Bulgaria - Plovdiv

“The third largest city in Bulgaria is Plovdiv. There are some bands which need your attention. Actually Plovdiv hardcore scene is experiencing its Renaissance.

For example the band called Vzriv! got back together after 7 years in hiatus.


Recently there were a lot of concerts including…

melodic hardcore band Rezerven Plan


Start Today RIP which are one of our favorite bands / also ☺ /


Delate is another Plovdiv hardcore band which needs to be noticed. They’re raw and uncompromising NYHC with strong influence from Madball.


2 bands that we haven’t seen live so we know them only by name and reputation but they should be mentioned when we talk about Plovdiv hardcore…

Red Pack


Taking Hold


For sure there are a lot of bands in Bulgaria which are active and “must hear”, but they are from smaller towns that don’t have their own local scene and because of that they can’t play so often to gain wider recognition. And bands like this are…

Face the Truth


A-D All Stars (featuring members of other hc bands that we already mentioned)

Missing the Point


Garotta

Spot

Old Joe’s Anger


Twist


NFG
and so on…

I hope that this report about the hardcore scene in Bulgaria gives you a brief look about how the thing are going on here. I again want to mention that this is the scene how I see it through my eyes and that there always can be a different or deeper view about the different cities and bands.”

Photography - The Strength Inside

"The Strength Inside Hungarian Hardcore Photowebzine is dedicated to the hungarian hardcore scene,the straight edge and in memory of my youth crew band (R.I.P.)!

I am an architect straight edge kid from Hungary who likes taking photos his NIKON and riding his bike in the mountains. I like to find my own path in this f...ing World! I think that we are not trying to save the world, just trying to do our part!"

Romania - Timisoara 2

Romania - Timisoara 1
Reclaim!

"The Underground Timisoara Festival started 15 years ago, in the mid 90s when still almost nothing was existing in Romania at level of punk, diy or activism...the festival during the years promoted many different styles, which later on developed into small little scenes... with their good and bad parts... but still, that is for others to analyse, not me.

Even from the first edition, the festival was haunted with problems, interference from the city to stop it, police repression against travelling people during the festival, conflicts with local nazis, intent of total commercialisation by a student organisation etc etc... all this situation built up to the moment when in 2008 there was the only year when The Underground did not take place.


At the moment the Gluga Neagra Collective have decided to take over the organisation of the festival and since 2009 we have organised RECLAIM! Underground Timisoara festival, a little more dynamic, a bigger international participation and much more of a Do It Yourself ethic to the organisation (no sponsors permitted! not big sound companies! no shitty bouncers etc!).


Timisoara has been the place where there is actual proof of punk rock existence and organisation during Ceausescu’s time! There is a highly repressed small punk community in the Plopi neighborhood, I might add. When the underground appeared and in the following years, Timisoara was one of the most influential cities in Romania... together with punk rock city Craiova, it was an example to be followed by younger friends in Bucharest, Cluj, Brasov, Iasi, Bistrita etc etc

Anyway, since Romania entered the EU, migration also starts to affect the local scene... leaving less and less people taking care of local stuff... and also, this way allowing the "nazi" scene to grow... leading to attacks on punks, concerts or actions...same also, cop attention was given to the "scene" and more troubles arrived... for some... (I remember for the last festival one person got a 300euro fine for sticking Underground posters!).

When more than music was needed Timisoara scene organised and presented itself with INCA social center... another long attacked project by all sides…city inspectors, police, nazis and hooligans etc. After 5 years of hard resistance people got thrown out in the streets by the city again...

2009 brought the Atelier DIY smaller size project, but run on the same principles: self-organisation, do it yourself, autonomy and collectively run, hosting diy shows, film evenings, discussions and an infoshop.

As more people left the scene or the city, the few people left in Timisoara are faced with several different problems in organising anything. This is why, we have started this International Campaign of Support which we hope people will join in.

