WOJCZECH/ G.LAS -Whitey will pay!!!!! SOUTHEASTASIA TOUR jan/feb/ 2003
First of all :THIS WAS A FUCKIN BLAST!!! But one after each other. Workslaves
in the wojczech headquarter dealt already since 1990 with the idea going
down asia as we got more and more in touch with dudes over there. So this
got manifested when we got finally asked by kamal from dratsab rec /malaysia
(kamal_ishak@hotmail.com), without him awesome help we had never could
made it. Due to personal stuffs in our daily life nightmares we had to
delay this trip several times to set it up finally for winter 2002/2003.
I was heavily researching the net and mailstuffs getting in touch with
people from thailand, singapore and indonesia too and transferred all contacts
to kamal as main coordinator, what worked pretty well. For those about
statistics i will sum up in the end all total costs we had . please see
this tour/ scene report as beginning guide for hopefully more touring exchanges
of concerned projects in future. therefore i try to keep this as transparent
and realistic as possible. But to disclaim for the morons among you i just
wanna point out that it is logically the way WE experienced it in our consciousness.
the crew was joined in by one english bob called coost, and heiko -niemand-
that aimed to do a videodocumentary about the whole travel, seriously enhanced
working freaks and very good friends of us. So we got down there with total
ammount of 7 humans and absloutely no idea what will happen next to us.
Here we go:
11/1 THAILAND- BANGKOK immortal bar
we arrived bangkok on fri 10/1 at 7 pm after exhausting flight from
cold germany over stop in dubai. Phoned to yos, which was held as organizer
of the show. Him and his girlfriend took us really with patience put us
in some guesthouse , meeting elephants beside dinner and over all really
euphoric mood around everybody. Yos runs a distro together with chris luppi
called elephanteyerecords (www.ElephantEyeRecords.com) and they both are
definately pioneering in a country like thailand to get kids aware that
there is much more than mtv and corporate HC in the air. Very very much
respect to you both guys taking that aim seriously and with the essential
humor!!!!! Everybody got pissed already 4 hours after arrival at the immortal
bar filled up by Fah, the owner which sings in PLAHN, kind of hard hitting
moshmetalcore from bangkok. Fah opened this bar for having opportunity
to run loud shows and as fix place for thai kids for metal/ hc stuffs.
This place is located at khao san road which is endtime tourist shopping
mile but you meet lots
of freaks there too. We lost almost everybody, heiner disappeared,
gunnar too and heiko slept upfront the guesthouse as he fall down there
somewhere in the morning already returning from a fight somebody settled
and he got punched hard.fucked up and drunken. First step done! Glory arrival.
The show started at 5pm and crowd got being enthusiastic. Around 250 people
went there and i remember ZEALOT and LICENCE TO KILL did very good livesets.
All bands around played that show got a very good touch of metal in there
hc. Not too cheesy but really well pointed. G.lAS always used to play beforeus,
like more in one set with us, as he is doing cut up electronic noise, with
2 mds, sampler effects. One man business and we directly come in. This
G:.LAS stuff might be very new to people in asia espeically in hardcore
shows. I got that feeling many people were excited about this combination
listening and discovering first time.about some contents i have to get
more concrete later in this issue. We did not played very tight at this
1st show but there was so enourmous energy around the pit and us. That
made this concert so fuckin brilliant. We got back so much feedback and
while we got told to be the1st grind band playing ever thailand there was
so incredibly response!!! What a shame we had to leave this night to play
next day chiang mai, which is 800 km more north in the mountains near border
to myanmar and laos. An
d no idea how to get there. There were some public holidays so train
and bustickets got sold out already. Last chance renting a one way van
including driver and was also the most expensive choice. Our crusty pockets
were suddenly 230 u$ lighter. Big good bye scenario with around 25people,
cheers yos and chris, fah and everybody so helpful, you are ace!!!
