Italian Punk Hardcore
by Dende
The italian punk scene was born in the early '80s and was very strong and intense for the following decade.
In italy punk was never seperated from politics: most punks defined themselves as militant anarchists, animal friendly, antifascist and even nihilists.
The italian scene is special because it was and still is totally underground: the bands have always played in occupied places and social centers, asking money just to publish their albums and pay the gas to move to the next city. The record lables are all independent and most of them were created by the same bands, information about the scene, before internet, was spread by handwritten and photocopied fanzines (such as POGO, T.V.O.R., PUNKAMINAZIONE, SUBVERT, LINEA DIRITTA) distributed by mail and by hand at shows. These zines were not only dedicated to punk music but also to the political issues going on: the fight against nuclear power, vivisection, multinational corporations and militarism. In the scene journalists and mainstream media is hated and bands release interviews only to independent fanzines; the DIY tradition ruled: everything is made by people in the scene, there's no copyright, no profit for the music industry and total independence in the production of merchandise; theProfit from shows often goes to political prisoners.
The strange thing is that in Italy this movement has always past almost unnoticed and sometimes misunderstood for a fascist movement because people wore black and in the early years some had swasticas on their clothes as a provocation. Punk in Italy was like a bomb on the mentality of that time and was a revolution of the concept of revolution that people embraced those years.
Truth is punk in Italy has always distinguished itself for its anarchist, antifascist or apolitical belief: many like to draw a line between the '77 punk rock movement and the following hardcore/anarcho movement that took step in opposition to the sex pistols and the clash (which are considered by many italian punx as ideological traitors because they signed for Mayor CBS and were called out for it during a concert in Bologna with the yell “crass not clash”) and was more inspired to bands like Crass, Discharge, Minor Threat, and the Subhumans.
In italy punk was never seperated from politics: most punks defined themselves as militant anarchists, animal friendly, antifascist and even nihilists.
The italian scene is special because it was and still is totally underground: the bands have always played in occupied places and social centers, asking money just to publish their albums and pay the gas to move to the next city. The record lables are all independent and most of them were created by the same bands, information about the scene, before internet, was spread by handwritten and photocopied fanzines (such as POGO, T.V.O.R., PUNKAMINAZIONE, SUBVERT, LINEA DIRITTA) distributed by mail and by hand at shows. These zines were not only dedicated to punk music but also to the political issues going on: the fight against nuclear power, vivisection, multinational corporations and militarism. In the scene journalists and mainstream media is hated and bands release interviews only to independent fanzines; the DIY tradition ruled: everything is made by people in the scene, there's no copyright, no profit for the music industry and total independence in the production of merchandise; theProfit from shows often goes to political prisoners.
The strange thing is that in Italy this movement has always past almost unnoticed and sometimes misunderstood for a fascist movement because people wore black and in the early years some had swasticas on their clothes as a provocation. Punk in Italy was like a bomb on the mentality of that time and was a revolution of the concept of revolution that people embraced those years.
Truth is punk in Italy has always distinguished itself for its anarchist, antifascist or apolitical belief: many like to draw a line between the '77 punk rock movement and the following hardcore/anarcho movement that took step in opposition to the sex pistols and the clash (which are considered by many italian punx as ideological traitors because they signed for Mayor CBS and were called out for it during a concert in Bologna with the yell “crass not clash”) and was more inspired to bands like Crass, Discharge, Minor Threat, and the Subhumans.
Northern Italy is particularly rich of punk bands and social centers: Milan became the first city in Italy to have such a big and organized scene thanks to the opening of the “Virus” squat where the local greatest hardcore bands of the time played (wretched, raw power ). Tourin is also famous for its “El Paso Occupato” that gave birth to Nerorgasmo, Arturo, Mucopus, Negazione, Declino and Blue Vomit. From the north of Italy also came Kina, Indigesti and Peggio Punx.
