We undoubtedly live in pretty crappy version of cyberpunk. For already quite some time. Authoritarianism and techno-feudalism are on the rise. Cristo-fascism is blooming. Rights and freedoms are being taken from us every single day. Tech is transformed purely into means of data extraction, surveillance and control. However there does not seem to be any counter-culture forming, no music or art genres with strong messages rising up against all of this. Where is the punk of today?
Jesse Welles would be the modern cycle.
Distorted guitars carried the torch from the protest songs of the 70s through punk and peaked with prog metal in the late 00s. We’re snapping straight back to the 70s protest songs and doing it all over again.
Venezuela slapped.
War isn’t Murder the hit that got him known
I’d say he’s imitating the 60s more than the 70s, but he writes some good tunes nevertheless. :)
You know, I thought it was gone, spent my youth watching bands in garages and stuff, didn’t hear much about that anymore, community radio station still around.
But then my high schooler asked me to take her to a show in a church. A what? But we went and oh my goodness underground music is absolutely still around. There was a mosh pit, I wished I’d brought earplugs, way too loud for the space but there was a punk band, a speed metal band, and the band she went to see was the headliner - all local bands. It is still there, you just aren’t part of that world anymore.
Hell yeah. There’s an unassuming restaurant in my town that hosts local all-ages punk and metal shows after the kitchen closes. The underground scene is alive and well. I’m looking forward to having your experience myself as my kids grow up.
That sounds like The Trunk Space! Though, I think they lost their church spot last year. I think TV Girl and AJJ were my favorite shows there. They also held a Desert Trash festival years ago.
A lot of early punk started in church basements. The best punk movements start in the spaces they can get, might be a church basement, someones garage, a retail space between leases, etc.
Visit your local infoshop and start reading zines.
What is Lemmy to you but an anti-authoritarian counter movement to technocracy and surveillance culture? I’d say FOSS is pretty punk as well in this regard
Not helpful for the question but it made me remember one book I read on Buhhism that was written by a punk artist that used to be around Ohio? Crap can’t recall the place think Akron was a city spot. Seemed like a fairly small artist from whati recall of the stories.
It’s fun to see where punk comes up is all, was never my particular taste for sound (or scene really) but I think their messge is awesome. Think all systems need their message reflected in controversial art, may not agree with their sound but so far a lot of messages have sounded better than the status quo. And sometimes seeing what the system brings shows what may be needed for change.
It’d be nice one day if punk couldn’t have the same message cause we did better for ourselves as society.
DEVO is from Akron Ohio
subversive punk is still around. It’s still politically leftist. Jeff Rosenstock and his fans are pretty anarchist in ethos. Go to one of his shows, you’ll find a whole lot of messaging about solidarity, mutual aid, building better world, fuck the police, etc. His lyrics aren’t always about politics but they have an anti authoritarian edge.
There’s Infinity Knives x Brian Ennals who are mixing punk and hip hop in a very in your face political way and theyre GREAT.
Viagra boys are a pop punk who satirize the alt-right, especially in their album Cave World.
Mount Eerie is a noisy folk band that dabbles in some punk aesthetic – their most recent albums contains themes of decolonization and anti-war.
Honningbarna just came out with an amazing record called Soft Spot that has some leftist political themes, but not as overt as the others. Amazing sound though. Maybe more Hardcore than punk.
There is no centralized counter culture because the media landscape is so different now. There’s no radio to all listen to together. Communities are pretty isolated online. There are advantages and disadvantages. At the very least, decentralization of the counter culture prevents it from ever being squashed completely. On the other hand, decentralization makes it harder for people to see, and cause them to lose hope and feel alone. But as another said, you’re here, aren’t you?
Thank you sir. Listening to Infinity Knives now.
awesome. that album is so sick. the lyrics have a shock factor that i really like. sometimes theyre straight up hilarious.
Can’t have revolution without a civil war.
that is fundamentally untrue but i suppose you cant have a revolution without breaking some axiomatic eggs
LOL was just quoting their lyrics man
bahahahahah I was so confused. wait til you get to their line about kobe
I had no idea netanyahu was from Philadelphia until Infinity Knives told me on The Iron Wall
It would be nice if they used FunkWhale.
I saw Jeff & Pup last month. Was such a blast to party with punks of all ages at that show. Even bought myself a nice Death Rosenstock shirt (yes, death), that has a nice “Fuck ICE” message on it.
I didn’t know Jeff before that show but they were incredible. And Double Band was the best thing I’ve ever seen at a show ever. Love Jeff now and will see them any time
Did they do Tripple Band at your show at the very end as well with the opening act joining in with Double Band? Was a ton of fun.
