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.

Urban Vietcong – Videos

It’s hard to believe that it’s been two years since Urban Vietcong commenced their Attacco Tour 2019 , a tour which saw them play Germany,  Mexico and Canada. To commemorate this, we’ve put together a few videos featuring footage of the band playing at Hamilton’s This Ain’t Hollywood on October 19, 2019.

URBAN VIETCONG – STORIE TRA BOTTIGLIE E CIMINIERE

from: Storie Tra Bottiglie E Ciminiere / 2018 / Out of Control, Fire and Flames, Rumagna Sgroza, Dure Realite, Rebel Time Records

footage: “Livorno: Unity Against Imperialism” / 1969

footage: Urban Vietcong / Hamilton / October 10, 2019 / Stronger Than Ever Video

A romperci la schiena in fabbrica e cantieri
Nipoti della resistenza coi calli tra le mani
Cresciuti tra un tornio e racconti partigiani
L’orgoglio operaio e’ un leone ferito
Frammentati senza sogni ne paradiso
La lotta di classe è in cassa integrazione
Ricatti quotidiani da un fottuto padrone

Storie vissute tra bottiglie e ciminiere
Tra treni perduti e mani dure come pietre
Storie vissute tra bottiglie e ciminiere
Tra campetti di cemento e schiene chine a bere

Le foto dei cortei sgualcite e scolorite
Ma siamo sempre qua ferite mai guarite
Guesto sistema ancora non ti ha incastrato
Galleggi tra sudore e un disco graffiato
Forza e precisione eran la nostra ragione
Il muro abbattuto a est il nostro sole
Restan nei pugni granelli di sabbia
Nel cuore scheggie di lacrime e rabbia

URBAN VIETCONG – FASTIDIO E AGGREGAZIONE

from: Storie Tra Bottiglie E Ciminiere / 2018 / Out of Control, Fire and Flames, Rumagna Sgroza, Dure Realite, Rebel Time Records

footage: “Don’t Bank On America” / 1970 / a documentary account of the 1970 riots in Isla Vista, California / a rally had been held at the University of California in Santa Barbara to respond to both national and local issues, including the firing of several radical faculty, police harassment of black student activists, and the Viet Nam War / police attacked students leaving the rally, which escalated into a large scale battle for the streets of Isla Vista, during which the Bank of America branch was torched

footage: Urban Vietcong / Hamilton / October 10, 2019 / Stronger Than Ever Video

Bastardi senza gloria
Non scriveremo mai la storia
Generazione fottuta
Tra precariato e cocaina
Tatuaggi e gelatina
Come uomini da copertina
Zero attitudine solo apparenza
Zero senso di appartenenza

Dove sono i ribelli di un tempo
Chi correva controvento
Spargeva sangue sul cemento

Che ogni canzone
Sia come una munizione
Pronta a colpire
A togliere dal torpore

Esci dal branco
Prima di finire al camposanto
Spargi semi di follia
Insegna ai bambini a odiare la polizia

Organizzati confrontati e rifletti
Scrivi sui muri ispirati ai combattenti
Col viso coperto esprimi la tua ragione
Non smettere mai di sognare la tua rivoluzione

Creare fastidio e aggregazione
Nelle menti quiete provocare confusione!

URBAN VIETCONG – CANTICLE DEI CONDANNATI

from: Storie Tra Bottiglie E Ciminiere / 2018 / Out of Control, Fire and Flames, Rumagna Sgroza, Dure Realite, Rebel Time Records

footage: Urban Vietcong / Hamilton / October 10, 2019 / Stronger Than Ever Video

footage: La Classe Operaia Va In Paradiso (Lulù The Tool) / Italy, 1972 / A conscientious factory worker gets his finger cut off by a machine. Although the physical handicap is not serious, the accident causes him to become more involved in political and revolutionary groups.