12.1. THAILAND- CHIANG MAI the fan club
all the drive up north singing cheesy karaoke (which is a cultural
infestation over all southeatasia) loud out our throats songs from fly
id, sentimental, horrible local pop. In chiang mai at noon after 13 hours
,axe took us to the punkplace called Chaosscity. Total flashback. Northern
thailand and a place like typical european squat. We got confused. We got
sent home already? Many steelworks and dedicated sub art and up in the
house runs sophie a piercing/tattoo shop. This place needs your support
,probably the onliest selfrunned and managed community punk center in whole
thailand. A self written report about chaosscity you find at: www.cyrilchaos.freesurf.fr
sophie served very nice spicy dinner but the show couldnt take place in
chaosscity for noise and neighbours and stuffs. We played instead at the
fanclub which is sort of cheesy night club and things going on i really
do not recommend at all. But who cares for a show this place got prepared.
Axe draw 2 really big banners especially for us, strange to see the german
eagle on it but meant by him with humour. Yep , about 150 kids showed up.
We met robert a guy from our town before that was now supposed to travel
with us up the next week. I remember DECAY OF THAILAND playing solid punk,
a bit spiky a bit crusty and there are good guys at all. They prepare now
for first album released by chaosscity crew. The soundingenieer was totally
drunk already, maybe with huge knowledge about what he is doing but in
is condition not anymore a helpful hand. Blewed 2 speakers away, sophie
told me ist normal. Nevermind. G.las and us played chaotic but solid. Coost
told me when we played all the regular kids disappeared threatened by this
noisewall (we were surrounded by all mirrors and a table dance, strange
inventary configuration) and all the already drunken mutants woke up and
banged their fuckin mind out of their heads. This was totally disgusting
grind noise with lots of guests vocalists such as some guy from warsore
from australia that was in holiday there. He sang almost half of our songs.
Lee , the owner wanted to have us there but we went down afterwards to
chaosscity where the party started. The soundguy following told me he is
at chiang mai university teacher for toneworks and came up with the hilarious
idea to get pierced by sophie totally pissed 5am. Anyway she did it and
he was bleeding like hell, after 4thstep cutting through the needle down
his face he came down and asked for strong tequila. He fell down with his
motorcycle already before starting, heiko took his keys as we imagined
that would had been his finally death drive, and when he run away angry
we gave keys to sophie to keep for him until he reaches some sober state
of mind. Although we talked and interviewed sophie for our videoreport,
she has lots of knowledge about asian structures of everything in generally.
She is a mdium of sources and very very active. She askes around every
band that wanna tour asia to help out, base is trust and diy conditions
as well as the ability to be aware and flexible what you want. I wish more
people like her here in europe and things would go stronger.(ironthorn@hotmail.com)
saying bye there was hard especially to my new friend axe that brought
us to trainstation....and also to nice guy yos from bangkok that had travelled
with us those 2 days and which is a very great person. (xyosx@hotmail.com)
13, 14/1 off drive to bangkok and malaysia
first 20 hours train back to bangkok , waiting 12 hours there for connecting
26 hours train to butterworth (malaysia) and later with ship to island
penang. Driving up from show to show can be in asia 5 hours but also 2
or even 5 days. We like it and had a lot of fun in the trains and busses.You
can drive very much cheaper and with better connections in asia with busses
and trains, mostly all of the time we went their by night too, and as far
as you dont go by ekonomni class you can sleep there. But Ekonomni class
means hardcore experience, you should have get it to imagine what i deal
about.nothing to do but drinking whiskey and writing a ode to the jungle
we later made a song of. Cut up conversation....
15/1 MALAYSIA- Penang -the S.O.S. center-
arrived to butterworth we felt the heat which was incredible. Yuzri
took us and we went up with ferry to island penang, a little island with
about 300 000 citizens mostly living by tourism. We got played in S.O.S.
Center what means save ourselves and is a meeting point for homeless people
and they do great works there. Mostly run by a guy called ong this association
cares for help and living space of homeless people and deals also heavily
into regional town politics. I never thought of finding such self socio
benefiting houses in malaysia. They publish a regional paper and heavily
demanding district politics. Hc kids use this place for shows and we played
that night with lots of very young local hc bands. It was a wednesday but
more than 350 people showed up, the whole side of the street was covered
with kids. While g.las played some people didnt came along with some religious
sounds. He uses lots of arabic samples, but a feeling i never lost during
this travel is that most people feel threatened if you touch anything about
muslim religion. Gunnars idea was to bring back this origin sounds combined
with industrial edge and he is really aware about it, but some people got
agressive and left the show. We played after and it got a total blast for
a 15 minutes set. Absolutely crazy freaked out mob. Suddenly as we noticed
that were about 4 civilcops at the show ALL kids left ,from one minute
to each other. Cops had spread a bad word to evict the place and made confusion.