Awesome bands such as Nabat, CCM, Impact and Raw Power were born more or less in the central part of Italy while Contropotere represented Naples in the south.
Some of the people who then moshed to the sound of rawness now serve you pizza in a restaurant, others are six feet under and others still play and produce counter culture with the same passion.
Today the scene is still alive, although it may be a bit weaker, both old and new bands still play all over the country in social centres and squats such as TELOS (va), FOA BOCCACCIO (monza), mag47 (BS), Circolo Anarchico Ponte della Ghisolfa (mi), El Paso and many others all over the country.
The people that still follow hardcore punk are not too many but they're determined, passionate and really attached to their movement.
Some modern bands to listen to:
Congegno; Attrito; anti-tetanika; pioggia nera; class; essere; kalashnikov collective; piscio sangue; ruggine; Punkreas; tear me down.
Adviced Old school bands: grandine; negazione; raw power; nerorgasmo; mucopus; indigesti; peggio punx; nabat; vivere merda; piscia korsakov; wretched; Impact; CCCP fedeli alla linea; blue vomit; arturo.
Albums:
Indigesti/Wretched - Indigesti/Wretched (EP split, autoproduzione) 1982
Declino - E.p. (EP, Contro Produzioni) 1983
Bloody Riot - Bloody Riot (EP, autoproduzione) 1983
Crash Box - ...Vivi! (EP, Crash) 1984
Raw Power - Screams from the gutter (LP, Toxic Shock) 1984
Wretched - Libero di vivere libero di morire (LP, Chaos Produzioni) 1984
Impact - Solo odio (LP, Chaos Produzioni) 1984
Peggio Punx - Ci stanno uccidendo al suono della nostra musica!! (MLP, autoproduzione) 1985
Stigmathe - Lo sguardo dei morti (EP, Meccano) 1985
Disper-azione - Sempre immutata fede (EP, Chaos Produzioni) 1985
Indigesti - Osservati dall'inganno (LP, T.V.O.R.) 1985
Contrazione - Cineocchio! Storia e memoria (MLP, Blu Bus) 1985
Upset Noise - Disperazione nevrotica (EP, autoproduzione) 1985
C.C.M. - Into the void (LP, Belfagor) 1986
Kina - Cercando (LP, Blu Bus) 1986
Negazione - Lo spirito continua (LP, De Konkurrent) 1986
Contropotere - Nessuna speranza, nessuna paura (LP, Attack Punk) 1989
Arturo – ar cor
Nerorgasmo – discografie
Grandine – accendi la miccia dei tuoi pensieri
Congegno – esiste cura
Pioggia nera – Teatri di menzogna
Piscio sangue – Piscio Sangue
books:
Nel cuore della bestia - Storie personali nel mondo della musica bastarda di Stefano Giaccone / Marco Pandin (Edizioni Zero in Condotta) 1996
Costretti a sanguinare - Romanzo sul punk 1977-1984 di Marco Philopat (Shake Edizioni) 1997
Ordigni - Storia del punk a Bologna di Riccardo Pedrini (Castelvecchi) 1998
Come se nulla fosse - Storie di "pank" a Roma di Roberto Perciballi (Castelvecchi) 2000
I ragazzi del Mucchio di Silvio Bernelli (Sironi Editore) 2003
La citta' e' quieta...Ombre parlano di Carlo Cannella (autoproduzione) 2005
T.V.O.R. 1980-1985 Storia di una caoszine hardcore punx di Stiv "Rottame" Valli (LoveHate80.it) 2006
Movies:
-La Guerra degli Antò (1999) by Riccardo Milani
-Italian punk hardcore 1980-1989 by Angelo Bitonto, Giorgio S. Senesi, Roberto Salvilia
-Punx. Creatività e rabbia (2006)
nerorgasmo
Awesome bands such as Nabat, CCM, Impact and Raw Power were born more or less in the central part of Italy while Contropotere represented Naples in the south.
