10 Hard Left Working Class Bands (Past and Present) to Check Out

Huge thanks to DY Conspiracy for giving me the opportunity to go on a great length about some great bands…

“DIY Conspiracy is a web journal for underground music and culture.

The site launched in 2005, and since then, we have tirelessly strived to embody the creative and community-driven spirit of punk rock, with a strong emphasis on political and ethical values. It is run entirely by a community of international punks for the sake of our enthusiasm. We don’t serve annoying ads and overpromotional nonsense, and we’re not owned by any corporate scumbags.”

Randy Smith of Rebel Time Records presents a list of hard left working class bands raising fists and voices for a combative International Workers’ Day.

“Songs are funny things. They can slip across borders. Proliferate in prisons. Penetrate hard shells. I always believed that the right song at the right moment could change history.”

Pete Seeger

This is a list of bands, some old, some new, that I feel play the right songs: songs of protest and resistance. It’s a diverse mix of hard-left and left-radical punk rock, hardcore, Oi!, hip-hop, and revolutionary folk. It’s definitely not an exhaustive list—there are plenty of other bands that could have been included.

What ties these artists together is that they all walk the talk. They’re all hands-on, socially conscious, and politically engaged. And since they’ve all got something to say, I’ve let them, for the most part, speak for themselves. To quote Pete Seeger again, “The people are on the march and must have songs to sing.”

Towards a combative Mayday!

Afterboltxebike

Afterboltxebike

“Which side are you on? / That of the boss or that of the proletariat?”

—”¿De Qué Lado Estás?”, Afterboltxebike

Afterboltxebike (named after a song by Basque left-radical ska/punk band Kortatu) are a self-described anti-capitalist, anti-fascist, anti-racist, agit-prop punk band from Nuevo León, Mexico. They’ve got a couple of releases under their belts: the eight-song No Pasarán cassette and, most recently, the three-song Agitación Marxista seven-inch.

Of the band, singer/lyricist Diego Armando has noted that “we seek to give a clear political message to all the people who want to listen to us. (…) More than hoping for something is to do something, to have a presence in the places we can to spread left-wing anti-capitalist ideas.”

Musically, Afterboltxebike play a rough and ready mixture of punk, hardcore, and Oi!—”classic burly Mexican hardcore punk” with songs that “pop like a Molotov cocktail.”

As far as subject matter goes, it’s been noted that “the lyrics are all in Spanish and are what you would expect from an anti-authoritarian band, with subjects such as killing fascists, living in an exhausting working class society, and the importance of reading (read to study, read to learn, read to liberate!).”

One of the first songs I heard by the band was “¿De Qué Lado Estás?” or, “Which Side Are You On?” For Afterboltxebike, the answer (and the way/the path) is clear: you’re either with the bosses or with the oppressed, and this band is on the side of the workers/the proletariat/the exploited. Afterboltxebike knows that class struggle is the motor of history.

Of the song, Diego says: “‘¿De Qué Lado Estás?’ was the first song I wrote. What I was looking for was a kind of declaration of our principles so that those who listened to us would know our political ideas and there would be no doubt about what kind of band we are. It’s also an invitation to question our own participation within society. We believe that the worker continues to be the revolutionary subject capable of transforming capitalism into a superior society in which we can overcome the relationship between the exploited worker and the exploiting employer.”

Important to me is the fact that the band walks the talk, with Diego being involved in a variety of political initiatives and punk rock projects over the years, including Incendiario, his record label and fanzine. Currently, he is writing Days of Fury: A Historical Overview of the Nuevo León Punk Scene, 1988–2009, and he’s working to create the Colectivo de Trabajadores Comunistas (the Communist Workers Collective), “with the idea of creating a nucleus of militants to do the work of spreading communist ideas with the aim of creating a Communist Party.”

Brigada Flores Magon

Brigada Flores Magon

“Class war, class war / We will never give up / Dead or alive it doesn’t matter / Our fight is eternal”

—”Class War”, Brigada Flores Magon

Brigada Flores Magon is a self-described “French anti-fascist and anti-capitalist streetpunk/Oi! band from Paris formed in 1996.”

Musically, Brigada deals in “gritty, anthemic punk rock with a message.” Between 1997 and 2022, the band released five albums’ worth of, as I put it, “militant/combative, catchy-as-heck, sing-along, up-in-arms, anti-capitalist, anti-fascist streetpunk.”

Founding member Victor says of the band’s early days: “We were young politicized punks, close to the anarcho-punk movement. We spent our days listening to music. Punk, of course: Conflict, Subhumans, Crass, Spanish punk too—especially from the Basque Country—Latin American punk, and of course French (anarcho) punk like Bérurier Noir, Kochise or Les Cadavres. But we also listened to French and American hip-hop and politicized Latin American music like Quilapayún, José de Molina or Víctor Jara. It was the DIY ideal that pushed us to create the group: it was about not being a simple consumer but an actor in the local music scene. The idea was to have a group to spread anarchist ideals but also to talk about our daily lives, to make visible the struggles that seemed important to us.”

Without a doubt, a pioneering band that, importantly, pretty much jump-started the whole Redskin/RASH (Red and Anarchist Skinheads) movement in Europe. Says Victor: “In 1999, we created the RASH Paris section and its fanzine, Barricata. Thanks to the presence of Julien (RIP 1968–2024), the drummer, who was a member of the Red Warriors gang (Nazi Hunters), we were an openly redskin group at a time when very few Oi! groups declared themselves left-wing. That said, the objective remained the same: to disseminate our ideals, to create safe spaces for all (by keeping fascists away from our concerts), to create links with other scenes in Europe and everywhere else in the world.”

And, according to Victor: “Politics was an integral part of our lives. It was part of the project. The group was only one facet of our dissemination work, of our political work. We were all activists in the CNT (National Confederation of Labor, an anarchist union), and we participated actively in the university section as well as in the anti-fascist commission. We organized support concerts, debates, screenings of activist films and documentaries. We succeeded in creating a good network of musical groups and political groups in France and in certain European countries (Germany, Spain, Italy in particular). In a way, Brigada was the driving force behind all these activities—a tool at the service of our cause. And I think we succeeded in our challenge.”

Their most recent album, 2022’s Immortels, was a truly internationalist effort, with labels/political projects from Mexico, Brazil, USA, and Canada involved in its release. As one reviewer noted: “Immortels is a fantastic release that should be a part of every revolutionary’s playlist.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Carmen Colère

Carmen Colère

“Total war on the bourgeoisie / by all means, war, social war / social war against capital / general strike and social war”

—”Guerre Sociale”, Carmen Colère

Carmen Colère first came to my attention a couple of years ago via Facebook when singer Je sent along a video of the band. The video was for the song “Ulrike Meinhof.” Ulrike was one of the founders of the Red Army Faction, and the lyrics are from a letter she wrote while in prison. The song was amazing, and as someone who has long studied and written about the RAF, I was intrigued!

Based in Nancy, France, Carmen Colère are purveyors of what they call Boom Boom Punk, which I’d describe as a catchy and cacophonous mix of punk, electro, and jazz. Says Je, one of three vocalists: “Once, after a show in Nancy, a girl came and told us, ‘for real, what you’re playing is Boom Boom Punk more than electro punk!’ She was absolutely right, and now we say we make Political Boom Boom Punk.” In addition to the three singers, there’s also saxophone, guitar, bass, and drum machine!