Quanti anni quella fabbrica ha divorato
Gioventù vola presto via
A lavoro sottopagato
Ogni giorno pura agonia
Gelida questa notte d’inverno
I demoni ti invitano all’inferno
Prendimi e portami via da qua
Finche il sole ci riabbraccerà
Han rubato il tuo futuro
Vorresti andar dritto contro il muro
Non farti ingabbiare resta ribelle
Esci dal fango punta alle stelle
È un cantico dei condannati
Sogni svaniti e cassa integrati
Ti ritrovi da solo in questa città
Bevi un altro whisky al pub
Domande rivolte alla stella polare, nessuna risposta giunge nel quartiere popolare
Dio di noi si è dimenticato, urla e bestemmia in catena l’operaio
Tra questi palazzi che cadono a pezzi
fucina di tossici e di reietti
È un giocar sempre con la sorte
Tra cicatrici e ossa rotte

URBAN VIETCONG – I DONNATTI DELLA TERRA

from: Storie Tra Bottiglie E Ciminiere / 2018 / Out of Control, Fire and Flames, Rumagna Sgroza, Dure Realite, Rebel Time Record

footage: August 26th 1968 rally by the Black Panther Party outside the Alameda County Courthouse in Oakland, in support of Huey P. Newton. Includes scenes of Black Panthers marching and singing: “Revolution has come / off the pigs / time to pick up the gun” and “Free Huey / Black is beautiful!”

footage: Urban Vietcong / Hamilton / October 10, 2019 / Stronger Than Ever Video

Bruciano ancora quegli occhi insanguinati
Come i fratelli dei ghetti americani
A soledad il cuore mio non smette di battere
Pulsa piu forte e continua a combattere
Catene stringono polsi neri
Black power e sempre fieri
Siamo i dannati della terra
Affronteremo questa sporca guerra

La polizia continua a sparare
Pulizia etnica e razziale
Ricorda le pantere nere
Dai quartieri contro il capitale
La disperazione diventi rivoluzione
Lotta di classe senza alcun colore
Come un incendio boschivo
Brucia tutto sul suo cammino

Gettatemi pure all’inferno
Vi prometto odio eterno
Che questa terra sia maledetta

URBAN VIETCONG – GLI INVISIBILI

from: Storie Tra Bottiglie E Ciminiere / 2018 / Out of Control, Fire and Flames, Rumagna Sgroza, Dure Realite, Rebel Time Record

footage: International Women’s Day demonstration outside the FCI Dublin prison in support of political prisoners and prisoners of war / 1988 / At the time FCI Dublin housed approximately ten women political prisoners.

footage: Urban Vietcong / Hamilton / October 10, 2019 / Stronger Than Ever Video

Un orologio è alquanto inutile
Si sfiora la follia dobbiam resistere
Si nasconde il sole non vediamo tramontare
sorrisi che non vediamo scorgere
Ad ogni giro di chiave un po’ si muore dentro
Avvolti da sbarre e grigio cemento
Nessuna carezza familiare ad ogni lamento

Stanotte di nuovo ho sognato l’orizzonte
Il sapore del salmastro e il sole sulla fronte
La pioggia sulla testa e l’odore dell’erba
I brividi sulla pelle e perdersi nelle stelle

Con la mia mente evado e fuggo da questo raggio
Arrivo in Irlanda vedo la dignità di quel 5 maggio
Ammiro Ahed che lotta per la Palestina
Gramsci che riempe i fogli di china
Apo Ocalan che indica la via
Abu Jamal mai a testa china

Come nanni siamo invisibili
la solidarietà ci rende invincibili
No non si può fermare il vento
Degli oppressori saremo tormento

Fall Offensive 2019 – Hamilton – Thursday October 10 – Video

At the moment, words can’t express just how fantastic the past few days spent with Urban Vietcong have been … those words will come … so many people to thank … a considerable community of friends and comrades came together to make the Fall Offensive 2019 portion of Attacco Tour a success on so many levels … a truly international effort, steeped in a love for left-radical punk and politics, based on / in mutual affinity and affection, respect and regard, camaraderie and cooperation.

One of those people we have to thank is Steve from Stronger Than Ever Videos … he’s at every show, documenting the bands and the scene for posterity.

Here’s his footage from the Hamilton stop of Fall Offensive 2019 … thanks Steve … thanks Urban Vietcong, Reckless Upstarts, Barbed Wire Braces and Bring The War Home.

