From the Archives : Furnace Fest 2022

As the final chapter in the current incarnation of Furnace Fest is just a couple of weeks away, I’ve gone back and looked at many of the photos I took in 2022 and reminisced about seeing old friends, making new ones and how the DIY punk scene has shaped every facet of my life since the day someone gave me that first Minor Threat record. While its super cliche to say we’re out of step, I truly believe that merry band of misfits and sense of friendship I found in the scene has made my life infinitely better.

So have a scroll through some of my favourite frames of the weekend and get ready for the final chapter. I’m super bummed I won’t be able to make the flight this year, but I’ll be there in spirit.

Saigon Punk Chronicles : Aftershock

This past Sunday I headed out to a show and to see some old friends I hadn’t caught up with in a while. The bill consisted of HSA, Song Am, Katto Katto, District 105, Cut Lon, and Luan Quan Collective. A mixed bag of genres and I wasn’t familiar with all the bands, but I knew there’d be some thrashy goodness with Cut Lon and of course the homies in D105. I didn’t get images of everyone, but I decided to shoot this a bit differently than what I’ve been shooting this project and brought my studio lights in much like I did back in the day in the States. It’s going to take some tweaking, but here we are and it’s nice to get a different look. I’m not going to divide the images up into bands this time around but rather an overall vibe of the show.

On a side note, I tried to mosh last night and father time quickly put me in my place and now I’m limping around like geriatric. Lesson learned. Stay in my lane. Press the shutter. Stay out of the way of the kids. This is a game for the youngins’. Until next time, here are the images from last night.

Saigon Punk Chronicles : Rock Fest

Although this wasn’t your classic DIY punk or hardcore show, it was certainly interesting to see hardcore bands play on a big stage with over the top production and I had to go out to support the homies in District 105 and check out a few other bands. A mixed bag of genres, Rockfest showcased both local and some international bands and its really good to see these types of events coming to Saigon more. Tons of bands played, and I took a boatload of images, but I’m going to limit it here to the bands that fall into the punk scene or at least close enough to the DIY scene to fit within this personal project. So, that being said, the images below are from Saigon’s District 105, and 18.18, The Flob and Thailand’s Annalynn and Defying Decay. I tried to shoot this a bit differently as the over the top production provided with about a bajillion different coloured lights which I find a bit visually noisy and takes away from the raw emotion of punk. Maybe I’m just an old head and love the way old black and white photos of live music look like…whatever. Anyways, to the images!

DISTRICT 105

ANNALYNN

THE FLOB

DEFYING DECAY

18.18

Saigon Punk Chronicles : Year End Party

With such a bizarro year wrapping and the quickly upcoming lunar new year, this year’s End of the Year Party was bound to be a banger. I caught all but the first band who started early (this may be a punk rock first) so apologies for not having images for them. The bill consisted of Diarsia, Jaigon Orchestra, Đá Số Tới, District 105, Taiyoken, Do it Dad, and Kaali. Musically it ranged from pop punk to metal to hardcore, so a great mix of styles and people showing up at the show.

I’d be completely daft if I didn’t mention how wild it is that we are in a country where we can actually have shows safely while most every where else on the planet is going into lockdown. Granted things may not be this way for long, but the Vietnamese authorities have done a damn fine job containing the ‘Rona up until now, so fingers crossed that this latest flare up dies down in a hurry. But enough of my rambling, on to the images.

Diarsia

District 105

Đá Số Tới

Kaali

Taiyoken

Jaigon Orchestra

Moshin’, Stage Dives, and other Shenanigans

Moving forward I’ll try to include the flyer for posterity, so we’ll start here. Check out the cool work by Vui Qá

Saigon Punk Chronicles : We’re Loud Fest: Vietnam

Last weekend Slovenly Records’ We’re Loud Fest descended into Saigon featuring acts from all over the globe. From local hardcore heroes, District 105, to Switzerland’s The Monsters, We’re Loud Fest spanned 4 days and multiple venues in Saigon. Unfortunately, I only got to attend the Saturday matinee, but having an international punk fest come to Saigon is super rad to say the least.

That said, curiously absent from the crowd was the local Vietnamese scene I’ve seen grow over the past couple of years. Yes, a few local bands played, but the faces dominating the crowd weren’t Vietnamese. Saigon definitely has the scene to support this type of event and it would be stellar to see more of the local scene show up and represent. Moreso, a local promoter organizing something like this in the future in addition to supporting touring festivals would be incredible. And before anyone mentions the “fest” few years ago, a Jagermeister sponsored event with PR girls selling energy drinks doesn’t quite cut it. The DIY scene here is more than capable of putting on these types of events without big corporate sponsors.