The band has released a few EPs since 2017, and those have been gathered together on the 19-song Ferme ta Gueule album, released in 2022. Well recommended!

The band’s name comes from a collage seen on a wall in Marseille, France, that pictures a Spanish woman called Carmen C. during the Indignados / 15-M Movement of 2011–2012 (a series of protests, occupations, and demonstrations against Spanish austerity politics). Says Al: “Carmen Rage (Carmen Colère) sounded to us like a happy poem of destruction and resistance, exactly like our songs.”

I asked Carmen Colère what the main message of the band is, and this was their eloquent and inspirational response: “Carmen Colère, it’s more like an anti-message: anti-capitalism, anti-fascism, anti-racism, anti-sexism. These are our lyrics’ foundations. But Carmen Colère is also a monument to love, to self-management, of inclusion, of joy in the struggle. The destruction of capitalist society means also the hope of something else, of an anarchist society, which is conquering in brotherhood and sisterhood. We hope we give people a sort of class war joy, because joy is not only a part of post-capitalism—joy is here, now, in the class struggle.” Nicely put!!

And, in the here and now, band members are part of radical pan-leftist collectives and syndicates, especially anti-fascist groups.

Union Made

Union Made

“Our sweat—is their fuel / our hands—their tools / our fate—to take / our chains—to break”

—”The Great Divide”, Union Made

“Straight out of Montreal, this is revolutionary hardcore”—that’s how the intro to Union Made’s 2005 release Hard Grace begins, and that really sums it up succinctly. Or, as others put it: “old school Oi!-inspired tough hardcore with angry, lyrical righteousness with a left-wing, pro-working class tilt,” and, “thunderous hardcore with hard-hitting, intelligent, class-conscious lyrics that amazingly match the band’s sonic fury.”

Formed out of the ashes of two equally amazing (and well-worth checking out) bands—Street Troopers and Fate 2 Hate—the band released Hard Grace and then followed that up with Alchemists (both on Insurgence Records) a couple of years later.

Vocalist/lyricist Nic has said that “the band is strongly anti-capitalist and promotes collectivist values in every aspect of society. We promote a working class consciousness.” Asked what songs he’d recommend, he suggested “The Great Divide”: “It’s a solid class anthem I wrote after seeing a Jail For Sale in upstate New York with the promo ‘Amazing Business Opportunity’,” and “Some Watch the Trains,” off of Alchemists, which is an ode to his hero, Holocaust survivor Eva Olsson.

The band, and Nic in particular, were active in the left political scene in Montreal. Says Nic: “I was originally part of SHARP (Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice) in the ’90s. Our work with other organizations such as ARA (Anti-Racist Action) really made a dent in the fascist presence in the streets of Montreal and beyond. With idle hands, some of us created RASH Montreal to direct our energy. I was heavily involved in RASH during most of Union Made’s existence.”

And while the aforementioned bands are no longer around, members of Street Troopers and Union Made (including Nic) recently formed Over The Hill, a band which, according to a press release, “tackles the paradox of being old in a youth subculture, the trials and tribulations of adulthood and some classic punk topics, all in French and English with a few hardcore and street punk touches.” They’ve released an album, Older Not Wiser, on Une Vie Pour Rien Vinyles. Check out the song “Conformist Pawn”!

Urban Vietcong

Urban Vietcong

“We’ll charge together / we’ll attack the sky / we won’t miss the shot / we’ll sweep you away / with blood in our eyes”

—”Attacco”, Urban Vietcong

Urban Vietcong was born in October 2015 in Livorno, Italy, out of the ashes of another band called Trade Unions. They’ve released two records: 2016’s A Colpi di Machete and 2018’s Storie Tra Bottiglie e Ciminiere (the title song also has a great video).

I first came across the band when singer Bebe sent me a video of the song “Attacco,” off their first record. As I said at the time, it’s “a song which name-checks and acknowledges the struggles of the Black Panthers, the Viet Cong and the Palestinian resistance, a song that calls for unity, organization, prioritization and attack.” It’s a song that finds the band “always sitting on the wrong side, together with the exploited, behind a barricade.” Bebe said of the song: “In ‘Attacco’ we express our desire for a greater organization of the left movement, in order to, as Majakovskij said, ‘to attack the sky.’”

Left-radical punk/oi/core is kind of how I’d describe the band’s sound. Others have noted that the band’s songs are “full of rage against capitalist exploitation and fascism and about the struggle in the streets of a traditional working class town”—songs that are “full of energy, passion and rage as the self-described communists take on capitalism and fascism.”

Speaking to what the band is all about, Bebe says: “Music, as well as being fun, and a way to come together, is a means of communication and a way to convey our ideas. In Italy and also in other countries, capital with its means and methods (fascists, police and politicians) is increasingly depleting the less well-off classes. We are only a drop in the sea, but in our social centre and in our own little way we try to do something to combat this, such as defending historical memory (partisans), anti-fascism, the right to housing, and more.”

Urban Vietcong continues to “assault the sky,” most recently coming together this past month with other like-minded bands at the United We Stand anti-fascist fest in Paris, France.

Years of Lead

Years of Lead

“To end exploitation / Revolution / Against all oppression / Revolution / This is fucking class war”

—”Revolution”, Years of Lead

Years of Lead (the newest band on this list) quite appropriately had their first show this past October at Revolution Fest IX in their hometown of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A yearly event, Revolution Fest bills itself as “three days of feminist, anti-capitalist and anti-fascist music.”

Named after the period in Italian history (late 1960s–late 1980s) marked by left-wing armed struggle (Red Brigades, Armed Proletarian Cells, Prima Linea, etc.) and extra-parliamentary opposition (Lotta Continua, Potere Operaio, Autonomia Operaia, etc.), the band released a DIY four-song demo in September 2024. It’s short, sharp, rising-up-angry hard-left hardcore.

They’ve also contributed a track to a benefit compilation for Riseup.net. Riseup.net “works to create revolution and a free society in the here and now by building alternative communication infrastructure designed to oppose and replace the dominant system.”

Former bass player Stakh says that the band “has influences from 1990s NYHC sounds and talks about the state of the world we live in and the tensions we have between a hope-filled revolutionary perspective and a nihilistic point of view.” Stakh is also a member of Union Thugs (see below), and the other members of Years of Lead (Julien, Karl, and Shep) have been in bands such as Action Sédition, Lingua Franca, and Mayday.

Outside of the band, members are involved in various initiatives such as the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World), affinity groups, unions, and other political projects around Montreal.

Union Thugs

Union Thugs

“We’ve got to realize; it’s the system; capitalism / That creates monsters, resentment / The poor, the rich; bosses, employees / As long as they exist / The class struggle isn’t over”

—”Ça ira pas en s’améliorant”, Union Thugs

Union Thugs (who say that they “are not musicians, but workers that play music”) are yet another band on this list from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The band started in 2017 with one purpose: “To rock folk songs and folk rock songs in order to present a revival of classic popular and working class music with an original flavor.” That said, most of the band’s six members have done time in political punk bands such as Action Sédition and Mayday.

Simply put, Union Thugs play amped-up, accordion-fueled revolutionary folk-Oi!. Originally playing only covers of old-time protest songs and working class anthems from the likes of Woody Guthrie, Anne Feeney, and Pete Seeger, their most recent release, the three-song EP Coup de Grisou, is all original songs. It’s music that is, according to one review, “simply drenched in working-class power and anti-capitalist spirit.”