I felt kids over there had really huge fear of getting cought. Beside to
say is also that there hadnt been for 2 years any hc show in this town
so this attracted lots of assholes too running bullshit like civil cops.
Ong wondered as normally the place is rented officially and no one could
evict it, just for the noise threat there could be some harrassment. We
stand there totally confused of whats going on. Such a sudden scenery change
from strongest mood show to next second run away kids. Something weird
for me. Nobody wanted to deal that directly with the religoius sounds gunnar
played , but didnt seemed to answer clearly about, if yes or not. So the
case got clear for us. Watch this step as more episodes surrounding this
mysterious never clearly outspoken thing should follow.We went to some
bar and i got the felling the cops followed us as i met one special guy
for the next 3 hours always behind my back. But I am not that one getting
paranoid about stupid wankers in uniform. Too many experiences in europe
already i just hate fuckin police and spit on their psycho shows to threat
not so brave following citizens. We know where you live and you will receive
a letter bomb from us my friend!!!
16/1 off drive to kuala lumpur
leave penang at night and 5 hours drive to KL. Kamal and nazri took
us from busstation and finally we meet each other after so long writing
and got to their house in the centre near these rotten twin towers. Kamal
housemates are ace, nazri and aja totally cool guys and they welcomed us
like heaven.absolutely dedicated folks. Nazri runs offsetprint and after
10 almost all of our 60brought shirts were gone, so we made with him help
40 other designed again. Nazri is really charming guy. He opened with friends
a diy shop and i saw all yellow dog releases there.
18/1 MALAYSIA- Kuala Lumpur -Blue Panet- + grimless, relationsheep,
spermblast, second combat
Found place in 3 floor of a hotel. Really clean vip suite almost strange
to us and got filled with 250 humans. Places like this to rent for hc shows
in europe might be impossible or would be suddenly thrashed by crusties.
Another important thing is that there is no alcohol sold at malaysian shows.
Means more conscious people , not as much violence as at european shows
and i recommend this at all. We have to learn from this. Also shows got
held in the afternoon , not 1 am like here but 3pm. Means after all the
day hasnt gone yet and even if this all was not so new to us (shows inbrasil
sometimes similiar)we come along with all circumstances pretty well. Again
wildest harsh crowd at the set and almost no breath to require a second.
Heiner missed some crash cymbols as for these he played some strange things
and we improvised a bit but played the songs absolutely interactive with
the followers. This was power!! Second combat i really liked. Kind of youth
crew posse not unlike oldschool stuffs. Got energetic. Inbetween some metal
gave priest and black sabbathclassics. kamal did that show and organized
very well. Up from now he should go with us all the rest of the tour and
thats nice feeling. And some important change should follow: danilo, our
vocalist had to leave to germany as his girlfriend expect to get his baby
during the next days. So he made that compromise upfront to join just the
first half and this settled us as 3piece while andi and me taking over
the vocals.
19/1 MALAYSIA- Kuantan -highway cafe- + dirty dogs
no sleep in Kl but getting the over night bus to kuantan, beach town
on eastcoast to play the afternoon. Arrived their in early morning and
no place to sleep. So we went to the beach and squatted a empty garage
to sleep in and leave our stuffs.the highway filled with 350 kids and was
big old dark hall. Sound was terrible there but they had good old roland
amps that stand for good tube soundwall, not that clean valvestate shit.
Not just one time i missed my orange amp but generally i have to say we
never expected that much equipment to play on, borrowed or rented stuff
always and we came very good along with it. Reena played with her new band,
guess that was their first show, health hazard like HC and she has a really
powerful throat. Dirty dogs play scandi style crust punk but more effect
live has their power metal posing, like glory 80ies venom. Sick shit. First
show as 3 piece we did very tight and that was again absolut nice done
concert.i thought heiner totally thrashes down the drumkit every second.