Some of the people who then moshed to the sound of rawness now serve you pizza in a restaurant, others are six feet under and others still play and produce counter culture with the same passion.
Today the scene is still alive, although it may be a bit weaker, both old and new bands still play all over the country in social centres and squats such as TELOS (va), FOA BOCCACCIO (monza), mag47 (BS), Circolo Anarchico Ponte della Ghisolfa (mi), El Paso and many others all over the country.
The people that still follow hardcore punk are not too many but they're determined, passionate and really attached to their movement.
Some modern bands to listen to:
Congegno; Attrito; anti-tetanika; pioggia nera; class; essere; kalashnikov collective; piscio sangue; ruggine; Punkreas; tear me down.
Adviced Old school bands: grandine; negazione; raw power; nerorgasmo; mucopus; indigesti; peggio punx; nabat; vivere merda; piscia korsakov; wretched; Impact; CCCP fedeli alla linea; blue vomit; arturo.
Albums:
Indigesti/Wretched - Indigesti/Wretched (EP split, autoproduzione) 1982
Declino - E.p. (EP, Contro Produzioni) 1983
Bloody Riot - Bloody Riot (EP, autoproduzione) 1983
Crash Box - ...Vivi! (EP, Crash) 1984
Raw Power - Screams from the gutter (LP, Toxic Shock) 1984
Wretched - Libero di vivere libero di morire (LP, Chaos Produzioni) 1984
Impact - Solo odio (LP, Chaos Produzioni) 1984
Peggio Punx - Ci stanno uccidendo al suono della nostra musica!! (MLP, autoproduzione) 1985
Stigmathe - Lo sguardo dei morti (EP, Meccano) 1985
Disper-azione - Sempre immutata fede (EP, Chaos Produzioni) 1985
Indigesti - Osservati dall'inganno (LP, T.V.O.R.) 1985
Contrazione - Cineocchio! Storia e memoria (MLP, Blu Bus) 1985
Upset Noise - Disperazione nevrotica (EP, autoproduzione) 1985
C.C.M. - Into the void (LP, Belfagor) 1986
Kina - Cercando (LP, Blu Bus) 1986
Negazione - Lo spirito continua (LP, De Konkurrent) 1986
Contropotere - Nessuna speranza, nessuna paura (LP, Attack Punk) 1989
Arturo – ar cor
Nerorgasmo – discografie
Grandine – accendi la miccia dei tuoi pensieri
Congegno – esiste cura
Pioggia nera – Teatri di menzogna
Piscio sangue – Piscio Sangue
books:
Nel cuore della bestia - Storie personali nel mondo della musica bastarda di Stefano Giaccone / Marco Pandin (Edizioni Zero in Condotta) 1996
Costretti a sanguinare - Romanzo sul punk 1977-1984 di Marco Philopat (Shake Edizioni) 1997
Ordigni - Storia del punk a Bologna di Riccardo Pedrini (Castelvecchi) 1998
Come se nulla fosse - Storie di "pank" a Roma di Roberto Perciballi (Castelvecchi) 2000
I ragazzi del Mucchio di Silvio Bernelli (Sironi Editore) 2003
La citta' e' quieta...Ombre parlano di Carlo Cannella (autoproduzione) 2005
T.V.O.R. 1980-1985 Storia di una caoszine hardcore punx di Stiv "Rottame" Valli (LoveHate80.it) 2006
Movies:
-La Guerra degli Antò (1999) by Riccardo Milani
-Italian punk hardcore 1980-1989 by Angelo Bitonto, Giorgio S. Senesi, Roberto Salvilia
-Punx. Creatività e rabbia (2006)
nerorgasmo
Wretched
negazione
“Disgusto e Strafottenza” july 2015 @ Cuore in Gola occupato, Milan
class live @ disgusto e strafottenza 2015
Sources: http://www.punk4free.org/articoli/8-storia-punk/2135-la-prima-scena-hardcore-italiana-di-lovehate80.html