Says the band: “We wanted to bring back the old tradition of a syndicalist music act that would speak to laborers everywhere. We kinda grew tired of singing revolutionary punk songs to an already convinced revolutionary punk crowd. We wanted to bring what we had to say about the system and how it can be changed a step further. It’s Joe Hill who said: ‘A pamphlet, no matter how good, is never read more than once, but a song is learned by heart and repeated over and over.’ And we think that does make a lot of sense!”

They’re a band that is always on the front lines—a band that has played countless benefit shows for anti-fascist, anti-colonial, union, student movement, community organizing, and other righteous causes. They’re involved with the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), COBP (Committee to End Police Brutality), and RASH (Red and Anarchist Skinheads). They’re known for showing up at picket lines, saying: “We’ve taken up a habit of stopping by to visit striking workers, chatting with them, playing a few songs. It’s always a very rich moment of exchange, and we learn a lot.”

Spring Magazine summed up the band’s raison d’être quite nicely—and much better than I ever could: “It’s clear that Union Thugs see the need for cultural expression that represents the ideas of the proletarian, and not the ruling class. By creating art that is not just for, but by and relating to workers, we are able to actually share and communicate radical ideas while also creating platforms for organization.”

Autodifesa Proletaria

Autodifesa Proletaria

“Light the fuse of your passion / Your thought is an armed fist / Proletarian consciousness / Worker’s autonomy”

—”I Compagni Che Sparano Non Sono Criminali”, Autodifesa Proletaria

I first came across Autodifesa Proletaria, whose members hail from both Rome and Bologna, on December 15, 2023, when they released a demo entitled Assalto al Cielo (Assault the Sky). Says guitarist Gio: “The band was born from the urge to express our political point of view in the punk and Oi! scene, and to say that politics must be central in the punk scene and movement.”

The demo was dedicated to Walter Alasia, who was, as the band noted, a “communist militant, a fighter, a young son of the working class, a partisan.” A member of the Red Brigades, Walter was executed by police on December 15, 1976. One reviewer said of the demo: “This three-track EP deals a lot with the Red Brigades, both in the samples or the lyrics. Three tracks full of class hatred and a desire to strike back.” Others noted: “Assalto al Cielo expertly mixes hardcore punk and Oi! with some guitar solos with metal references. The powerful and hoarse singing conveys the anger with which the lyrics are imbued.”

The band’s latest release, 2024’s Autunno Caldo (Hot Autumn), confirms that this is a band steeped in and taking lessons from the comrades and revolutionary struggles of Italy’s autonomist and extra-parliamentary Left of the late 1970s/1980s—the “Anni di piombo” (Years of Lead), as they’ve become known. “To say it smells like gunpowder would be an understatement,” said one review. Says the band: “We are young and pissed off just like they were; we want to encourage people to become politically aware and overturn this rotten system.” And: “We put emphasis on that movement because it is a taboo in Italy to talk about that period, but we think it has been one of the best and most advanced examples of struggle in our country, and we think the analysis that those movements did about the developments of capitalism are still valid today.”

Musically, Autodifesa Proletaria are, as noted, a mix of hardcore, punk, and Oi!. The band is also quick to acknowledge its musical and political debt to the amazing Italian political punk outfit Erode. In fact, they cover an Erode song, “Orgoglio Proletario,” on Autunno Caldo. According to the band, Erode’s 2004 release Tempo Che Non Ritorna “is like the Bible and Capital in one work. Only, that album is better than both the Bible and Capital.”

The Fallout

The Fallout

“The time has come to claim our space / To make our mark and there won’t be no disgrace / Workers of the world there’ll be no mistake / When brothers and sisters are united today”

—”Another Way”, The Fallout

The Fallout (out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada) have been fighting the good fight since 2004, have seven releases to their name, and dole out, as they put it: “partisan and unapologetically political agitp(r)op punk rock, songs of unity, inclusion, solidarity and struggle.”

In essence, it’s catchy-as-heck, sing-along, three-chord, three-minute-long political punk rock. “The Fallout are a throwback to a time when protest punk was just as much about the tunes as it was about the message. These guys write catchy songs that are tailor made for you to shout along with.”

“Fist-pumping punk rock anthems railing against injustice, inequality, and the systemic oppression of the people. It’s music in the grand tradition of late ’70s/early ’80s political punk rock and the protest folk that inspired it.”

Singer/guitarist Byron says: “We typically play songs that have something to say, very quickly.” As they say about themselves in the song “In This Land,” they’re “just another punk rock band” that’s written “some songs, about protecting rights and correcting all the wrongs.”

One thing I love about the band is that a lot of their songs focus on or deal with issues from a Canadian perspective—like gun violence in Toronto, migrant workers in the Niagara region, and raising Canada’s minimum wage.

Says Byron: “I guess we think that local action everywhere amounts to global action. More than anything we sing about concerns we have and can hopefully do something about as Canadians. I see a tendency to focus on US crimes while thinking Canada doesn’t have its own shame to bear. It’s easier to point fingers than to look in the mirror. It seems more productive to rage about something we can affect with our votes and our numbers.”

As reviewers noted: “These guys are true believers in the idea that songs can change the world—or at least that songs have the power to inspire the people who will change the world.” Echoing this, Byron modestly points out: “Chant-along working-class hymns don’t create change. At most we’re bringing awareness to social issues. Real changes are being made by real people every day at union halls, the United Way, Canadian Blood Services, the Daily Bread Food Bank.”

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite reviews of the band: “The Fallout make you wanna get up, dance and then go and do nasty but well-deserved things to animal abusers/fascists/cops while happily humming one of their delightful ditties.”

Lee Reed

Lee Reed

“This is defiance / The slingshot rock that fought the Goliath / That full-blown riotous violence, / Smash the system and its tyrants / This is a fist up!”

—”Killshot”, Lee Reed

Lee Reed, from my hometown of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, is, in his own words, “Kanadian Hip-Hop’s oldest and grumpiest revolutionary rap loudmouth.” Lee’s been at it for over 25 years, first with his seven-piece band Warsawpack, which was signed to Propagandhi’s G7 Welcoming Committee record label, and now as a solo artist making far-left radical hip-hop—or, as he puts it, “old-timey boom bap hip-hop, with a batshit radical leftist lean.”

While a hip-hop artist, Lee is no stranger to punk rock. In fact, he’s played a few of the local punk shows I’ve put on over the years: “From my early days with Warsawpack, getting signed to G7 Welcoming Committee, and growing up in the Hamilton music community, I’ve always had a great musical and personal relationship with punks and the punk community. The ethos and DIY spirit of punk has had as much of an influence on my writing and performance as hip-hop has.” He’ll actually be playing with another band on this list, Union Thugs, here in Hamilton later this month!

Lee is also no stranger to activism and organizing, especially locally. “I’ve played and organized tons of fundraising events over the years, with particular attention paid to indigenous solidarity work, and housing and anti-gentrification work. Raising fists and funds for local causes/orgs/campaigns is a big part of what me and the squad do. We’re always happy to take the stage for comrades!”