Kicked very enormous. Bart also gave us some money for travel, same as
kamal did for the kuala lumpur show. Always appreciated but never expected.back
to the beach and our stuffs. Andi met some guy living at the beach and
decided to stay there the following week as we had off anyway to rest in
Kl again.sleepingplaces in hyper class holiday appartment rented for one
night by reena together with the kl posse. Felt like into some hilarious
miami baech episodes, with view from balcony on the ocean and 50 senseless
tv channels. Robert got sick in his stomach and we worried about him.
25/1 MALAYSIA- Gombak jam studio show
after spending the week in kl doing more or less useless things like
jam sessions with spoken word performances on kamals house roof during
night time with rotten city skyline and twin towers around us the show
in subang was told us to got cancelled. Guys in gombak organized instead
something in a studio and that should be the beginning of a studio playing
weekend we hadnt discovered yet. Like 80 took place in generally and comparing
a clean studio the atmosphere got frenetic. I totally enjoyed apparatus.
Simple driving dis crust punk hammer. Lyrics about all fucked things in
life out of the sight of a crustie- but it seems like never out of date
then NOTHING HAS CHANGED since discharge claimed about. Apparatus really
kicked. Fast game and sharon stoned (hey guys you just stole for your shirt
design the complete state of fear image??? Fun) more did the skate thrash.
Like all this 625 thrash stuff seems to be huge in malaysia (and indonesia
too). Well thats ok with me as its good done label in any belonging .gotta
heard max releases now domestik doktrin 7inch, which we played with in
indonesia and i really appreciate this to go more further and giving bands
from everywhere a choice and help and especially from those countries where
its really more hard to get a record out by itself.For instance apart from
all the moneytrouble there is no pressfactory left in whole southeastasia.But
why people always look on europe or us to create things?as german bloke
i am really not inspired by any german band in the last 10 years for playing
that sort of stuff.well many good projects here but my sources lay somewhere
older and more diffuse.dont know some so called scenesters might maybe
write their hands bloody in their 1067 coloumns about that. For me is important
that everybody looks on his own shit surrounding himselves to make a stand
and get a voice. Not a 1:1 copied image thing from whereever.
26/1 MALAYSIA- Johor Bahru jam studio
no sleep but bus to JB. Got there at early afternoon and some guys
picked us at bus terminal. And brought us to some studio to play. Next
studio to play. Lots of kids but no other venue settled. Jimbo told me
it was last minute show, but how could be when our dates got clear almost
4 months before? Ok everybody friendly and with patience there but we were
totally tired and exhaussted from drive and no sleep. Total fury burning
sun unbelievable to me. Minus from singapore played and those guys were
that ones to smuggle us over the fuckin border to 1984 island singapora.
I cant remember anything of the concert ,everybody was really interested
in what we did, but there was some hectic moment when gunnar played his
islamic stuff again, some guys got angry and spread a twilight mood while
jimbo told to gunnar better to stop and if he would play this songs in
indonesia they would chop his head off and we would never return. Strange
religious affairs to occure through a sound journey done with respect such
hard response even from people call themselves anarcho, anti-society. Whatever.
Nevermind. Other countries other way to cope all things and sure we have
to respect this. But at least for my personal opinion ist hard to handle-cause
i request EVERYTHING for myself through all that struggle i got within
the political issues here. No god., no masters- or what was written on
your shirt. Not at mine but i handle it like this.no paranoia about but
leaving to singapore in a black taxi, what means best chance to get in
as crusty asshole. They dont controlled our eyes iris but our car and thats
it. For those who dont know about in malaysia and singapore is death penalty
on any kind of drugs they find at you. Smokers hell.
27/1 SINGAPORE vrykosoundStudio
jazzman and friends brought us to district changi where they rent in
some average holiday park some rooms for us and at least one night requiring
strength. Until the last minute they tried to find a venue since almost
4 months, but the onliest one jammerz pit got shot down by authorities
in autumn. Means again studio show, but bigger than the others before in
thehighest floor of a shopping center. Singapore is clean sterile, safe
and everything controlled. Ist that what europeans politicians wish to
turn here in near future.big brother, every 10metres at the streets advices
what is allowed and not, spitting ,smoking and throwing out bubble gums
at public places or in streets can make your pockets some thousand dollars
lighter.Talking about politics i got the relief that this state is kind
of a model constructed chinese enclave with all that dogmatic chains like
early chinese post communist era (and officially communism is banned there...nice
contrast isnt it?) combined with the western economy. Everything changes
fastes but not the laws. I know what i am talking about, as we got up in
gdr, what meant like similar citizens treatment and control by state power.
