By Rachel Lu

Sometimes a scream, hitting a really loud sound, and singing at the top of your lungs is the way toward self-expression. That’s what hardcore punk is all about; originating in the 1970s as a subgenre and subculture of punk rock, hardcore punk is defined by its aggressive sound, intensity, and “Do It Yourself” (DIY) attitude.

For three Asian American-led East Coast bands – No Model, Material Support, and Dog Breath – the musical genre is a way expressing their identities and cultural narratives.

On Friday, November 1, the Lincoln Center David Rubenstein Atrium brought together the three bands to for an epic showcase named “Run Amok.” The evening led with a discussion with members of the three bands, followed by cathartic musical performances.

While most know “running amok” as an idiom that refers to behaving in a wild and dangerous manner, few are familiar with its roots in the colonial legacy. Europeans falsely diagnosed Asian and Indigenous peoples’ spirit of defiance in the face of colonization as “Amok Syndrome,” a term formerly recognized by the American Psychiatric Association. 

Siobahn Sung, programmer and producer at the Lincoln Center, said the idea of the night came about when she invited these three discreet hardcore punk bands to come together. The three bands collectively decided on “Run Amok” as the central theme and spirit of the evening to counter the idea of Asians as the model minority, which suppresses embodiments of anger and loudness as “Asian.”

As a result, the evening is both provocative and revelatory. On the one hand, Asians are not expected to express their anger. On the other hand, hardcore punk as a genre is not typically associated with Asian artists, and Sung was interested in bringing forth new faces and voices of this music.

“[As Asians], it’s not [typically] polite to express anger or to express opinions through a lens of anger,” Sung told AsAmNews. “So it’s been really interesting to note how the hardcore punk scene itself has diversified, and what it means for three bands who are comprised of Asians to embody that practice and bring that music forward.”

Before becoming a show producer, Sung was formally trained as an opera singer. From personal experience, Sung understands the importance of bringing representation into different forms of musical performances, particularly in prestigious spaces like the Lincoln Center. Sung recalls people being surprised when she told them she was an opera singer because Asian opera singers exist outside of people’s imaginations of an opera performance.

When programming shows at the Lincoln Center, Sung is intent on uplifting musical talents from corners of New York that deserve to be seen by more audiences. Many of the performers from the three bands come from other professions themselves, they include professors and immigration attorneys. For them, the attitude of hardcore punk, its loudness and disruptiveness, comes from the experiences of everyday life.

“I want other people to hear about these people, and not underestimate that. It’s not great just because they’re like an outlier to the majority that’s operating that scene, but it’s simply great because they are embodying that scene and it’s just a part of their life,” said Sung.

Originating in the political moments of the 60s and 70s, hardcore punk musicians were pushing back against the commercialization of music, and insisting on using music to confront the political climate. The spirit of hardcore punk serves this group of Asian American bands, using music to open up difficult conversations such as generational trauma, racism, and colonization. 

As the programmer, Sung wants audiences to think about the loudness of the music and consider the systems of power that the performers are pushing back against. In the hallowed halls of Lincoln Center, the three Asian American hard core punk bands are asserting their voices and attitudes.

AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc.

We are supported through donations and such charitable organizations as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. All donations are tax deductible and can be made here.

Our 10% sale ends tonight at 11:59 p.m. to purchase your tickets to our fundraiser Up Close with Connie Chung, America’s first Asian American to anchor a nightly network newscast. The in-depth conversation with Connie will be held November 14 at 7:30 at Columbia University’s Milbank Chapel in the Teacher’s College. All proceeds benefit AsAmNews.

Related