Apart from his solo work, Lee is also part of the hip-hop collective Rymethink Collective, whose mission is: “To create and disseminate expressly revolutionary Hip-Hop: to soundtrack & support the frontline efforts of freedom fighters and social movements; to popularize anti-colonial, anti-capitalist, anti-fascist and anti-authoritarian politics in Hip-Hop; to wield words as weapons in the fight for social and environmental justice; and to fly a phat musical middle finger at all would-be masters, and the thugs & sycophants that serve them.”

Asked whether he considers himself a musician or an activist, or both, I think Lee captures perfectly what it’s all about, not just for him, but for the bands on this list and other like-minded artists:

The song itself can act in the way a pamphlet or zine might, spreading radical info and awareness about something. There is that.

But, I think, for me, the true crossover of music into real activism/organizing comes when artists give and use their music for the material benefit of a struggle. Use their performances and recordings to bolster the work of frontline resistance and sites of struggle.

Like, running fundraisers for organizations. Selling recordings where the proceeds go to radical organizations and campaigns. Donating music or songwriting for a campaign site or video. Using music as a spectacle for blockades and occupations. Using music and concerts to help refuel and invigorate organizers in the trenches. That sort of thing.

I think when you can use your music to support struggle, in meaningful and material ways—you are properly using your art as activism. And I’ve always worked hard to do that.

Amenaza Mexicana Volume 2

The first  Rebel Time Records release of 2022!

Amenaza Mexicana Volume 2: Ruido Para Sobrevivir Al Capitalismo En El Tercer Mundo’ / ‘Noise To Survive Capitalism In The Third World’ 

A free / pwyc download on the Discos Machete and Rebel Time Records bandcamp pages … 12 tracks from 12 bands … brought to you by the International Anti-Capitalist Punk and Hardcore Syndicate 

Hard copies (cassettes) will be available shortly!

Here’s our very own Afterboltxebike with the song Gentrificación

… from the liner notes …

De La Escena Para La Escena
From The Scene To The Scene
De La Scene Pour La Scene

Ama La Musica, Odia El Fascismo

Amenaza Mexicana regresa con un segundo cassette compilatorio llamada “Ruido para sobrevivir al capitalismo en el tercer mundo” preparado y organizado por el Sindicato Internacional del Punk y Hardcore Anticapitalista.

En el Volumen 2 mezclamos bandas de distintos géneros del punk; punk rock melódico, hardcore, hardcore punk, gótico, raw punk y horror punk de distintas ciudades de todo México.

Rebel Time Records, Discos Machete, Sangre Caliente e Incendiario siguen trabajando de manera unida para apoyar a las bandas a difundir su música de manera virtual y física.

From the scene to the scene
From The Scene To The Scene
De La Scene Pour La Scene

Love music, hate fascism

Mexican Threat returns with a second compilation cassette called “Noise to survive capitalism in the third world” prepared and organized by the International Anti-Capitalist Punk and Hardcore Union.

In Volume 2 we mix bands from different genres of punk; melodic punk rock, hardcore, hardcore punk, goth, raw punk and horror punk from different cities throughout Mexico.

Rebel Time Records, Discos Machete, Sangre Caliente and Incendiario continue to work together to support bands to spread their music virtually and physically.

Interview With Diego Armando

… here’s an interview with Diego Armando, singer / guitarist for Afterboltxebike … borrowed from the Más Punk que tú! blog …

Afortunadamente el punk ha permitido que gente de distintas formas de pensar converjan en la música y en la amistad. Monterrey me ha dejado grandes compis y uno de ellos es Diego, que desde la hoz y el martillo ofrece una propuesta HC política y sin nada  de medias tintas.

Te conocí en el tiempo de Rotten tocando Hardcore, rápido y poco thrashero, como fue qué llegaste a la escena punk?

Pinche gustazo el conocerte, verdá de dios, yo me juntaba con los de Fight Back, con ellos comencé a ir a las tocadas; primero a las de San Nicolás (municipio metropolitano cerca de Monterrey) que eran de las bandas de hardcore locales, eso fue a mediadios de los 90, en esa época me tocó a ir a unos Días de Colectividad y ahí conocer a las bandas de punk locales, después juntarnos con los de Plan 9 en las tocadas que ellos hacían que eran otras bandas de punk mas influenciadas por lo melódico y el punk de esos años de la Epitaph. Mi hermano Dani y yo comenzamos a escuchar bandas de punk ochentero de Finlandia como Kaaos y Rattus, lo mas rápido de Ratos de Porao, el crust de Disrupt, el thrash punk de D.R.I., S.O.D., M.O.D. y todas las bandas con siglas, también el thrashcore de What Happen Next?  y fue cuando hicimos Rotten con la idea de mezclar ese tipo de géneros y nos salió un mugrero.

Personalmente Brigada Roja me gustaba mucho, ¿cómo fue que esa banda surgió en una escena regia despolitizada?

Supongo que por mi terquedad, después de Rotten yo quería seguir tocando pero no encontraba con quien hasta que conocí a Mike y a Ángel quienes querían tocar punk y hardcore, pero en ese momento la mayoría de las bandas de hardcore regias estaban muy influidas por el metal o la actitud “thug guy”, algo que no queríamos hacer ninguno de los 3, la idea que teníamos era tocar rápido mas al estilo Minor Threat, Seven Seconds, H2O, pero también nos gusta mucho la onda vasca de Kortatu, La Polla y Eskorbuto, entonces por ahí le dimos.  La cuestión política fue porque en ese momento los 3 andábamos de dizque comunistas y fue algo que discutimos previamente, no queríamos hablar de los temas habituales de ese momento entre las bandas regias que se limitaban a cantar sobre la amistad o enemistad y demás tópicos clichés, entonces decidimos hacer algo mas político, Mike fue el responsable del 90% de las letras y tal vez yo solo hice 1 o 2 canciones. En ese momento, tocar ese estilo de música con letras hablando sobre política, nos “cerró” algunas “puertas” pero nos abrió otras donde si eramos bienvenidos.

Cuéntanos de tu actual banda y ese primer vinilo de Afterboltxebike.

Hay dos cosas que yo no puedo dejar de hacer: la primera es dejar de tocar y la segunda dejar mi trabajo político, sin esos dos elementos (y sin mi familia) mi vida no tendría sentido. Para mi el punk es intrínsecamente político, entonces ahí puedo cubrir dos partes importantes de mi vida. Y  los buenos lectores podrán preguntarse ¿a que viene esta perorata? Pues es por mi terquedad de querer seguir tocando, ante todos los pinches problemas con el grupo, que seguimos tocando con Afterboltxebike. Mas o menos fue lo mismo que con Brigada, seguir la linea política anticapitalista y antifascista, algo que sigue sin caer o gustar en Monterrey. Las primeras canciones las hicimos mas punk del estilo Kortatu y Núcleo Terco pero también con unos toques al estilo Negative Approach y Minor Threat, hicimos 7 canciones mas un cover de Ópcio K-95 y sacamos un casete con la ayuda de nuestro amigo Randy de Rebel Time Records. Ahora estamos en proceso de sacar un 7 pulgadas con 2 canciones nuevas y nuestra versión de Odio a la policía de las Vergas, nos están apoyando de nuevo el camarada Randy y Dure Réalité de Canada y con Victor Le Chinoise de Discos Machete de la CDMX. Creo que el 7 suena mas hardcore punk que las otras canciones. Y la idea de Afterboltxebike es hacer propaganda en forma de música.

Hace algunos años me enteré se comenzaba una  organización antifascista en monterrey,  ¿cómo les fue con eso?