We lived at district changi and crossed on the street all the prisons,
seperate each-man,woman, drug rehabilitations prison. On the prison entrance
got written in really big letters:TOTAL SAFETY AND CONTROL-RESPONSIBILITY
FOR EVERYONE! The fascists wrote 50 years ago: WORK MAKES FREE on their
entrance portal, so do you see a link inbetween that sarcastic bullshit?
Anyone mind me this contradiciton i dont care, but i felt in this second
i saw this remembered on all that fucked up cruel german history and their
kind of prisons. And i am more than sure that these things never ever should
happen again, same what place at the world. And history shows us: it already
did. Mankind is on their path of destruction. apart from this these contrasts:
The people that took us in singapore were totally nice and dedicated
folks. Finally meeting shaiful and all the minus posse, really ace and
aware people!!! The concert got totally nice, i saw recover (wow, great)
and demisor, old grind band and fuck yes they rule!. Met jali from edora
which i already learned in johor bahru and had so nice talks. EDORA have
to come to europe on day!!!!we get our ass bloody for you setting up things.
28/1- 1/ 2 off boat ride to batam island and down java/indonesia
you cant hit directly by boat from singpapore to java. You have to
take 2 ferries and stop over at some fucked up little island, smuggle bottleneks
near coast of singapore but are already indonesian. Batam island is called
one. They didnt looked like they havent seen so much dread locked whiteys
before. We were the sensation of the day and 15 minutes after arrival i
guess all criminals over there knew who we are, how much money we got and
where we are going to stay.we had to take some hotel for 2 days and people
recommended us not to go out at night. Gunnar and coost did it and performed
at some public stage the end by the doors just as cynical real satire by
some show that got held. I got hard migrane to suffer one. We all got kind
of worried what will happen to us in indonesia, as if the bush troups conquer
iraq these days, i dont know about whiteys in religious country like indonesia.
German embassy does not recommend to go there these days, well give a fuck
to them. I dont care if 1st world tourists got bombed at bali or somewhere.
They deserve it for their slave/sex /big action time tourist mentality.
Bomb on! Another thing gots serious with G.Las sounds. We had to censor
ourselves some arabic soundfiles which were better for own safety lo leave
in the bag instead of playing. Reactions in malaysia from straight muslims
made us fear to get sacrificed or slaughtered. Blasphemy in religious music.
No way. Gunnar usually wanted to bring back these native sounds to where
it belongs, but got all time misunderstood. Due to this he had to delete
over 70% of his soundfiles.big fuckin shit.
On 30/1 we took ferry to tanjung priok near jakarta which means an
old titanic like ship with 2000 people on it and 250 servants. We took
economni class what meant second last floor down (from 7 classes in total)
means rooms for 50-100 people and the bulleye was on air/water surface.
When they control tickets they lock all doors and you get stuck there for
some hours. Not so nice feeling , more like death shelter. So we decided
to stay on deck which is awesome and with karaoke operator and bar 24h.
full overdose on brainwash by indonesian sad love songs, now they cought
me as i love it meanwhile! Kamal our malaysian friend had to puke constantly.
The ride took 29 hours and arriving the port of tanjung priok looks like
gate of mad max hell on sea. So many old wrecked ships broken in the sea
hide the straight entrance. Yeah thats perfect inspiration for end time
movie and totally described my feeling in general cathartically. Due to
too much luggage, the heat and lots of thieves in the south we decided
to leave all the bags in singapore at jazzman and minus guys. Enlightened
moment. Just my guitarbag, 2 cables, distortion, 2 shirts and very smallest
underwear collection (crusty style!!) and thats it. Small merch left, all
130 shirts, 100cds and 70 tapes were sold already. Aca,diaz, ari and some
friends from bandung took us from ferry and welcomed us amazingly. We know
in first second we got saved by cool people. We had so small info about
the indonesian part of the tour before and almost no expectations and people
before rumored so much shit. But man what i recognized and discovered there
belong to some of the deepest experiences i ever got in my life. We got
to jakarta and its train station, need 3hours to get tickets to bandung
and left with train to there. At 7pm in bandung. Smaller town but very
very nice in hills and countryside.tons of weed plants on train ride made
heikos and andis eyes shaking. We got home by becky, an american girl lives
there for a year and opened her house for us. We got treaten with so much
empathy and was very cool to rest down there. Indonesian moonshine hard
drinks and rice wine made us all pissed really fast due overtired....everybody
dreamt sweetely. Coost played country songs on guitar inspired by some
guy from austin/texas that got there too.Coost ms lardy cake mueltimedia
talent!