URBAN VIETCONG

RECKLESS UPSTARTS

BARBED WIRE BRACES

BRING THE WAR HOME

Attacco Tour / Fall Offensive 2019

UPDATE: Urban Vietcong will be making a couple of stops in Germany prior to their arrival on these shores …

First up is Postsdam on September 20th where they’ll be playing a solidarity concert for people in that city who have been affected by state repression.

Solikonzert Mit Urban Vietcong

Then, on September 21st, the band is in Kiel for Fire And Flame’s fifth annual “International Convention Of Revolutionary Solidarity And Antifascist Counterculture”

The Workers Have No Fatherland — Fire And Flames Festival 2019

In conjunction with comrades from RASH CDMX (Mexico City), RASH GDL (Guadalajara) and Dure Realitie (Montreal) we are just so incredibly chuffed to be bringing Urban Vietcong over from Livorno, Italy for a few shows in Mexico / Ontario / Quebec … look for a couple of shows in Mexico ( October 4th and October 5th ), 4 or so shows in Ontario and a show or 2 in Quebec … the band will be playing for sure at Revolution Fest VII in Montreal on Saturday, October 12th …

Stay tuned for more info!  Stay tuned for more dates!

The people are  on the march and must have songs to sing!

Siamo tutti Vietcong!

We’ll add show info below as it becomes available … here’s what we have so far …

Urban Vietcong – Attacco Tour – Guadalajara – October 4th

Urban Vietcong – Attacco Tour – Mexico City – October 5th

Here’s some promo for the Mexico shows happening October 4th and October 5th!

And, here is some info about the 3 shows in Ontario and the show in Quebec …

Urban Vietcong – Attacco Tour / Fall Offensive – Toronto – October 8th

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Urban Vietcong – Attacco Tour / Fall Offensive 2019 – Hamilton – October 10th

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Urban Vietcong – Attacco Tour / Fall Offensive 2019 – Waterloo – October 11

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Revolution Fest VII – 2019 – Montreal

And, here are a few tunes from a few of the bands playing the Attacco Tour / Fall Offensive 2019 … a work in progress …

Urban Vietcong – “2019 Punk Rock At Its Best”

Rad review of the new Urban Vietcong album from the good people at Punk Online!

“Hailing from Livorno, Italy, Urban Vietcong are a “Left-radical punk/oi/hardcore” band and have released a new album on Rebel Time Records. Storie Tra Bottiglie E Ciminiere is the sophomore release from the band and contains ten tracks full of energy, passion and rage as the self-described communists take on capitalism and fascism (now that’s what we like to see at punkonline.co.uk)

The album opens with a bass driven fifty-two seconds of spoken word (unfortunately, my Italian is not good enough to translate) and 6/1988 slowly builds and launches directly into the title track, Storie Tra Bottiglie E Ciminiere (stories between bottles and chimneys according to google translate) and this one features fast paced drums, angry and gritty lead vocals and soaring, scorching riffs with some sections of group vocals, a slower middle eight with big bass and ‘fists in the air’ “Oi, Oi, Oi” chant…great stuff!!!

Il Mio Paradiso Il Mio Inferno (My Heaven, My Hell) again features an excellent gravel-throated lead vocal, group backing vocals and a powerful, yet melodic backing with big bass runs, serrated riffs and runaway guitar solos that just add to the raw power on display…this is 2019 punk rock at it’s best! The intricate drum introduction to I Dannati Della Terra (The Damned Of The Earth) sets up a chunky street-punk rocker with some serious muscle and then Drunken Sailor a rambunctious rendition of the sea-shanty with accordions, banjos and, a Dropkick Murphys vibe.

The riffs that introduce Cantico Dei Condannati (Song Of The Condemned) help lay the foundation for a melodic and powerful punk rock track with hints of Cock Sparrer whereas Fastido E Aggregazione (Fastido And Aggregation???) is a much faster and aggressive track with skate-punk accelerated beats and segments of bass led, chunky singalong punk rock.