Pues yo creo que les fue mal, varios compas andaban ahí, pero les falto mucho trabajo, varios de los que iniciaron eso no estaban ni comprometidos y lo hacían por otros motivos ajenos a la cuestión política. Yo no me quise involucrar porque militaba en otra organización comunista, los apoyé en varias actividades, pero a varios de ellos les falto mucho compromiso y seriedad. No podría comentar mas sobre el tema porque no participaba ahí.

¿La música es sólo música?  Se puede terminar  rockeando con una banda que al final tiene letras racistas, homofóbicas o antifeministas con el pretexto de que tocan bien chido.

Si y no, cada quien debe decidir si “La música es sólo música”, las bandas que yo he escuchado que son racistas o fachas sinceramente están bien gachas, suenan feo, la voz chillona del Ian Stuart es mas fea que mi voz (y la mía es horrible). No le encuentro sentido a escuchar bandas que te denigran como ser humano, me parece muy pendejo escuchar una banda que diga, por poner un ejemplo, que esta en contra de los inmigrantes y que sean nacionalistas, pues uno ya sabe que son racistas, y luego andan pagando por verlos. No tiene ni sentido que esas bandas nazionalistas vayan a los países de donde salen esos inmigrantes que tanto odian. Existiendo tantas bandas que no son ni racistas, ni machistas, ni nacionalistas ¿qué pinche necesidad tiene la gente de escuchar bandas nazis?

Luego están quienes se hacen pendejos y van y tocan con las personas que sabemos tienen gustos “raritos” por las ideas racistas o nazis y no dicen nada, y lo peor es cuando esas bandas se dicen antifas o anarquistas o comunistas pero por tocar van con los fachillos a sus tocadas, hay varios así en Mty.

Tu orientación política te ha impedido relacionarte con la escena Punk en México?  O pregunto de otra forma, a la escena punk le ha costado relacionarse contigo por tu orientación política (¡No, Diego no es facho!)?

De mi parte no, de las otras personas pues creo que tampoco, por lo menos no que yo me haya dado cuenta.

Algunas veces he pensado que la escena está inundada de drogas y alcohol, esto lo veo más precisamente en CDMX y EDOMEX. No es por un carácter moralista, a mí me encanta la cerveza, pero a veces pareciera que no te puedes divertir si no estás borracho o drogado. ¿Qué opinas de esto?

Yo sigo sin entender esa banda que se cree muy antisistema o muy rebelde por andar bien ebria o drogada. Creo que para emborracharse y drogarse no tienen ni que salir de su casa, dejen que las personas se diviertan en las tocadas. Quienes escuchamos punk y sus variantes no estamos exentos de recibir la información del resto de la sociedad, las ideas, que para mi son reaccionarias, del alcohol y las drogas permean de manera muy fuerte en la microsociedad que le llamamos escena.

Prefieres:

Old school o new school. No school.
Straight edge o sociopolítico. Para mi es lo mismo.
Oi! o punk. Suenan igual.
Agua natural o refrescos (sodas). Agua.
Carne asada o piza. Ajua, carne asada.
Bandanas o gorras. Bandana, pero cualquiera de las dos me hace ver mal.

Shorts (bermudas) o pantalón. Chores

 Por qué crees que ahora que esta Morena en la presidencia mucha gente en México lo ve  como un Mesías.  ¿Estamos  necesitados  de un icono  que nos proteja, seremos infantes perpetuos?

Al parecer no hemos pasado la etapa del caudillismo, también porque el Peje tiene como 15 años o mas en campaña electoral, la gente esta tan cansada del PRI y del PAN que votaron por cualquier cosa que no tuviera los logos del PRI y el PAN, pero pues votaron por pura gente formada política y culturalmente en el PRI y en el PAN. También hay que sumarle que la izquierda anticapitalista no ha podido presentar una opción para la mayoría de la población. Lo que necesitamos es una organización política seria, comprometida, que haga trabajo de base, que no se quede en las tocadas, que salga a la calle, que este codo a codo con el pueblo, ahí si, nos falta madurar en esos aspectos.

¿Por qué en Nuevo León revivieron esa onda de la república de rio grande y porque con el tránsito de inmigrantes en busca del sueño americano salió lo peor de la gente de Monterrey y su área metropolitana (ésta área en específico, ya que no tengo entre mis contactos gente de otros municipios)?

Creencias de gente pendeja. Los pendejitos que traen sus chingaderas de la República de no se que mierda son los mismos que piensan que Porfirio Díaz fue un buen presidente y que enaltecen a Maximiliano de Habsburgo, son fachos de closet.

Sobre lo de la inmigración, la sociedad regia es muy ignorante pero no es culpa del pueblo, es culpa del gobierno, de los ricos y de los medios masivos de comunicación (básicamente es culpa de la superestructura burguesa del capitalismo regio). Durante décadas les han metido en la mente ideas racistas y reaccionarias.

Una de mis canciones favoritas de brigada Roja decía: ¡porque no nacimos en el mismo lugar, por no somos de la misma clase social! Y siempre me remitió a pensar en los privilegios y que realmente nos ayudaría a entender un chingo de cosas. Podrías  explicar más  de esto, si es que estamos en la misma postura.

La letra de la canción habla sobre las diferencias de clases sociales y sobre las constantes criticas que recibimos quienes pensamos que podemos construir un mundo mejor, un mundo distinto en el que hoy sobrevivimos y sufrimos. La frase a la que haces referencia quiere dejar en claro esa parte, hay quienes tienen mas privilegios que otros, aun asi, las personas con mas privilegios pueden tener empatía con las personas que son de la clase proletaria, lo malo es cuando los proletarios sueñan con querer ser ricos, o sea, sueñan con explotar a otras personas, que es la fantasía que nos venden los capitalistas.

Desde hace unos años hemos visto que viejas bandas regresaron a tocar, ¿a quien te  gustaría ver en vivo y porque?

Quisiera ver a Minor Threat o a Kortatu en vivo, pero dudo que vayan a volver a tocar. Esas son dos de las bandas de las que mas he aprendido, que, creo yo, interpretaron el punk de la manera mas correcta siendo consecuentes entre lo que decían y lo que hacían, algo que es muy difícil y que a la mayoría de las bandas poco o nada les interesa. Para mi ahí radica una gran diferencia entre solo escribir canciones y entre escribir lo que vives y haces.

Cuando tendríamos en México el 7” y ¿que podemos esperar  en cuestión de música?

Buena pregunta que no sabría como responder, pero tengo muy buenas excusas. Como desde hace un año vivo exiliado por cuestiones que no vamos a discutir aquí pero cualquiera puede imaginarse, el proceso del 7’ ha sido muy difícil; queríamos meter 3 canciones nuevas originales pero no teníamos ni un miserable riff hecho, así que en diciembre del 2019 fui a Monterrey 1 semana y ahí tuvimos que hacer las canciones desde cero, pero por falta de tiempo y creatividad solo pudimos hacer 2 canciones y una intepretación propia de un cover de las Vergas, en esa semana solo grabamos las bases y las voces porque tenia que regresarme al exilio. Después Hugo y Marcos tuvieron que grabar sus partes, editar, etc… y pues que llega el inesperado Covid-19, alias el coronavirus, que ha entorpecido mas el proceso, y para rematar, al parecer, la fábrica de discos había detenido sus operaciones, algo que no sabemos exactamente.

