POINT OF FEW + SEEIN’RED + SCALPLOCK (Uk) + KILL THE MAN WHO QUESTIONS (Usa) + STACK (Germoney)
 – Goudvishal, Arnhem 15/01/00
This is a so-called Coalition Release Party. We’re mainly going to meet SR and co. and see if and how they survived the South European “We’re only in it for the coffee” tour. The first person we meet when we arrive at the concerthall is Olav SR, who we catch red-handed with a cup of coffee freshly gotten from a nearby gas station!! A very appropiate start this is. Inside Point Of Few from Hoogeveen are ready to go. Jos SR is taking care of their looks and helps put on bandanas. PoF just released a new EP on Coalition and this gig is a good representation of it. They changed a bit to more mid-tempo fingerpointing pieces, but with a lot of this MLB tempo’s. The muttering in between songs are hard to understand. Reminds me abit of Feeding The Fire (hallo rosjee). It lacks convincing power. Talk louder, it helps! Still one of their better sets I’ve seen since a while. Next we certainly could see Seein’Red haven’t totally recovered from the tour. Maybe it was the lack of coffee available but I never saw them make that many mistakes in one concert before. We enjoyed the very amusing anekdotes and stories in between songs and fortunately Eva/No I.D. saved the set by singing “De Broekriem”… I guess there’s now about 150-200 people. Great draw! I’m still looking for some records so I decide to check out the merchandise “supermarket”, but after 3 boxes of records I give up. Rather ask people if they have or spotted particular titles than spending an hour searching. KTMWQ plays without the second singer coz she’s in hospital in Köln/Germoney with a serious throat-infection. Too bad coz she’s an essential part of the band/sound and this is their last concert of the tour. I stay for a couple songs but I’m starving so I go out and explore Arnhem citycentre to find some vegetarian food. When I return Scalplock is already playing. For this concert, they especially came over from the UK to play with their heroes Seein’Red. Since Mörser from Germoney got cancelled (no surprise!), just as Reveal and A Day In Samara, there was still room for another band. Long speeches in between songs. They play kind of metallic hardcore mixed with lots of blastbeats/grind. Not really my cup of tea. Stack impressed me a lot. Last time I saw them was in the old line-up in Amsterdam almost 4 years ago. That was boring. This was completely different. Intense and manic hardcore. A 25 minute set would have been perfect but unfortunately they played for almost an hour so eventually it dragged along. After Stack, the organisation converted the stage quickly into a DJ’s heaven and within time the concerthall was transformed into a 70’s disco… The yanks went wild silly dancing and our ears got charged seriously. It’s a bit unreal to see punks dancing on disco-music, considering this same music disgusted punks in the early 80’s. Ofcourse it is the nostalgic thing. There was (and is) no escape from disco, and because of the complete musical brainwash those tunes stick in your head. It’s an easy association with the past. But still…

Kalenderpanden/Entrepotdok Demonstration, Amsterdam 29/01/2000
The Kalenderpanden is a complex of 12 old warehouses. After years of vacancy, some of the floors in these warehouses get squatted on 24 november 1996. Soon some spaces are transformed into a theater, a big guestroom/a sleepingplace, painting workshop, a concerthall… resulting in an openly self-managed meetingplace for political and cultural activities. The municipality (“owner” of the squat) and some officials want to realize a prestigious project on this location: 47 luxury apartments with private parking garage designed by a trendy architect and build by a big construction industry. Until now the municipality is very persistent and go all out to pass the plans. Every month, hundreds of people visit the squat for concerts and multi-media events. A couple theatre-,dance-and musicgroups have here their practiseroom and there’s studios for artisans and artists. Also there’s room for several public activities such as a martial arts school, a restaurant, a cinema, a galerie… On 31 January there will be a lawsuit in which the municipality demands eviction. Whatever the outcome, there will be no voluntary leaving. Not only because it is a multilateral non-commercial platform but also it’s a protest against the way Amsterdam is developing (a city-centre merely affordable for the richest part of the population). On this 29/1 demonstration we claim: no eviction of the Kalenderpanden, not yield to the rich!