On Gli Invisibili (The Invisibles) Urban Vietcong lead in with a searing lick and produce a meaty punk rock song replete with Oi like choruses and stalking verses and this is followed with the penultimate song, Temprati Come L’aaciaio with a gritty vocal full of anger that explodes out of your speakers, enhanced with group back vocals and a big bass driven backing, with a military drum, plaintive guitar section setting up a pulsating finale!

This truly excellent punk rock album concludes with Uno Tres Uno Dos where a fun solo leads to an engaging riff, pounding beats and a fun sounding romp into fast paced Oi territory that is bound to be a crowd pleaser live.”

Urban Vietcong: A Veritable Cacciucco Of Left-Radical Oi / Punk / Core

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In collaboration with Dure Realitie (out of Montreal) we were stoked to release, at the end of 2018, a limited-edition cassette version of the new album from Urban Vietcong.

Urban Vietcong play fantastic left-radical punk/oi/core. The band is from Livorno, Italy and is made up of  Sciu (bass), Fante (drums), Giova (guitar) and Bebe (vocals). Just as an aside, Sciu and Bebe previously played together in a great anti-fascist  band called Trade Unions

The vinyl / cd version has been taken care of by like-minded labels Out of Control, Fire and Flames music and Rumagna Sgroza.uvvinyl1

It’s no secret that we’ve been big fans of the music and message put out by the band since first coming across them in early 2017, just after the release of their first album “A Colpi Di Machete.”

In fact, we did an bit of an interview with / introduction to the band at that time which you can find right here …

And, without further ado, here’s a brand new interview which focuses on the brand new album … answers are in original Italian, followed by English translations …

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The new album is called “Storie Tra Bottiglie E Ciminiere”, and it’s also the title of one of the tracks on the album…

La canzone “Storie Tra Bottiglie E Ciminiere” parla di quella classe operaia, che oramai ha visto i propri sogni,di lotte,conquiste e unità, oramai fievoli e sbiaditi,proprio come le foto dei vecchi cortei proletari.

Per il titolo dell’album,solitamente non ci piace dare come nome,il titolo della canzone stessa,perché sembra la più rappresentativa anche se nel nostro album si affrontano vari argomenti,fatto sta che volente o nolente, ogni canzone,anche seppur in minima parte è stata costruita all’ombra di una ciminiera di una fabbrica o al bancone con una bottiglia in mano.

The song “Stories Between Bottles And Chimneys” speaks of the working class, which has seen its dreams, struggles, conquests and unity, grow faint and faded, just like the photos of the old proletarian parades.uvbeersresize900a

We used it for the title of the album because, even though we don’t usually like to use the name of a song as the title, it seems the most representative, even though on the album we address various topics.

The fact is that, like it or not, every song was written, at the very least, in the shade of a factory chimney or at the bar with a bottle in hand.

You’ve also done a video for the song ““Storie Tra Bottiglie E Ciminiere” … at the end of the video there is the phrase “the workers will return to winning when the bosses return to being afraid of them.” What was the inspiration for the video? Who is the ‘boss’ in the video?

Nel video abbiamo affrontato di una oramai “classica” dinamica lavorativa italiana,dove un operaio qualunque deve affrontare ogni giorno come diciamo nella canzone “ricatti quotidiani da un fottuto padrone”,come il licenziamento. Diciamo che abbiamo “inscenato” un azione che ai tempi di oggi è scomparsa,ma nell’anni 70 in Italia non era così rara,come il sequestro di un imprenditore. Ovviamente il messaggio che volevamo lanciare è quello che nonostante sia dura,non bisogna rassegnarsi e riorganizzarsi.

Il boss del video si chiama Andrea ed è uno “storico” compagno livornese. Credevamo che non avrebbe mai accettato di “vestirsi da padrone” invece ha accettato soprattutto quando gli abbiamo raccontato la storia del video con il maltrattamento del padrone.

In the video we have dealt with a now “classic” Italian working dynamic, where every day a normal worker faces, as we say in the song, “daily blackmail from a fucking boss”, like dismissal.  Let’s say that we have “staged” an action that has disappeared today, but uvandreaain the 70s in Italy it was not so rare, like the seizure of an entrepreneur. Obviously the message we wanted to get across is that despite it being tough, we must not resign ourselves and we must reorganize ourselves.