La música suena mas hardcore punk, con partes mas rápidas, las letras son parte del concepto del disco que llamamos Agitación Marxista y sobre aviso no hay engaño, las letras hablan exactamente de eso.

Yo pensaba que no íbamos a vender ni un casete del álbum anterior por la estética del diseño, por las letras de la banda, que aparte están en español y por cuestión de distribución lo están vendiendo en Canadá y Estados Unidos, pero se ha movido muy bien, así que en el 7’ traducimos las letras al ingles y al francés y esperamos se mueva igual de bien que el casete.

Es momento de despedirnos. Danos algunas palabras finales.

Gracias por apoyarnos, invito a las personas que quieran hacer un cambio en su entorno, en su realidad, a salirse de su confort, ir a las calles, a las fabricas, estar codo a codo con la clase trabajadora. Si quieren defender el anarquismo o el comunismo, que lo hagan con convicción, no solo en las tocadas sino afuera con el resto de las personas. Les dejo una frase del comunista italiano Antonio Gramsci, que fue preso por la dictadura fascista hasta su muerte: “Instrúyanse, porque necesitaremos de toda nuestra inteligencia; conmuévanse, porque necesitaremos todo nuestro entusiasmo; organícense, porque necesitaremos de toda nuestra fuerza”

Afterboltxebike – Working Class Revolution / Marxist Agitation

Afterboltxebike: anti-capitalist, anti-fascist, anti-racist, agit-prop punk from Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

“Marxist Agitation” is the name of their latest release, a three song EP of anti-capitalist, class-struggle, combat-core. It’s out on Discos Machete, Dure Realite, Incendiario and Rebel Time Records bandcamp pages.

“Marxist Agitation” is available as a free / pay what you can download at both the Discos Machete and Rebel Time Records bandcamp pages.

Here’s the three tracks from the EP, set to footage from the film  “The Battle of Chile,” a documentary film directed by Patricio Guzman. The film was released, in three parts: The Insurrection of the Bourgeoisie (1975), The Coup d’état (1976), Popular Power (1979).

About the film:

“Filmed in the months preceding the September 11 coup, it combines hundreds of on-the-street interviews with intimate footage from Chile’s political battlefields — street demonstrations, judicial proceedings, workers’ assemblies inside occupied factories, even fascist rallies where battalions of shock-troops strut in formation down public streets.

Guzmán’s documentary offers a rare glimpse at a revolutionary process in its most heightened period of crisis — dispossessed elites conspire to lay siege to the economy from within, emboldened workers seize factories and demand arms, and, throughout it all, the specter of a dissident military threatens the survival of one of history’s most promising socialist movements. It’s a harrowing story.

But the film’s greatest strength may be its portrayal of Chilean workers. In nearly every scene, workers show themselves to be a powerful and transformative force — the people who make history rather than the people to whom history happens. In The Battle for Chile, we witness ordinary people at their best, using the organizational resources at their disposal to collectively make sense of a disorienting and high-stakes reality — and ultimately confronting both business and state elites in an effort to establish a radically new kind of society.”

Track One: Manifiesto

SPANISH

Durante siglos hemos sido explotados
Somos los pobres, somos los proletarios
Nuestra existencia es producto
Del sistema capitalista
Con nuestras manos construimos la riqueza
Que se la apropian los dueños de las empresas
A nosotros solos nos dejan
Las migajas que nos quieren dar

Una clase, solo una trinchera
Revolucion de la clase obrera

Ahora estamos desorganizados
Sin unidad o en sindicatos blancos
Es hora de abrir los ojos
Y tomar los medios de producción
Organizados en una sola clase
Sin religiones ni miedo a sus dioses
Codo a codo los trabajadores
Construiremos un mundo mejor

FRENCH

Nous avons été exploités pendant des siècles
Nous sommes pauvres et prolétaires
Notre existence est le produit
Du système capitaliste
Nous construisons la richesse avec nos mains
Les propriétaires des entreprises nous la volent
Ils ne nous laissent que les miettes
qu’ils veulent bien nous donner

Une classe, une seule tranchée
Révolution de la classe ouvrière

Aujourd’hui nous sommes désorganisés
Sans unité ou dans des syndicats soc-dem
Il est temps s’ouvrir les yeux
Et de prendre les moyens de production
Organisés en une seule classe
Sans religions, ni peur de leurs dieux
Coudes serrés, les travailleurs
Nous construirons un monde meilleur

ENGLISH

We’ve been exploited for centuries
We are the poor and the proletariat
Our existence is a product
Of the capitalist system
We build wealth with our hands
While the business owners steal it
Leaving us only crumbs that they are happy to give us

One class, one trench
Working class revolution

We’re not organized today
Without unity or in social democratic unions
It is time that we open our eyes
And seize the means of production
Organized into a single class
Without religion, without fear of their gods
Arm in arm, workers
We will build a better world

Track Two: Consciencia De Clase

SPANISH

Encerrado en una fabrica
Trabajando sin descanso
Produciendo las ganancias
Para enriquecer al patron

DESPIERTA, COMBATE, CONCIENCIA DE CLASE

Diez horas en una cocina
Perdiendo toda mi vida
Laborando por un salario
Para poder sobrevivir

FRENCH

Enfermé dans une usine
Travaillant sans répit
Produisant des bénéfices
Pour enrichir le patron

RÉVEILLE-TOI, COMBATS
CONSCIENCE DE CLASSE

Dix heures dans une cuisine
Je perds toute ma vie
Je travaille pour un salaire
Pour pouvoir survivre

ENGLISH

Locked in a factory
Working tirelessly
Making money
To enrich the boss

WAKE UP! FIGHT!
CLASS CONSCIOUSNESS!

Ten hours in a kitchen
I lose my entire life
Working for a wage
Just to survive

Track Three – A.C.A.B. ( cover of Hate The Police by The Dicks )

SPANISH

Mami, mami, mami
Mira a tu hijo
Debías haberme amado
porque ahora estoy armado
ya me uní a la Fuerza Civil

Papi, papi, papi
orgulloso de tu hijo
conseguí un buen trabajo ,
matando obreros e indios
ahora soy de la Guardia Nacional
ahora soy de la Guardia Nacional

Afterboltxebike
Odia a la policía
Es el brazo de represión
De la burguesía
También odiamos a la Guardia Nazional
También odiamos al ICE
Odiamos al ICE

Donald, Donald
Mira a tus hijos
Arrestando y separando
Familias de sus hijos
Todo por ser ilegal
Todo por ser ilegal
Por ser ilegal

FRENCH

Maman, maman, maman
Regarde ton fils
Tu aurais du m’aimer
Maintenant je suis armé
Et j’ai rejoint la Force Civile

Papa, papa, papa,
Fier de ton fils
J’ai trouvé un bon boulot
Pour tuer des ouvriers et des indiens
Maintenant je suis de la Garde Nationale
Maintenant je suis de la Garde Nationale

Afterboltxebike
Déteste la police
Le bras de la répression
De la bourgeoisie
Nous détestons aussi la Garde Nationale
Nous détestons aussi l’ICE
Nous détestons l’ICE

Donald, Donald
Regarde tes enfants
Qui arrêtent et séparent
Des familles de leurs enfants
Juste parce qu’ils sont illégaux
Juste parce qu’ils sont illégaux
Parce qu’ils sont illégaux

ENGLISH

Mommy, mommy, mommy
Look at your son
You might have loved
But now I’ve got a gun
And now I’ve become a cop

Daddy, daddy, daddy,
Proud of your son
He got him a good job
Killing workers and indians
Now I’ve joined the National Guard
Now I’ve joined the National Guard

Afterboltxebike
Hate the police
The repressive arm
Of the bourgeoisie
We also hate the National Guard
We also hate ICE
We hate ICE

Donald, Donald.
Look at your kids
That arrest and separate
Families and their kids
Just because they’re illegal
Just because they’re illegal
Because they are illegal

Afterboltxebike – Marxist Agitiation EP

… out now  on almost all digital platforms, 7″ vinyl coming sooner than later …

Afterboltxebike : punk agitprop, anticapitalista, antifascista, antirracista de Nuevo León, México. 3 rolas de combat-core anticapitalista para la lucha de clases. Cantos sediciosos y gritos de unidad revolucionaria traídos por Discos Machete, Dure Réalité, Incendiario y Rebel Time Records.

