Denpasar, Bali's Kenya plays in Saigon at a hardcore punk show.

Saigon Punk Chronicles : Overpower

October 18, 2024 in music

Another chapter in the Chronicles. A blend of local staples and couple of bands from Indonesia, this show felt like a party. Something’s changed in the scene here over the last couple of years and it really does feel like a proper hardcore scene these days. Kids be wild and mosh like it was their job. As I’m in no position to be participating in that shenanigans, I chose to keep to snappin’ photos. The line up consisted of Saigon’s Under Pressure, Kinh, Elbowdrop, Empathize, Cut Lon, Denpasar’s Kenya and Fraud coming out of Surabaya. I didn’t catch everyone, you know school night and all.. but the bands I saw all brought the heat. Rather than going through every band, just click on their links and go give them a listen. Now for the visual proof.

From the Archives : Furnace Fest 2022

September 23, 2024 in music

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

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

Saigon Punk Chronicles: The Metal Edition

July 22, 2024 in music

Not really a hardcore or punk show per se, but this show still had a lot of overlap in the crowd. The bill consisted of Orca from the Philippines, Diarsia off their brand new release, Method, Obsess, and the Korean shred machine Oathean. I grabbed the Fuji x100v and an old speedlight and rolled the dice. These shows give me a chance to experiment with different set ups - multiple cameras, light set ups, techniques…No pressure if I shit the bed and they turn out awful, but at least I learned something. That said, I don’t think I’ve run into any insurmountable challenges, and different tools yield different results. I tried to shoot a bit more abstract images to bridge over from the usual dragged shutter and speedlight combo and I think they turned out interesting. Tried a bit of multiple exposure shenanigans. Essentially played around and threw everything at the wall to see what stuck. Maybe a bit artsy even… what is going on?!

Saigon Punk Chronicles

July 01, 2024 in music

It’s been far too long since I’ve been to a show and I feel like I’ve been neglecting my long term personal project, Saigon Punk Chronicles, so when I saw there was a show this past Saturday, I jumped at it. With work and travel, it’s been a whirlwind since… January. Going to shows keeps me in check, keeps me young at heart, and every time I go, the words of 7 Seconds get stuck in my head “I’m gonna stay young until I die!” Even with work and the everyday responsibilities, the legacy of punk and the scene still shapes who I am every day of my life. DIY, the merry band of misfits, forgetting the outside world and escaping into a community made by us, for us. It’s forever weaved into my DNA.

I didn’t catch the whole show, but I did catch Tariot, Bao, Low Fat, and Cut Lon. I’ve seen Tariot and Cut Lon before but didn’t know what to expect from the others. They both killed it and Low Fat, in particular was soooooo fun. They’re a Japanese outfit out of Bangkok and their energy was wild. Raw, loud and fast… just the way it should be.

Saigon Punk Chronicles : Enter the Year of the Dragon

January 11, 2024 in music

Another year end party and this one was a banger. I didn’t catch all the bands, school night ya know, but it was one of the funnest shows I’ve been to in ages. By the time Desolated went on, kids were hanging from the rafters and the stage was invisible under the sing along pile ons. Fucking amazing. When I first moved to Saigon, shows felt very different than they do now in the best possible way. It feels like a proper hardcore scene

The Black Lips play a small one of show in Saigon at Soma Art Cafe. Photographed by music photographer Lee Starnes

Live Music Recap: The Black Lips and Skeleton Goode

March 20, 2023 in music

Last week, Atlanta hometown heroes, The Black Lips played a small one off show here in Saigon after their gig at Coracle Music Fest up in Mui Ne. It was all a bit surreal as I’ve seen The Black Lips more times than I can probably count and it brought back memories of beer soaked ridiculous shenanigans years ago when I lived in the A. It was so good being able to hang out and relive some nostalgia while partying with the Saigon homies. Skeleton Goode opened up with their take on Psych rock and absolutely killed it. I only took my Fuji x100x anticipating maybe a few beers flying and wanted to avoid cleaning the Sony kit after night of rocking out, but it turns out Saigon has a bit more manners than Atlanta used to so everything stayed dry. Shooting with the Fuji was ….. not ideal. While this little camera is completely capable in travel and most everyday situations, it is not exactly fluent in autofocusing in low light situations. That being said, I loved the rawness of these frames and it matched the vibes of the show. It felt like the DIY punk shows I grew up going to nearly every week. I wish more of these type shows happened in Saigon. Based on some info I heard though, this may be changing in the near future. Fingers crossed. Now onto the images!

Saigon Punk Chronicles : Year End Party

February 01, 2021 in music

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

Japan's Gutara Kyo takes the stage at We're Loud Fest Vietnam 2019. Shot by Lee Starnes, Saigon-based photographer.

Saigon Punk Chronicles : We’re Loud Fest: Vietnam

November 26, 2019 in music

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