1 /2 INDONESIA- bandung hobbies skate park (+domestik doktrin)
awesome show. 500 kids at 2pm starts the show and total hardcore destruction.
Domestik doktrin i saw first time, they are young and full posing skate
posse, but musically absolutely unrelented energetic too. For me something
between some spanish stuff (e 150/ cementerio show) and very old DRI at
violent pacification days. lots of bands cover here. I heard minor threats
in my eyes. In malaysia each bloke covers black sabbath or priest ("breaking
the law"of course..) while here more crucial straight edged kids run things.when
we played coost were costumed as slave (typical bali mask done by becky..)
and entertained kids with ?new york new york-ist up to you speeches?. Towerviolence.
Thats right with me. Crowd run harsh and wild. Freaked out poeple entered
the stage and 3 guys had to save heiner and the drumkit from the divers
attack permanently. This was serious hardcore destruction. Total mad driven
pit . no way to move and no second to breath. We played very long . About
50 minutes. It got worth. One of the top 10 shows i played in my life.
Also gunnar got so good response for his G.Las sounds. Almost dancing people
to his stuff, which NEVER seen at cut up audio live presentation. Like
always in best moments you have to leave and so we had to get to overnight
bus to yogiakarta to play there next day afternoon.
Lardy cake coost performing at wojczech show /bandung1/2/2003
2/2 INDONESIA -Yogiakarta college hall
6 hours overnoght drive and a crazy driver ramming down everything.
View in front made me feeling like in a video game ralley monza. Goofy
was the name of a guy that took us in guesthouse and he was the next companion
following us the rest of the days. next day we went at noon imediately
to the show and frenetic audience about 1100 people and almost 15 bands.
Jsut a few drunken crusties made too much shit. While them disturbed totally
the G.Lasgig ,probably never heard of something like this but paid just
zero respect for it and absolutely too much violence at our set we just
played 20 minutes and stopped when after serious talks inbetween andi and
me made the dumbheads went on. Maybe this is used there, what people told
me later but i cant accept people smashing people in the crowd. I was so
happy for so far not so violently shows (stands together with almost no
alcohol at gigs) before and this made me thoughtful. Ok know europe and
you know what i mean. I think 1000 people got totally interested and awared
and applied what we did and behaved peacefully but 10 fools can get it
worse. Ok, no misunderstandings about it, it just pisses me off if people
dont treat otheres with essential respect. Mortal combat and noise for
violence got my favourites today. First came up with good thrash sound
and second absolutely oldschool hc power.german college kids should take
a listen to them before running behind american sets. Man you get so many
good bands over indonesia and scene is so huge unbelievable. My eyes got
opened.
5/2 INDONESIA Malang
small debates for the route and rest down for the very long trip to
malang and back jakarta the same day not to miss the ferry. Due to our
exchanged arrival and departure date we got smaller time for all shows,
but luckily with strong will and flexible hadling of the organizers we
could made all. Otherwise i had piss my pants. Bus drive 8 hours to malang
and we had to sleep in some militar barracks. Absloutely strange. Smoking
weed over there inside and strong rice vodka. Concert at 12 noon, while
most kids still at school and around 400 made it still. I saw extreme decay
practice and was impressed. Old band playing sort of old mince grind ,mixed
with swedish punk. Amazing guitar riffing. They kick! And with afril, that
held our show on vocals.smart decent guy.The concert got total burner from
the first second. G.Las still a bit sleepy but with 800 ears opened for
him performance in the audience. Already before our set people freaked
out. Again so strong show. Again a long set we never play.this was very
superb. 4 people took all the time care of the stage,amps,drums and sound.