Anyway, enough of my soapbox and back to regularly scheduled programming. On Saturday afternoon, I showed up around 3pm as Saigon’s District 105 was doing their sound check. Having seen these guys on multiple occasions, it’s always fun times with moshy breakdowns and finger-pointing singalongs. D105’s crowd seemed to be just waking up, and it took a few songs to get people nodding their heads and getting involved. Then again, it was 3pm on a Saturday. The boys still played a solid set and showed everyone what Saigon has to offer in the form of home-grown talent.

Up next was the Saigon-based American/South African duo of Timekiller. Their blend of power-violence and doom was enough to peel the paint off the walls. Sadly, this was their last show in Saigon as their singer, Garrett, is moving back to the States. Boo! They do have a new record coming the early part of next year, so silver linings, right?

Gutara Kyo out of Japan took over after Timekiller and from the very first note, jaws dropped and a chorus of “holy shit” rumbled through the crowd. These guys absolutely destroyed and laid waste to everything in their path. With the urgency of a meth’d up troupe of rodeo clowns, Gutara Kyo’s garage punk on steroids came to get the party started. Overheard was quite possibly the quote of the year - “I heard their singer say if their show is good, he shits his pants.” Thankfully the ghost of GG Allin’s past didn’t make an appearance and the venue remained turd free. If we’re going to talk about ghosts, It felt more like the ghost of Los Crudos in the form of Gutara Kyo's epic set.

Switzerland’s The Monsters took the stage following Gutara Kyo. I’d never listened to The Monsters before Saturday, so as these middle aged red suit-clad gentlemen set up their gear while easy-listening tunes played in the background, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Yeah, the first chords threw any notions of yacht rock out the window. Thrashy garage punk rock ‘n roll blasted through the sound system and everyone finally found their dancing shoes. Such a fun show.

I had to leave right after The Monsters, so I missed Hanoi’s Cut Lon, but I’m sure the Pokemon dressed outfit did justice to rounding out the matinee. If you’re not familiar, go check this post from the last time they played Saigon. All in all, definitely a good time and I can’t wait to see more shows like this. Saigon, stand up!

District 105

Timekiller

Gutara Kyo

The Monsters

Since you made it this far, feel free to share this to social, comment, send good vibes or gifts and I’ll see you at the next show.

Saigon Punk Chronicles : Year End Fest - The E Killer, District 105, 7Uppercuts, Razor Leaf, Stupiz Kiz, Tariot

With the lunar new year approaching, First and Last Records held their year-end fest showcasing nearly their entire roster as well as the Singaporean melodic hardcore outfit, Tariot. To begin, DIY shows starting more or less on time here in Saigon blows my mind. With everything else here being 'time-flexible', and the habitual lateness of punk shows in general, this punctuality is noteworthy to say the least. High fives for that. That said, maybe I’ve become accustomed to things starting more. whimsically. So, unfortunately, I missed The E-killer. Next time, fellas.

The rest of the line up was a mix of pop punk, moshy breakdowns, melodic hardcore and a rather hilarious pop punk cover of 'I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You.' The place was packed with over 200 people. Hats off to Soma Art Cafe for cranking the AC to keep it from turning into the usual sweatbox we’ve all experienced at shows in the past. Stage dives, high fives, and ridiculous sing alongs made for one of the most fun shows I’ve been to in a long time.

If this is your first time visiting the site, documenting the punk scene in Saigon is a part of a long-term project of mine and some of my favorite shots can be seen here. Make sure to keep frequenting the page for updates in the future. You could even subscribe to the RSS feed if you’re feeling fancy. Now on to the images.

District 105

7Uppercuts

Razor Leaf

Stupiz Kiz

Tariot

Since you made it this far, feel free to share this to social, comment, send good vibes or gifts and I’ll see you at the next show.

Saigon Punk Chronicles : Koteka is the Reason, District 105, 7 Uppercuts

Saigon in the past year seems to have really started building a DIY punk scene. As some of you know, back in the States, I was predominantly a music photographer, and when I moved to Saigon 5 years ago, there wasn’t much of a scene, or at least I didn’t see or hear about it. Needless to say, I’m stoked to have the ‘core and punk shows to go now.

Last night, locals District 105 and 7 Uppercuts welcomed Indonesia’s Koteka is the Reason to Saigon. 7 Uppercuts started everything off with their mix of pop punk with District 105’s beatdown hardcore following up. Mosh friendly with Pantera harmonics. Shred. And rounding out was Koteka is the Reason and they destroyed. Street punk - fast, loud and full of circle pits. Make sure you head over to their sites. Give them a listen and go mosh in your living room.