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!
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Saigon Punk Chronicles : Year End Party
With such a bizarro year wrapping and the quickly upcoming lunar new year, this year’s End of the Year Party was bound to be a banger. I caught all but the first band who started early (this may be a punk rock first) so apologies for not having images for them. The bill consisted of Diarsia, Jaigon Orchestra, Đá Số Tới, District 105, Taiyoken, Do it Dad, and Kaali. Musically it ranged from pop punk to metal to hardcore, so a great mix of styles and people showing up at the show.
Read MoreSaigon Punk Chronicles: Year End Party with Slaughter to Prevail.
This year’s pre-Tet show lined up Russian heavy hitters Slaughter to Prevail and a whole host of regional support with Saigon’s Knife Sticking Head, Pick Supplier, District 105, and Infecated and Cambodia’s Doch Chkae all bringing the lunar year to a close with a bang.
Read MoreSaigon Punk Chronicles : We’re Loud Fest: Vietnam
Last weekend Slovenly Records’ We’re Loud Fest descended into Saigon featuring acts from all over the globe. From local hardcore heroes, District 105, to Switzerland’s The Monsters, We’re Loud Fest spanned 4 days and multiple venues in Saigon. Unfortunately, I only got to attend the Saturday matinee, but having an international punk fest come to Saigon is super rad to say the least.
Read MoreSaigon Punk Chronicles : Year End Fest - The E Killer, District 105, 7Uppercuts, Razor Leaf, Stupiz Kiz, Tariot
With the lunar new year approaching, First and Last Records held their year-end fest showcasing nearly their entire roster as well as the Singaporean melodic hardcore outfit, Tariot. To begin, DIY shows starting more or less on time here in Saigon blows my mind. With everything else here being 'time-flexible', and the habitual lateness of punk shows in general, this punctuality is noteworthy to say the least. High fives for that. That said, maybe I’ve become accustomed to things starting more. whimsically. So, unfortunately, I missed The E-killer. Next time, fellas.
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