Helping hands you wish so often. And if anyone thinks it lacks equipment
over there, you go nuts. We got mackie mix console. Gallien krueger and
ampeq classic box /amps. Malang is total grind city. Only grind. I got
the feeling almost every kid there runs a zine ,distro or plays well some
instrument. Revitalizing your senses definately!!!
Again a hardcore trip should follow. A hurry to get the train to jakarta.
Economni class and 21 hours driving madness in train with broken windows,opened
doors and about 60 stops. No space to move your leg, only guitar gamblers
and even full bands with contra basses as well as karaoke heroes that penetrate
you all the time crying songs in your face and begging for your last penny.Then
the food selling mafia nasi , nasi, tohu, tohu, agua,agua!!if you had chance
to sleep for some minutes you woke up and found yourself back into a david
lynch movie.all the time diaz (super friend from bandung) and goofy followed
us which made this travel very funny. Some little girltold me her lifestory,
later to coost, gunnar and andi. How often she got raped, showed us a paper
were got signatured that she is homeless and has no parents anymore while
some mongoloid guy with osama bin laden shirt crawled among us spreading
a strange atmosphere. Too much input and reality to cope . twisted, touched,
warped, fucked.
6/2 INDONESIA.-south jakarta street gig
fall out of the train at jakarta central station at 11am. Aca wait
for us and we left with pick up taxi to eggas house. Eggas family mates
welcomed us with food and place to rest and we felt like in a oasis during
this adventurous day without any sleep. Jakarta isnt that relaxing, around
6 millions citizens by night and 12-15 millions at day, that drive in from
the provinces around to work. All the day everywhere horrible smog and
traffic jams you cant imagine the heat in your most horrible nightmares.
I saw many big cities as with travelling with band you are always notorious
stucked in all the metropoles. We all prefer village like living are kind
of neurotic to the arrogance and depression, small claustrophoibc causing
spaces of big cities. In eggas place we could completely require and clear
all the details for the last show tonight, we looked forward with a big
tear in our eyes. We really learned to love the people around us on the
trip like goofy,diaz or mighty little big operator kamal. Aca organizer
of the show had got a venue for the 9th but due to ferry leave on 7th was
only chance to play 6th. Ok, giving to some district hero sort of 5 packs
nelk cigarettes and this was rent for space on public 4 way road in big
street at south jakarta. So that should be a street show. The nice thing
on corrupted assholes is you can use them for your aims. So no fuckin need
of a venue and just take the street. Reclaim it. Some hobby electrician
put off the streetlight electricity and transferred to use for amplifiement.
(serious european classic squatter hobby!). ok space was done, power was
done. Some small troubles with the amps and at least just one mic on function.
No matter i decided to sing without while andi with. Its 10 at night and
we start as 1st of 5 bands. Around 250-300 people made it a total killer
concert, attending and interested in what we have to say and play. We played
inbetween two little food stores that immediately closed their windows.
Just a short rain and people fixed some plane as provisorically roof. Thats
the shit!! We already played some street gigs wheter in peru, geneve (switzerland)
or even organized in our hometown last autumn. I like the absolut spontaneous
flair, how much effort you can reach within 20 minutes work to prepare
and get an relief of taking back the land for a short moment to cry your
message your fuckin throat out. This was over all really conversative,
jakarta has so many lots of engaged people we ve learned. Again i was stucked
and taken by this strong scene! People spread leaflets, zines did trades.
And almost no drunken or drug crazed assholes. No riots by foolish idiots
nothing got destroyed, we left the place as we found him before. Very disciplined
in this. Some oi band played and they were correct and amazing open minded
people. I saw relationshit, new band of aca that used to play for years
ago in straight answer, a very blasting thrash band (straight_answer@hotmail.com).
Egga hit the drums brutally. They blew me away. Sort of thrash. But not
that u$ copied stuff. Very own and almost no limitations. Very short songs.
No riff longer as needed. Even with broken mic aca cried that loud and
did explanations about. At last some crustpunks entered the stage and just
played only bob marley coverversions. We freaked out. So bizarre. Everything
feedbacked. The first time that l liked bob marley shit. Rude and harsh.