The boss in the video is named Andre and and he is a “historic” and memorable comrade from Livorno. We didn’t think that he would agree to “dress / act like a boss” but instead he accepted, especially when we told him the story-line of the video with the mistreatment by the boss.

Tell us about the artwork on the cover of the album. It appears to be themed to the songs? 

Si, la copertina del disco volevamo anche qui una cosa che rappresentasse e collegasse tutte le 9 tracce,abbiamo dato i testi con alcune idee a Umberto Donati,che ha realizzato una cover a nostro avviso bellissima.

Dove troviamo la fortezza di livorno (il mio paradiso il mio inferno), un compagno basco mentre picchia un poliziotto(uno tres uno dos), i maledetti del cantico dei condannati, una bandiera delle black panthers che rappresenta i dannati della terra,un marinaio ubriacone(drunken sailors), un corteo (fastidio e aggregazione), una fredda cella di un carcere di cui parliamo negli invisibili ed la rivoluzione russa del 1917 di temprati come l’acciaio.urbanvietcongcasscover1

Yes, for the cover of the album we wanted something that represented and connected all the 9 tracks, so we gave the lyrics with some of our ideas to Umberto Donati, who has created, in our opinion,  a beautiful cover.

On the cover we find find the fortress of Livorno ( “Il Mio Paradiso Il Mio Inferno” ), a Basque comrade beating a policeman ( Uno Tres Uno Dos ), the cursed workers of the song “Cantico Dei Condannati”, a flag of the Black Panthers that represents “I Dannati Della Terra,” a drunken sailor (“Drunken Sailors”), a demonstration ( “Fastidio E Aggregazione” ), a cold prison cell of which we speak in “Gli Invisibili” and finally the Russian revolution of 1917 ( “Temprati Come L’Acciaio” )

In the song “Gli Invisibili” you mention people like Mumia Abu Jamal and Abdullah Ocalan…what is this song all about?

“Gli Invisibili” (titolo tratto dal libro di nanni balestrini)è una canzone  scritta ispirandosi allo scambio di lettere con un compagno in carcere,dove si affrontano i disagi delle giornate rinchiusi in una cella e in cui l’unica possibilità di evadere e darsi forza è quella appunto di scrivere e leggere.

Apo Ocalan, Ahed Tamimi, Gramsci e Abu Jamal sono soltanto degli esempi di personaggi imprigionati nelle carceri ma che nonostante tutto siano riusciti a inciendiare menti e influenzare numerose lotte.uvflaga

“Gli Invisibili” ( title taken from the book  “The Unseen” by Nanni Balestrini ) is a song written about, and inspired by, the exchange of letters with a comrade in prison, where they face the hardships of days locked up in a cell and where the only way to ‘break out’ and gain strength is by writing and reading.

Apo Ocalan, Ahed Tamimi, Gramsci and Abu Jamal are all examples of people imprisoned in prisons but who nevertheless managed to inflame minds and influence many struggles.

The song “I Dannati…” talks about Black Power and the Soledad Brothers … is this movement an inspiration to you?

I Dannati Della Terra (titolo liberamente ispirato dal libro di Frantz Fanon)trae ispirazione dal movimento afroamericano più o meno politicizzato come “black live matters” o appunto le black panthers….parla dei numerosi abusi della polizia nei confronto delle varie minoranze. Ovviamente ciò che auguriamo noi nel testo della urbanvietcongcara-1nostra canzone è un unita’ non razziale ma di classe.nel testo facciamo vari riferimenti alle black panthers,(ad esempio parte del ritornello fa riferimento a una frase di george jackson). black panthers è stato un movimento molto interessante dove appunto persone come fred hampton auspicavano aggregazione non solo tra gli afroamericani. Un movimento molto affascinante nato proprio nello stomaco di quel mostro imperialista detto u.s.a. con i propri limiti ma con dei punti rivoluzionari.