Groningen is richly present. We arrive at 14.00 and I am a bit disappointed to see not as many people I imagined at the meetingpoint. Nevertheless I run into a lot of friends and the whole thing starts to feel like a reunion. On the truck there’s some speakers explaining the situation and the upcoming course of the demo. We receive flyers with the phonenumbers of the laywer and arrestgroup (in case you need help when arrested). Around 15.00 we start walking through the city-centre of Amsterdam. I have never seen so many camera's and video's in and around a demo before. The truck drives along and the first band, Sober Response, starts playing. It is kind of surreal. We see alot of people have connected and the amount of protesters is growing. I notice alot of national and international music/bandpeople; you know, the ones you usually don’t expect at a demo. And there's lots of support from other countries as well! It probably helps that the Entrepotdok is a well-known concerthall. When the demo passes a canal, we see the experimental band Quetzal performing on a boat! When the boats starts sailing, Seein’Red is doing their best. Unfortunately it starts to rain and it’s quite cold. It looks fantastic though. They attract alot of attention from canal tourist boats and the demo that halts over a bridge to watch the spectacle. During the entire walk, it stays striking quiet. Amstel 198, a former squat that got evicted a little before, was forced open to hang out a banner. The cops were smart enough not to intervene. The Stopera, another big prestigious project from the ones responsible for the planned Kalenderpanden eviction, was left in peace. Only at a tunnel there was some movement of cops on horses but eventually it stayed quiet. Also the demo itself was more like a tame walk instead of a militant protest. There was absolutely no fighting spirit. A typical cosy sunday afternoon stroll. It finished at the Entrepotdok where it is possible to buy food from the BreedBekKikker Foodkitchen and watch bands at the afterparty in the concerthall. We leave early but not before admiring the new sock-creation of Jos Seein'Red and endure a rough evaluation of my person by new found partners in marxism Paul and Andre. Hmm.When we depart around 20.00, 60’s hippie protestsinger Armand is on the truck doing a concert. This stereotype looking guy is hilarious! Whoever booked him, has a real twisted sense of humour. About all of his songs deal with marihuana or a waterpipe. Nevertheless his speeches between songs are sincere and spirited. Probably the most combative moment of the entire day…?

HUMAN ALERT – Vera Kelderbar, Groningen 29/01/2000
22.30 Home from the walk in Amsterdam. Fast veggiefood and off to Vera, a local youthcenter, to catch Human Alert from Amsterdam. When we arrive they start the first tune. It is in the small stageless cellar (kelderbar) downstairs where they do (smaller) bands each week. Lately a lot of local and national hardcorebands play here. The atmosphere is always very informal and the distance between band and crowd is non-existent. When I descend, it is totally packed with people. I need elbows to get through. Both HA singers are dressed up like Bassie En Adriaan, two famous Dutch children TV characters. Bassie, a clown, has enormous yellow spiked hair and Adriaan looks like Elvis… Recently the real Bassie has been catched evading taxes. It is totally hilarious so tonite there is more than a lot of joking to do. During the first 10 songs it is complete chaos. People falling around and some drugged Fleas And Lice crushing into the equipment and bandmembers. As if the Entrepotdok walk wasn’t a reunion already, here I bump into some more friends from the past (Hallo Ton). It seems HA are enjoying themselves coz after 30+ songs and 1 and a half hour they’re still going…! Their absurd speeches, crazy crowd participation and overall comical image keeps me smiling. I love this band! Right after the gig they do a public sale of HA articles. Very original way to get rid of your merchandise! We stay some more at the following Swing Night (every friday night in the Vera Club; one of the better meetingpoints in Groningen), learn about Digital Camera’s, hear all the latest about NRA/HA, promote the new La Idea Shop in Madrid and have a dive in the past and discuss Groningen punk. A very nice day it was! ! !

