Next time you are at a punk show bitching about transport cops or the price of the beer, spare a thought for the punks of Singapore.While the city-state may be a thriving global financial hub it’s also renowned for conservatism, strict local laws and authoritarianism.While the city boasts about the number of IT start-ups and Prada stores, citizens face fines, or worse, for even the most basic violations. From chewing gum, to public drunkenness, to the censorship of the media and the arts, the state stamps it’s foot hard.It’s in this social climate that Lubricant find themselves writing and performing blistering and savage hardcore punk.The band’s Hafiz Shamsudin has been involved in the local scene for years and has booked shows for Australian bands Last Chaos, Warthreat, Vaginors, and Scab Eater.This April and May the favour is being returned when Lubricant tour Australia for a series of shows including Brisbane’s Total Attack festival. Listen to the bands's special Australian tour tape below and read an interview with Hafiz.NOISEY: Is “Fear of Crutches” a metaphor or are you really scared of actual crutches?
Hafiz Shamsudin: Both. It’s about real life situations regarding a minority group being marginalized by an institution or power that is trying to strip them of their rights and trying to erase their culture and history. It can also be about my knee problem that I’ve had for years. I’m really scared to go for an operation to fix it, because if I do I wont be able to walk properly for six-months and I wont be able to work and live my life. Also it's too expensive and I don’t have any benefits or whatever.Sout East Asia produces a lot of crust punk but you have a more crushing hardcore feel. Are there many similar bands in Singapore?
No, but we still have tons of other good bands in Singapore. Hardcore like this is slowly picking up here I hope to see more bands playing this kind of style, which is simple and loud. There are new bands from Malaysia and Indonesia that sounds more promising. There are tons of hardcore bands from here, which is just too heavy for my liking. Straight up crust is getting really slow here anyway. Whatever it is, it’s hard to keep track because there are heaps of bands in South East Asia. People like everything as long it’s loud, abrasive, political and intense.Singapore is considered quite a conservative city-state. What are the major concerns for young Singaporeans?
Singapore is a very modern fast-paced country but there's too much subjugation and everything we do is like a struggle for freedom. The major concerns for the young are the typical struggling in school, finding a job and most of them are just worried about their future. Basically just struggling to survive.What are your major concerns as a Singapore punk?
Since punk is an outlet where kids can create a subversive environment to escape the harsh capitalist state, there are a lot of concerns. To me the most important is having our own space to do shit. I was involve in a punk space call Blackhole 212 years ago and it got shut down due to negative pressure from the authority and also it being so expensive. Along the way few venue/space open up and also only lasted one or two years because of the same bullshit. So I hope possible spaces can exist away from negative pressures from the state.Your song “Asian Nazi Lover” from your early demo sounds curious.
It’s about the existence of racist assholes within the punk/skinhead/metal group who are into right wing politics. It can be found mostly in Malaysia and they wear the swastika too. It’s a complicated situation which need to be destroyed
April 29 - Melbourne at Hotshots
April 30 - Sydney at Portugal Maderia Club
May 1 - Sydney at Black Wire Records
May 2 - Newcastle at the Croatian Club
May 4 - Lismore at Tatts
May 5 - Brisbane at Beetle Bar
May 6-8 - Brisbane at Total Attack Festival
May 11 - Wollongong at Rad Bar
May 13 - Adelaide at Format BasementThe tour tape will be available at all shows.
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Hafiz Shamsudin: Both. It’s about real life situations regarding a minority group being marginalized by an institution or power that is trying to strip them of their rights and trying to erase their culture and history. It can also be about my knee problem that I’ve had for years. I’m really scared to go for an operation to fix it, because if I do I wont be able to walk properly for six-months and I wont be able to work and live my life. Also it's too expensive and I don’t have any benefits or whatever.Sout East Asia produces a lot of crust punk but you have a more crushing hardcore feel. Are there many similar bands in Singapore?
No, but we still have tons of other good bands in Singapore. Hardcore like this is slowly picking up here I hope to see more bands playing this kind of style, which is simple and loud. There are new bands from Malaysia and Indonesia that sounds more promising. There are tons of hardcore bands from here, which is just too heavy for my liking. Straight up crust is getting really slow here anyway. Whatever it is, it’s hard to keep track because there are heaps of bands in South East Asia. People like everything as long it’s loud, abrasive, political and intense.
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Singapore is a very modern fast-paced country but there's too much subjugation and everything we do is like a struggle for freedom. The major concerns for the young are the typical struggling in school, finding a job and most of them are just worried about their future. Basically just struggling to survive.What are your major concerns as a Singapore punk?
Since punk is an outlet where kids can create a subversive environment to escape the harsh capitalist state, there are a lot of concerns. To me the most important is having our own space to do shit. I was involve in a punk space call Blackhole 212 years ago and it got shut down due to negative pressure from the authority and also it being so expensive. Along the way few venue/space open up and also only lasted one or two years because of the same bullshit. So I hope possible spaces can exist away from negative pressures from the state.Your song “Asian Nazi Lover” from your early demo sounds curious.
It’s about the existence of racist assholes within the punk/skinhead/metal group who are into right wing politics. It can be found mostly in Malaysia and they wear the swastika too. It’s a complicated situation which need to be destroyed
Lubricant Australia Tour 2016:April 28 - Melbourne at Bar Open
April 29 - Melbourne at Hotshots
April 30 - Sydney at Portugal Maderia Club
May 1 - Sydney at Black Wire Records
May 2 - Newcastle at the Croatian Club
May 4 - Lismore at Tatts
May 5 - Brisbane at Beetle Bar
May 6-8 - Brisbane at Total Attack Festival
May 11 - Wollongong at Rad Bar
May 13 - Adelaide at Format BasementThe tour tape will be available at all shows.