoos.


A military looking bag is a great thing to have to store your fanzines (we come to them later) and home-brew in. This one is from a designer label in Thailand but you can buy them from most places such as H&M or TOPSHOP. Again, I've added some badges, a Russian Space-Program one to keep in with the theme and a badge from the band VOIVOD, available from H&M's punk line.

A nice big belt buckle will always help the cause and is almost essential to help your rattle when you walk to let that world know the new fashionable you is coming! Here I've gone for one from the "Star Wars" brand. Star Wars is a new Disney cartoon and very popular with children, this says "hey, I'm an adult but I'm a bit crazy sometimes". This is available from CARLINGS.

AT HOME

What happens when your new look earns you some friends and they come home to your place to drink cider and talk about how great CHAOS UK were...and all you have about the place is your fashion magazines?!? You want to get onto e-bay again and get yourself some things to lay around your home randomly. Vinyl records (it's what they had before Ipod and is very popular with this culture) and "Fanzines" (or "zines" if you want to learn some lingo) is what every punk did before Facebook.

Again it's unimportant which ones you get, just try and pick up some "classic" bands along with some black or red covers with scribbly writing on them and leave them around the place.

Well that's me for today, and I wish you all a happy fashionable aging crust/grind/thrash-punker summer!