The best band of today and the very last we should see on that tour. Drive
back to eggas place with, guess what 7 people inside the car, one each
left and right outside and 3 at the back. Little car , no van. Almost jokin
and happily. Bond of so much friendship. I dont want to fall asleep and
leave this nice feeling.
Final streetgig southjakarta, 6/2/2003
7/2- departure to balai island
2 hours drive to tanjung priok port and we catched the ferry in the
very last minute on motorcycle taxi.euphoric good bye scenarios with all
the friends, big promises for future.WE WILL BE BACK FRIENDS! You can count
on that. Kind of coma feeling. 30 hours boat ride again through south java
see. Many islands passing by. All the night karaoke operator on deck and
i sing with yuyun and eke all these melancholic sad indonesian love trash
songs. Never forget that. My heart breaks.
8/2 balai island
fuckin island before singapore still on indonesian territory and again
all these money baggers. Hotels covered with prostitutions and whitey will
pay. We feel really shit about having to stay here on night and to catch
hopefully next morning boat to singapore. Fuckin dirty ruins of mankind
meet here. Heiko gets really sick and fever. We fear its sort of tropical
infection.luckily so far on that trip nobody got serious diseases instead
diorrhoea. Sort of normal. Balai go away. My mind is still in java.
9/2 Singapore
kamal gets fucked at singapore customs. Noticing all his adresses and
numbers and phone people if he is really expected to enter singapore. Us
whiteys to pass by, even if we look very much more dirty and him as malaysian
gots shit. Fuckin rascism. Hello again to shaiful (yeah!!) and leave to
cheap chinese hostel getting our backs bag that we left 2 weeks agao in
jazz place. The whole posse is there again and so fine joke cheatings!
I learn shaifuls father and he is cool guy!
10/2 departure back fortress EU
big shit feeling from mine out of mind, i will need months to cope
all that impressions in my head. Fucked up sterile sober europe. Demons
leave me, did i want you.
Resume:
this was mindblasting.The whole exchange of foreign bands in there
is just starting and it developes in each country we ve made it to really
different due to different possibilities, structures. Almost limitated
by societies pressure and religious interference. We had need all in all
for the whole trip 10500 euro for 7 people including everything, merchandise
is really needed to help out and it got spread in huge quantities. A release
by cool people before you go there can help very much to spread the word
upfront as kamal did for us. in indonesia where most of us where already
out of some penny we got covered all costs of transportation,food and sleeps.
For malaysia people try it ,thailand and singapore too. But do not forget
setting up there accomodation, a venue and even eqipment has to get rented.
Everything. And even the police has to be paid to shut up. Thats the way
it works in indonesia. so people that might have you as guests may already
spread many many bucks to prepare everything already before you arrive.
And if some buck was over we always got that. You never can expect getting
some tickets back. With this illusion better stay where you are or try
to tour japan before to safe all the money for the trip down southeastasia.
But what do you get is not payable in any currencies. Ist a lifetime experience
and people give you so much back and are really ready for exchange. If
you have not lost the eyesight out of your fuckin town the whole wojczech
headquarter recommends you holiest: GO THERE AND GET A VOICE!!!!!
Any encouraged bands that wanna move there, write us. We help you.
Kisses:
yos& girlfriend, chris, faht& immortal crew, sophie, axe, decay
of thailand& chaosscity posse.(thailand) Yuzri, ong & sos center
penang,
pedira, daphne, far, along (aparratus!!), nazri, aja,bart selfmade
shirts
posse& all that nice folks in kuala lumpur,gombak crew, jimbo (johor
bahru),
(malaysia) Shaiful, minus, jazz& girlfriend, jali & edora,
memeng & demisor,
recover guys (singapore) Ari& domestik doktrin, becky & holi,yeyen,danda,
lovely diaz & bandung straight edge mob, goofy, mortal kombat,
noise for violence guys, slackers crew @yogiakarta, afril & extreme
decay,
wendi & total grind malang posse, aja, egga & family- strong
doing diy jakarta folks
and eka, yuyun (indonesia)...
big cheers and respect to everybody that put us on, let us sleep somewhere
or
simply shrared some moment with us peacefully....
power& solidarity
Wojczech/g:las & heiko- english mr lardy cake visual crew, 28/2/2003