I know, reality is harder... and there are friends and comrades in prisons who need our solidarity, others in hospitals, or others with trials or legal problems... of course these people deserve our support more than anyone, and for the rest of the year we also try to get involved in supporting good causes...

But also the reality is next: in all the chaos and madness of the contemporary world, "crisis", blah blah ... killing the Underground will be a fatal thing for all 20 years or more of building a resistance movement in Romania. Even more, we think the Underground should be a place to again put the engine of alternative culture and get a radical critique working, and inspiring other people to keep going, and not to give up... we want to make "not giving up" COOL again... in a society, and a scene where all people are depressed and ready to give up... we wish to affirm our silly (maybe) belief that "giving up is NO alternative for us!"

As we see it now will be 20 bands (Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Czech, Serbia, Romania...) playing the concerts. Then we plan a set of discussion and workshops on themes like: diy film-making, feminism, pirate radios, self-management, diy publications, food not bombs etc


Also this time we plan a collaboration with Sub Art collective from Slovenia, regarding sound and stage management, mobile kitchen and more... some of you know festivals like Bakanika Core Festival or Krastival in Slovenia, which were organised by our friends. It is the first time that a festival has such a dimension of collaboration between do it yourself collectives in 2 different countries (ex-communist east/central Europe/Balkans). Also a second collective from outside Romania, Serbia will join in...

Projects in Timisoara now:

Gluga Neagra Collective/Atelier DIY space


Food Not Bombs


Fanzines:

Gluga Neagra (diy hc/punk)


Slogan (diy/anarcho)

Mauvais Jours (situationist)


Lovekills collective/festival (anarchafeminist)


Bands diy:

Pavilionul 32


Livia Sura


Haos


Nomega


The Bad Days Will End


As one of conditions was in 2009 when we started the new project of festival was not to collaborate with commercial sponsors of any kind, we find relevant only presence of public and bands, and the interactions and future actions between them!
so this will be in order to help the bands with transportation money... but other stuff such as: sound transportation, sleeping place, the space for the concerts and workshops, printed materials, food are just few of the other expenses for this years festival that we need help...this is why we appeal to bands playing this year, or other bands we worked with, and people we know...

One more detail frequently forgot, and most of the times shamefully not mentioned by local people... small collectives taking care of the events during the rest of the year (because its not just one event we do... it’s constant work) are sometimes faced with situations that is hard to imagine in many western countries... like sometimes not even having the money to buy bread or toilet paper (they always get pissed at me for saying this to people... but fuck off, this is reality... not apology). Asking such people to contribute from their own pockets would be hilarious.

It’s reality, that nobody complains is fucked... we just explain it, and do whatever we know, or can in order to survive.

So, please write to me in case you would be interested in organising a benefit concert or other type of event for this year’s Underground Festival in Timisoara.

If you are a band, and don’t want to organise a concert in your town... but want to play it... just write us, we are "diy gipsy mafia" most probably we know some collective or space which could help you make it in your town or area.

Also if you are person or group who want to help or need some band, or more info... just write me at: pavilionul32@yahoo.com and I will help.

WE REALISE THAT THERE ARE 100 BETTER CAUSES TO SUPPORT THAN THIS...
AND WE REALISE THAT THERE ARE 100 CONCERTS HAPPENING IN YOUR CITY IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS...
BUT IF YOU, LIKE US, THINK THAT THIS ACTION DESERVES YOUR SUPPORT, BY ALL MEANS WRITE AND HELP... BECAUSE IT MATTERS."

Tavi

Activism - Benefit for One Life One Chance

“I am putting together a benefit for One Life One Chance foundation.

OLOC was started by Toby Morse to spread the PMA to kids in schools. Here is something that Toby did locally.

Date is Friday 3/11/11 at Anchors Up!, doors at 6pm, with:

For the Worse


Word For Word



Road Rage



Powerwolves


Form and File



Darkwoods



Thanks,
Jay.”

