BANGKOK — Anti-coup punk bands on Friday announced a comeback next month of a concert they were forced to cancel last minute in September.
The event called “BNK44,” emulating the name of a popular girl group idol recruited by the junta, will be held next Saturday at the memorial site of the 1976 student massacre in Thammasat University, according to the online post from the organizers.
“We wanted to emphasize this to the dictatorial regime, you might cancel our events, but you’ll never defeat us,” the post read.
It added that organizers sought permissions from the university and local district police, and said the event was approved by both in written form.
On Sep. 21, police came to their western Bangkok concert venue shortly before the show started and ordered the owners to call it off.
It was organized by the same people behind similar anti-junta concert “Almost Four Years, You Motherfucker” in May commemorating four years of military rule. It was also canceled abruptly when police raided the venue at the monument to those who perished in the 1973 popular uprising.
“We were very depressed and angry, that we’d disappointed fans who were waiting, and to see police surrounding and making threats against the venue owners,” the post wrote of the canceled event.
“We’ll make this fucking country learn that punk music and punkers can also write political history with our hands,” it added.
“BNK44: Four Years Later and All We Eat is Fortune Cookies,” will start at 3pm on Nov. 3 at the 6 October 1976 Memorial in Thammasat University, Tha Phra Chan campus. Entry is free.
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