In the context of research on music and politics – especially on White Power Music – one will sooner or later come across the term “grey zone” (also: “gray zone”/ “gray area”), which is in most cases used to label bands on political fringes, predominantly on the right. But, whereas the relation of music and… Continue reading “‘Grey zones’ in music scenes – A blurred concept, or ‘the attempt to nail a jelly to the wall’”
Within the radical right, men have always out-numbered women; I was one of those women for five years of my life. In 2012 I began disengaging from the extremist underground and I would love to be able to say that I made a clean break over night, however I would be lying through my teeth.… Continue reading “Personal reflections from a woman in the extremist underground”
According to a report released this week by The Soufan Center, Ukraine is “emerging as a hub in the broader network of transnational white supremacy extremism.” But Ukraine, in particular the capital Kyiv, also appears to be emerging as a centre for something else: neo-Nazi concerts. Over the past year, as a journalist who focuses… Continue reading “Kyiv, Ukraine: a new hub for international neo-Nazi concerts”
These controversies persist because Morrissey has been able to continue to make statements in interviews, and to publicise even more on his website. On the iconic Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival this year, The Killer’s lead singer Brandon Flowers was joined by The Smiths Johnny Marr for a rendition of ‘This Charming Man.’ In a… Continue reading “Cancel Morrissey? – controversy over music and free speech”
German neo-Nazi bands attempt to appeal more broadly to an audience that is opposed to the government’s position on asylum seekers. Plato once wrote, in an argument postulating the banning of music, that “any musical innovation is full of danger to the whole State.” While an extreme position to adopt in its own right, the… Continue reading “Tracking German Neo-Nazism Through Music”
The recent trial of Oxfordshire-based neo-Nazi couple Adam Thomas and Claudia Patatas, who were both found guilty of being members of the banned terrorist group National Action, has once again plunged the extreme right into the headlines in Britain. Patatas, 38, and Thomas, 22, have become easy targets for tabloid sensationalism. These are fanatics who… Continue reading “The National Action Trial, Nazi Fetishism, and the Neo-folk Conundrum”
Music has long been a key factor in spreading neo-Nazi ideology, serving both as a tool to attract (young) people and to reproduce identities of those already part of the scene/movement. Indeed, it is through music that the extreme right has voiced its ideas, including racism and xenophobia, othering of ‘internal enemies’, antisemitism as well… Continue reading “Fancy a show? Neo-Nazi concerts in Germany”