Bulgaria - Varna

"Travelling east from Sofia to the seaside, you can visit Varna, where there is a pretty neat hardcore scene. Annually at summer time Varna is the place where a summer hardcore festival takes place. It has changed it’s name several times: “Free mind”; “Union Fest” and now it’s called East Noise Attack. This fest usually gathers all the people and hardcore fans from Bulgaria and some guests from the neighbouring countries.


We’re going to take tour through Varna notorious hardcore bands :

Indignity
This is one of my favorite bands around. Nice oldschool hardcore-punk sound. One of the oldest bands in Bulgarian hardcore and also the first band with 7’’ release in Bulgaria. It is split with one of the other hardcore bands from Varna – Outrage.


Outrage
Typical 90’s hardcore and again one of the godfathers of hardcore in my country. With Indignity they were the driving force of the seaside hc scene.


A-moral
Very nice fast punk band with some members from Confront. Strong political and social message.

Confront
The oldest hardcore punk band in Bulgaria. For sure the most influential and respected in the whole scene. They are political oldschool hardcore in mid-tempo with strong influence from bands like MDC and Dead Kennedys. One of my favs.

Coldbreath
Dark metalcore band.


Contradiction
Brutal grind-death-crust band with the members from Outrage and Indignity.


Bombshelter
Young hardcore-d-beat band.


B.F.H.
Oldschool hardcore band.


Varna is not so near to Sofia, so obviously we cannot travel very often and see local shows of younger bands. Varna has a strong and dedicated local scene but only few bands came to Sofia for shows. Still we enjoy every time when we can see these bands and I hope somebody from Varna would like to write detailed report about this intriguing scene. It definitely deserves a closer look."

Serbia - Novi Sad

Serbia - Petrovgrad/Novi Sad

"Novi Sad is the second largest city in Serbia which has had a great and pretty big punk and hardcore scene for over 30 years. Although I'll be focusing on the contemporary scene and bands, I must mention some great bands which don't exist anymore:

Mitesers


nospeedlimit


Provokacija


Strive For More


When speaking about the scene generally in Novi Sad, thing that has to be mentioned is SKC (Studentski kulturni centar).


Besides making it possible for us to see The Damned, The Adicts, Peter and The Test Tube Babes, Sham 69 and many other bands in our city for free, they released several albums of local bands which is so great because there's not any label running in Novi Sad. They also put up many punk rock and hardcore shows and the To Be Punk festival in June.


When it comes to the concerts, there are some to see at least once a month, but Belgrade is near and also many people travel to Hungary and Austria to see their favorite bands. Unlike couple of years ago, there's only one venue left, Youth Center CK13, which isn't enough, but we keep it going somehow.

There were a bunch of the zines in nineties, but there's only one paper zine now, Rebuild, which focuses on hardcore.


There are a lot of bands working at the moment. I would start with the bands I think deserve the most attention:

Reflections Of Internal Rain play the mixture of D-beat and hardcore punk with lyrics dealing with personal issues. These guys have been working really hard on everything about the band, which you can hear on their release and you should definitely see them live.


Conviction is really good metalcore band which exists since 2006. The crowd always gets crazy on their shows which is not so usual for Novi Sad, so it's awesome.


Red Union play melodic street punk with strong political and social leftist lyrics. They are active part of the Novi Sad antifascist scene and they toured Europe couple of times.


Poslednji pokusaj is very good oi punk band which deserves attention. They have just recorded their first demo.

Other great bands:

Ground Zero



Atheist Rap


Prolece


The Bayonets


The Detonators


There are also two new bands which formed couple of months ago which I'm totally excited about...

Through These Eyes is a hardcore band musically influenced mostly by Where Fear And Weapons Meet and youth crew with POSI lyrics about friendship, unity, straight edge etc. They are in the studio now, so expect great material soon.

Another band is Furtive Forest with their modern melodic hardcore sound.

Jain, another new band, but from Belgrade

And one screamo hardcore band from Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Deer in The Headlights."