They sure did. They did Alanis Morriset and it was awesome. But seeing Jeff and Pup tossing microphones back and forth and be so in sync and having so much fun was legit the height of all.
The Phoenix show had Triple Band!
me too lol. the shirt with the lego guy ? that’s the one i got
Twinsies!
Plenty of punk and punk adjacent music still around, lots of local shows still occur if you know where to look. I’m in the U.S. but can say for sure this stuff is still happening here and other countries too.
Bob Vylan and Kneecap were banned from the U.S. earlier this year and Zionists are still going around trying to get their shows cancelled just for speaking out on Palestine.
In general Zionists seem to be easily triggered, last year while on their tour playing a show in New Jersey Apes of the State had a big FREE PALESTINE banner at their shows and some guy at the venue flipped out and tried to take it down.
On tour last month in the U.S. Bad Cop/Bad Cop was selling FUCK ICE shirts while the other band on tour with them (The Iron Roses) were speaking out on LGBTQ issues and the general fucked state the U.S. is in right now.
Later this weekend Leftover Crack is playing a show in Brooklyn, I’m sure they’ll have plenty to say on the current state of things.
The Idles aren’t half bad as well, check out gift horse. Or their tiny desk concert.
I know I could search for this online, but word of mouth is so often superior and it also feels like kinda the point of lemmy…but got any recs for some punk or punk adjacent bands/albums? Particularly recent stuff or old if it holds up to the current climate. I got into RATM around this time last year and nothing else has come close to scratching the itch of “maaaan fuck this shit.”
(In addition to the stuff mentioned in your original comment, of course!)
Edit: seems like this thread is building a bit of a list on its own, actually!!
Mudrat
Yup there’s already a pretty good list going in this post!
Not sure what to add, their sound is a bit different but I’ve been digging Playboy Manbaby and one of their newer songs Criminals definitely fits the post topic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Abj78ccwPbg they’re amazing live. Robbie also has a whole side project with Spaceman Bob, he’s going to be playing at the Leftover Crack show this weekend so that should be fun.
got into RATM around this time last year and nothing else has come close to scratching the itch of “maaaan fuck this shit.”
Coincidentally Tom Morello mentioned Kneecap earlier this year when talking about bands of the moment https://www.nme.com/news/music/tom-morello-hails-kneecap-as-the-rage-against-the-machine-of-now-3877562 (around 20 mins in that interview).
Friends tell me that seeing Kneecap live was incredible
Not sure if they are strictly punk, but certainly adjacent: Propagandhi have a huge catalogue of great music. They came out with a new album this year, and its my top album for the year. Its a mix of political and highly introspective lyrics, and the sound is amazing!
Revocaton - new gods, new masters is about exactly what you described. Excellent lyrics.
Not punk, metal.
First, punk is where it’s always been: in the streets, the boroughs, in the young people that are discovering how trashy this world and society are… I’ve been out of the scene for quite a while, but from time to time I do still go to some concert or other events.
Second, Edelweiss is not anti authoritarian, or anti right wing at all, even if it’s meant as a ‘fuck you’ to the nazis. It’s a nationalist song sung by a member of the Austrian military. For context, the Austrian right was divided on this matter, with the Austrian fascist party being staunchly against the Anschluss. Julie Andrews rocks, though.
Join your local affinity group. If you can’t find one, start one.
Furries and trans people.
G.L.O.S.S. comes to mind. Too short lived.
A band I love in a related musical area is Trophy Hunt https://trophyhunt.bandcamp.com/
Here’s one:
Left folk and punk arent the same thing. Folk punk however is awesome. Reject society, learn the banjo
We need more than lupin proletariat
I have some hope we’ll see it in young progressive “traditional country” artists.

The og
That’s a banger, I like it. Had not heard of him, but I’ll seek more out. Thanks.
That whole album is excellent!
Also, his compatriots from NW Arkansas — Nick Shoulders, in particular — seem similarly-minded, and are definitely worth a listen.
It’s hard to break into the mainstream when the mainstream is increasingly owned by rich assholes. They have a lot of influence over culture. Not total control , but enough that many people who might have found punk instead brain rot through their day in Spotify or tiktok or whatever.
Strangely enough SiriusXM has a really good punk channel called Faction Punk focused on punk from the 90s and newer. I’m guessing it doesn’t get enough attention to cost SiriusXM more than it makes them right now.














