Review: ‘The Coldest’ zine #1

This Chicago zine reached us with the comment that its existence was partly inspired by Creases Like Knives. Music to our ears – what could feel better than motivating someone not just to moan and bitch about us on Facebook, but to make an effort and build their own platform? This isn’t the first ever effort by Warren, editor of The Coldest zine, though: as a teen in the late 90s, the contributed a couple of “crude cut-and-paste” zines filled with ramblings on what was and wasn’t “real punk” / “real hip hop”. In hindsight, he finds them all “quite embarrassing … because of their immaturity, delusions or offensiveness”, he writes, which is “always the risk of throwing out to the world what’s in your mind when you’re young”. Never a truer word been spoken, and I for one prefer to cast a cloak of silence over my own juvenile efforts.

January 22, 2023January 25, 2023 by Crombieboy Categories: ReviewsTags: Anti-Racist Action, Minneapolis Baldies, redskins, Suburra, The Coldest Zine Leave a comment

Oi! This is Antwerp. Klaas Vantomme of Comrade interviewed

Comrade – a band name that will ring familiar to historians of European Oi, especially those of a left-wing persuasion, but to few others. Formed in 1986 in the Belgian town of Antwerp, they went on to perform music based on classic British Oi, but with socialist sloganeering and ‘red’ imagery, across European stages until 1990. Last year, Mad Butcher Records released a retrospective compilation – but, although their former vocalist Klaas Vantomme remains a skinhead at heart, he has apparently mellowed out a lot politically, and reunion gigs seem to be off the cards. Girth spoke to him, and Matt Crombieboy sent him a couple of follow-up questions.

December 18, 2022December 18, 2022 by Crombieboy Categories: Music, Skinhead historyTags: Antwerp skinheads, Belgium skins, comrade, Mad Butcher, redskins 2 Comments

In memory of Sigaro (1956-2018)

An obituary by Flavio Frezza, author of Italia Skins and editor of Crombie Media

Angelo “Sigaro” Conti was born in Rome in 1956 and became a skinhead in the early 80s. In the mid 80s, after the Italian skinhead scene had split into a far-right and a non-racist wing, he embraced the redskin tendency.

December 18, 2018December 18, 2018 by Flavio Frezza Categories: MusicTags: Angelo Sigaro Conti, Banda Bassotti, redskins, Sigaro 2 Comments