Afterboltxebike: anti-capitalist, anti-fascist, anti-racist, agitprop punk from Nuevo Leon, Mexico. Three tracks of anti-capitalist, class-struggle combat-core. Seditious songs / revolutionary rallying cries. Brought to you by Discos Machete, Dure Realite, Incendiario and Rebel Time Records

Afterboltxebike: punk agitprop, anticapitaliste, antifasciste, antiraciste de l’état de Nuevo León au Mexique. 3 morceaux de combat-core anticapitaliste pour la lutte de clases. Chansons séditieuses et cris révolutionnaires offerts par Discos Machete, Dure Réalité, Incendiario et Rebel Time Records

Review ( in German and English ) from Underdog Fanzine:

Afterboltxebike sind eine Hardcore-Punkband aus San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexiko, die 2015 mit der Absicht gegründet wurde, kommunistische/marxistische Inhalte in einem rauen Sound zu betten. Der Bandname stammt von einem Lied der baskischen Punkband Kortatu (die ein explosives Gemisch aus Ska- und Punkelemente gebraut haben) und wird After Bolsheviks gesprochen. Sie vermitteln ihre Botschaft aber nicht nur über Musik, Marcos, Hugo und Diego beteiligen sich auch an verschiedenen politischen Initiativen.

Working Class und Hass auf die Polizei in simplen melodischen Strukturen, die knallen wie ein Molotow-Cocktail. Rau. Laut und schroffe Riffs, heiser-krakeelige Vocals und fertig ist die musikalische Version für eine visionäre bessere Welt, in der es nur eine Klasse, eine Einheit gibt, ohne Religion, Arm in Arm mit den workers of today!

3 Songs, die mit dunklen Klangfarben Eindruck schinden und in einem Sound ertönen, der geeignet ist für den Marsch der Working class revolution.

Afterboltxebike are a hardcore punk band from San Nicolás de los Garza, Mexico, which was founded in 2015 with the intention of embedding communist / Marxist content in a raw sound. The band’s name comes from a song by the Basque punk band Kortatu (who brewed an explosive mixture of ska and punk elements) and is spoken after After Bolsheviks. They convey their message not only through music, Marcos, Hugo and Diego also participate in various political initiatives.

Working class and hatred of the police in simple melodic structures that pop like a Molotov cocktail. Rough. Loud and rugged riffs, hoarse-crackled vocals and the musical version is ready for a visionary better world in which there is only one class, one unit, without religion, arm in arm with the workers of today!

3 songs that make an impression with dark timbres and sound in a sound that is suitable for the march of the working class revolution.

 

Afterboltxebike – 3-Song EP Out Soon

In association with Incendiario Fanzine, Discos Machete, Dure Realitie and possibly one or two other like-minded labels, we’re happy to announce the forthcoming release of a 3-song EP from Afterboltxebike!

INCENDIARIO is a political hardcore punk and straight-edge zine from Mexico. You can read a fantastic article about the zine (and download PDFs of the first four issues of the zine at DIY Conspiracy.

DISCOS MACHETE is a new label out of Mexico . From their statement of purpose: “Machete Records is an independent label based in Mexico City. From our barricade we seek to support, promote and disseminate anti-authoritarian, anti-fascist and politically committed musical projects. Long live the sounds of the revolution!”

DURE REALITIE is:  “a self-managed and militant Montreal association that wishes to promote a revolutionary culture through artistic outlets. We believe that a label that shows clearly its political positions will support, promote and develop scenes where all forms of discrimination and reactionary ideas won’t be tolerated. Dure Réalité wishes to act as a bridge between Europe and North America. We will contribute to the exposure of local, national and international bands and collectives. The objective of this project is to offer logistical support to bands who wish to tour in Canada, the United-States and different European countries, as a support for the production of new material, musical promotion and diffusion for bands who are clearly antifascist, anticapitalist and/or feminist. Centered more particularly on punk, hardcore, skinhead, reggae, hip-hop and graffiti counter-cultures. Dure Réalité will offer its services for event organizing, distribution, promotion, musical production as well as a media platform.”

On the upcoming EP, you’ll get songs dealing with class consciousness, working class revolution and hating cops, ICE and the National Guard, all done up in Afterboltxebike’s inimitable style.

The band’s first Rebel Time Records release, the 8-song “No Pasaran” cassette was described thusly:

“Anti-capitalist, anti-fascist, anti-racist, and one hundred percent communist punk from Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The cover shows the band sitting in front of a table spread out with several classic punk records including Black Flag, Bad Religion, Operation Ivy, and Sick Of It All but their sound is more of the vein of street punk and at their toughest reminiscent of early Fucked Up. The lyrics are all in Spanish and are what you would expect from an anti-authoritarian band with subjects such as killing fascists, living in an exhausting working class society, and the importance of reading (“read to study, read to learn, read to liberate!”) As part of the proletariat, I identify with much of what they’re pissed about, particularly the lyrics in “No Pasaran”: “I’m sick of waking up at 4AM day after day, not to go running, not to eat, not even to watch TV… moonlighting not for fun but for necessity…” That’s me! Good stuff! –Juan Espinosa (Razorcake)

Here’s “De Que Lado Estas” from the “No Pasaran” cassette:

No tengo duda estoy convencido Que mis patrones son mis enemigos No aspiro a ser como uno de ellos Mi fuerza esta con los obreros Las cadenas que te tienen atado Están en tu cabeza, están en tus manos Nuestra trinchera te está esperando Nuestro camino está muy claro Revolución del proletariado Nuestro sendero está iluminado Por los comunistas que han luchado ¿De qué lado estas? ¿Del patrón o del proletariado?

I have no doubt, I am convinced That the bosses are my enemies I do not aspire to be like one of them My strength is with the workers The chains that have you tied They are in your head, they are in your hands Our struggle is waiting for you You are with the bosses or with the exploited ones Our way is very clear Revolution of the proletariat Our path is illuminated By the Communists who have fought What side are you on? Of the boss or the proletariat What side are you on?

New Afterboltxebike in 2020

… very stoked to be part of an upcoming release (along with one or two other like-minded labels) from Afterboltxebike … the band’s 2019 8-song cassette release “No Pasaran”( out on Rebel Time Records ) has been described as “anti-capitalist, anti-fascist, anti-racist, and one hundred percent communist punk from Nuevo Leon, Mexico” … we’re sure their upcoming 3-song ep will be more of the same … !