HELLECTRIC + U.K.SUBS (Uk) – Iduna, Drachten 05/02/00
In Groningen, lots of punks grew up with the sounds of the U.K.Subs including me. It was one of the first English punkbands I heard and in the early 80’s I bought all their albums up to Endangered Species. When hardcore got me enthusiast, the new, more modern punksound of the Subs didn’t move me much anymore. I went to see them a couple times in 1983 and 1986 but I wasn’t impressed much, more because it seemed they changed members every 4 months. In the centre is Charlie Harper, already an old punker back in the 80’s, today a definite punk fossile. He must be somewhere in the late 50’s and usually gathers some part-time punk musicians around him to make tours and concerts, a lot of times persons that could be his grandchildren. However, very memorable was their concert in the infamous WNC squat back in january 1988 when after the concert everyone went to the hotel except for Mr.Harper who decided to stay around to party/socialize and ended up missing in the suburbs of Groningen. There’s lots of simular stories to emphasize the (musical) punkhart of Harper. Anyway, since Drachten is only 35 km’s from Groningen, we decided to let nostalgia rule and drive with 2 loaded vans to the gig. When we arrive I suddenly realize I have been here before not too long ago when we went to see the humiliating Upfront and the rather funny Fast Times. The place is already packed with a couple hundreds and we see all kinds of people. Mohawkpunks, crusties, skaters, redskins, oldpunks, cleanpunks, drunkpunks, straightedgers, skinheads, ex-skinheads, patriot-skinheads…. Uhhh, I dunno. Somehow I fear the worst, especially when I see some of them looking dirty to the crusties. I usually love varied crowds but this time maybe a bit too mixed? Hellectric starts off and play really boring rock’n’roll. They got 5 punks pogoing in front of the stage. I have a problem getting out. It is not allowed to leave the building. Normally you get a stamp after having payed but here you’re stuck once you get inside. They probably want to avoid problems with neighbours although we’re in the middle of an industrial area… When after ages finally the Subs take the stage, we see them in their almost original line-up from the 1981”Diminished Responsibility” period! Only the drummer (taken from One Way System) is different. A fucken aged punkband! They blast off with Endangered Species and the crowd starts whirling. Everybody’s very amused by the guitarplayer. It seems he did some Tae Bo trainings coz he doesn’t stop moving, jumping and posing. I wonder how long he will keep this up coz it is unreal and hilarious. We hear a lot of tunes from the first (and my favorite) 4 albums. After about 10 songs there’s an incident in the crowd between some of my friends and a skinhead. There’s some pushing but fortunately nothing serious. It doesn’t dominate the atmosphere. The band plays requests as well and more golden oldies are played. I’m glad I didn’t miss this one!

BLOWTORCH + DOG UGLY + PCP + BOYCOT – Op Drift, Groningen 11/03/00
This is a birthday party for 4 people who work at the Op Drift squat and they made it a public concert. Great! The Op Drift  is a perfect location for these kind of activities. In the course of time this place has been transformed into a very cosy and beautiful squatbar. Concerts have to start early because of the neighbors (the place is situated in the middle of the citycentre) so it usually ends at around 12. Normally squat concerts in Groningen start around this time. When I arrive I meet the Boycot people and a couple polish guys who organize in Amsterdam. Cool. They took their distro as well with gorgeously designed t-shirts and loads of tapes. When Anti’s new band Blowtorch take the small stage, there’s about 50 people present. They play a bunch of covers from Circle Jerks, Black Flag, Supersuckers… It sounds very disorderly but played with enthusiasm. I hear they are considering writing own material. Dog Ugly has a pretty cool line up with Maynard ex-Fal/Catweazle/PCP (and a zillion other bands) and Jonas ex-Hiatus. Since this is their first gig, they’re pretty nervous. Anyway, it’s really catchy, mostly mid-tempo punkrock heavily influenced by the likes of Sick On The Bus. Gam, the singer, seems to write twisted singalong lyrics coz thanks to the new vocalequipment (we had a lot of problems in the past to find suitable speakers) it was actually possible to understand lyrics!! After a while they start getting sloppy… but it is excellent anyway. Definitely a band to keep an eye on. In the meantime I start handing out questionnaires regarding my ambitious project (a definite Groningen punkhistory for these webpages). By now the crowd has multiplied and I see some really old punks walking around so I take my chance. Everybody’s eager to help! Shit, I have to prepare for the PCP set. Sound on stage is horrible so I play purely on feeling and routine. I see Esther is doing fine singing alone for the first time. She has to do all the vocalparts because Margriet is in the States. Eventually all went well as people seemed to like it. I guess it helped that we were all sober (for a change). Some of us were even drinking water during the set!! I never drink alcohol before playing. It relaxes my muscles too much. Hmm, I never drink alcohol after the concert as well… After coming to myself again (it always takes me around 15 minutes to recover from these efforts especially when it is in small hot and smokey places). I continue my chats with several old punks and enjoy the truly hectic sounds of Boycot. Some of the crowd is dancing and Billie, the singer, is all over the stage. They play as tight as can be and Taco the drummer is like a machine. A pure stop and go thrash attack!! For me one of the best Dutch bands of this moment.