The Damned Of The Earth (a title loosely based on the book by Frantz Fanon) draws inspiration from the more or less politicized African-American movement such as “Black Lives Matter” or the Black Panthers …. speaks of the numerous police abuses in the confrontation of the various minorities. Obviously what we wish in the lyric of our song is a non-racial but class unity. In the lyrics we make various references to the Black Panthers, (for example, part of the chorus refers to a sentence by George Jackson).  The Black Panthers were a very interesting movement where people like Fred Hampton hoped for unity,  not only among African Americans. A very fascinating movement born right in the stomach of that imperialist monster called u.s.a., with its own limits but with revolutionary points.

On the album you have some special guests, tell us about them .

Alla fine,abbiamo voluto fare un disco, senza porci degli standard fissi,mescolando come un cacciucco(tipico piatto di pesce livornese) i vari generi che ci piacciono,senza metterci dei paraocchi.uvreleaseone1

Detto ciò le collaborazioni son venute da sé: nella canzone”i dannati della terra” ci piaceva che partecipasse un rapper,visto che l’hip hop è nato nei ghetti americani,ci sembrava una cosa naturale.conosciamo “kento”da molti anni e quando possiamo lo invitiamo a suonare alle nostre iniziative politiche,perché oltre ad essere un amico è un compagno che mescola ottima musica a testi veramente originali,graffianti e ovviamente schierati.

Anche per “drunken sailor” la scelta è stata facile e naturale,con i “tullamore” band celtic punk di Pavia,abbiamo condiviso vari palchi,serate e ottimi whisky. Già facemmo insieme la canzone “Mairead Farrell” (testo dedicato a una militante della I.R.A uccisa a Gibilterra nell’88) uscita nel loro ultimo album,quando gli si propose di rifare “drunken sailor” riadattata alla nostra maniera, fin da subito ne furono entusiasti.Oltre a loro due ci siam fatti prestare la voce del “Gatto” dei 57100 per l’intro “6/1988”.

In the end, we wanted to make a record without any set standards, mixing the various genres we like, just like a Cacciucco (typical Livornese fish dish) without putting any blinders on.

That said, the collaborations just came to us.

On the song I Dannati Della Terra, we liked that a rapper took part, since hip-hop was uvgroupgroup1born in the American ghettos, it just seemed like a natural thing. We have known Kento for many years, and, when possible, we invite him to play our political initiatives, because, in addition to being a friend / comrade, he also mixes excellent music with truly original lyrics and scratching.

And, for “Drunken Sailor”, the choice was natural and easy, with Tullamore,  a Celtic punk band from Pavia, with whom we’ve shared stages, evenings and excellent whiskey! We’ve already collaborated together with a song on their last album, the song Mairead Farrel (dedicated to an IRA militant killed in Gibraltar in 1988). When asked to help redo “Drunken Sailor” in our own style, they were more than enthusiastic.

In addition to these two bands, we have also borrowed the voice of Cat of the band 57100 for the into song “6/1988.”

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Urban Vietcong – New Video – “Storie Tra Bottiglie E Ciminiere”

Here’s the brand new video for the title track from Urban Vietcong’s upcoming album “Storie Tra Bottiglie E Ciminiere.”

According to singer Bebe, the song is about “dismissed workers who decide to seize the boss” and, at the end of the video there is a quote that reads “the workers will return to winning when the bosses return to being afraid of them”

The album should be out at the end of the month. Vinyl is being taken care of by Out of Control, Fire and Flames music and Rumagna Sgroza. Rebel Time Records and Dure Realite are taking care of a cassette version of the album.

Urban Vietcong – “Storie Tra Bottiglie E Ciminiere” – Out Soon!!

Coming very soon!

Urban Vietcong, out of Livorno, Italy, have been highly recommended by Rebel Time Records for some time now. Their first album “A Colpi Di Machete” hasn’t really left our turntable since it’s release in 2016 ( we still have a few copies for sale ). Quite simply, amazing left-radical punk/oi/core. Continue reading “Urban Vietcong – “Storie Tra Bottiglie E Ciminiere” – Out Soon!!”