Afterboltxebike Cassette – Out Now!


As previously noted, we’ve been awaiting the arrival of the Afterboltxebike cassettes … well, the wait is over … tapes are in hand and we’re stoked! 8 tracks of anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, anti-fascist punk rock …

Here’s a review of the cassette from Razorcake:

“Anti-capitalist, anti-fascist, anti-racist, and one hundred percent communist punk from Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The cover shows the band sitting in front of a table spread out with several classic punk records including Black Flag, Bad Religion, Operation Ivy, and Sick Of It All but their sound is more of the vein of street punk and at their toughest reminiscent of early Fucked Up. The lyrics are all in Spanish and are what you would expect from an anti-authoritarian band with subjects such as killing fascists, living in an exhausting working class society, and the importance of reading (“read to study, read to learn, read to liberate!”) As part of the proletariat, I identify with much of what they’re pissed about, particularly the lyrics in “No Pasaran”: “I’m sick of waking up at 4AM day after day, not to go running, not to eat, not even to watch TV… moonlighting not for fun but for necessity…” That’s me! Good stuff! –Juan Espinosa (Rebel Time)”

First came across this band ( from Monterrey, Mexico ) a couple of years ago … they’d released a couple of tunes via Youtube in 2016 and I serendipitously chanced upon them. Then got to chatting with Diego (the singer / guitarist) and the rest is history.

We were more than happy to host their 2018 8-song demo on our bandcamp page, and we’re happy to have been able to help ( in collaboration with Incendiario Zine ) to turn the demo into a re-mixed, re-mastered cassette.

The first song I ever heard from the band, « Pavlichenko » tells the story of famed Soviet sniper/nazi-hunter Liudmyla Mykhailivna Pavlychenko. In telling her story, Afterboltxebike also remind us that, in the struggle against fascism, we need to, figuratively and literally, constantly ‘adjust our sights and reload our weapons.’ The songs ends appropriately with a soundbite from Woody Guthrie’s song « Miss Pavilichenko » … « Fell by your gun, yes, Fell by your gun, For more than three hundred Nazis fell by your gun. »

The second song I heard, « De Que Lado Estas? » asks the simple, yet essential and all-important question, ‘Which Side Are You On?’ For Afterboltxebike, the answer (and the way / the path) is clear, you’re either with the bosses or with the oppressed and this band is on the side of the workers/the proletariat/the exploited. Afterboltxebike knows that class struggle is the motor of history.

Afterboltxebike Interview from OjoXOjo Zine

First came across this band ( from Monterrey, Mexico ) a couple of years ago … they’d released a couple of tunes via Youtube in 2016 and I serendipitously chanced upon them. Then got to chatting with Diego (the singer / guitarist) and the rest is history.

We were more than happy to host their 2018 8-song demo on our bandcamp page, and we’re happy to be working with the band to turn the demo into a cassette…

The first song I ever heard from the band, « Pavlichenko » tells the story of famed Soviet sniper/nazi-hunter Liudmyla Mykhailivna Pavlychenko. In telling her story, Afterboltxebike also remind us that, in the struggle against fascism, we need to, figuratively and literally, constantly ‘adjust our sights and reload our weapons.’ The songs ends appropriately with a soundbite from Woody Guthrie’s song « Miss Pavilichenko » … « Fell by your gun, yes, Fell by your gun, For more than three hundred Nazis fell by your gun. »

The second song I heard, « De Que Lado Estas? » asks the simple, yet essential and all-important question, ‘Which Side Are You On?’ For Afterboltxebike, the answer (and the way / the path) is clear, you’re either with the bosses or with the oppressed and this band is on the side of the workers/the proletariat/the exploited. Afterboltxebike knows that class struggle is the motor of history.

Anyhoo … what follows below is a ( bit of a rough) translation of an interview that Diego just did with  zine, No. 1, March 2019 out of Mexico City and done up by RASH-CDMX, dig it:

Afterboltxebike released their debut demo in mid-2018, and, I must say, I was pleasantly surprised while listening to this. Anti-fascist and anti-capitalist sounds, committed lyrics and a far-from-usual attitude.

Diego (guitar/vox) accepted our request for a small interview for the first issue of OjoXOjo. Support your scene!

 

Who are you?

We’re just people who seek to convey our ideas, opinions, hatred and admiration through music.

How did the band start?

It started with the idea of making political music and, after several rehearsals of songs that had been previously written, we started to write and we got some new ones. We started playing in Monterrey, we’ve organized several gigs with local groups and U.S. groups like Odd Man Out and No Time. In mid-2018 we played Guadalajara and Mexico City.

Afterboltxebike?

It is a clear and obvious reference to Kortatu ( political ska punk band from the Basque country. One of their songs is titled ” After-Boltxebike” ) but also a political statement about what we express in our songs, so that we can hardly be confused with a dodgy or right-wing group.

Musical influences?

Very varied, starting with Kortatu, Negative Approach, Opcio K95, Black Flag, Minor Threat, The Specials, Banda Bassoti, Nuclei Terco, and, something funny is that we all like Nirvana, and we almost always play a couple of covers, though one is really by The Vaselines.

How would you describe your music?

We don’t really have a definition of our music, we’ll leave that to those who listen to us, however, it is a mixture of punk, hardcore and oi!

But, more than just a ‘genre,’ we want to show our hatred of capitalism, against the repressive bad government, against the bosses, and this is expressed in a musical way.

So, you would consider the band to be political?

Definately yes. Afterboltxebike would have no reason to exist if it were not a band with political lyrics.

Communistas Unidos?

It is an organization that was born a few years ago because of the need to have a stronghold of struggle. Only one of the militants of Afterboltxebike is a member of this organization.

What is the scene like in Monterrey?

Very varied when it comes to bands and that’s a good thing. The bad thing is not many people always come out, possibly because of the insecurity that keeps hitting in Monterrey.

Greyzone?

Redzone, blackzone, antifa zone.

Projects?

We hope to very soon release a cassette that will be released with the help of Randy and Rebel Time Records out of Canada.

Anything to add?

Thanks very much for the interview.

As Afterboltxebike, through our music we seek to fight against capitalism and fascism. However, we know that this is not enough and that there is much to be done.  At some of our shows we distribute pamphlets which talk about fascism and anti-fascism, and we also produce a fanzine called Incendiario! as another way of getting the message out.


There is much to be done, not only among the people who go to shows, but in general. There is a class struggle out there that the bourgeoisie is winning because we who are organized as part of the anti-capitalist left are few. We need to be more and better organized, so as not to just be able to defend ourselves, but so that we can take the attack against the Right everywhere we can.

Afterboltxebike – Demo 2018

As noted below, 2018 may have been more of a Year Of Rectification And Regroupment, but that’s not to say we didn’t make some real advances .

While not a Rebel Time Records release, we were stoked to be able to present, ( with the band’s ok ) and as a free / pay-whatever-the-heck-you-want release, Afterboltxebike‘s 2018 demo … a fantastic antifascist and communist punk band from Nuevo León, México, with two members of Comunistas Unidos (United Communists).

Required listening for sure.

We first came across Afterboltxebike back in 2016 when the band released a couple of great tunes ( “Pavlichenko” and “De Que Lado Estas?” ). We got in touch with singer / guitarist Diego, did an interview with him, and the rest is history.