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Alien Kulture

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Alien Kulture was a British punk band active from 1979 through 1981, founded by Ausaf Abbas, Azhar Rana, Pervez Bilgrami, and self-described "token white" Huw Jones.[1] Formed in Balham, and inspired by the nascent punk scene, the Anti-Nazi League and the Rock Against Racism concert series,[2] and wanting to express the frustrations of second-generation Asian immigrants during a period of ethnic tension and race riots in Britain,[3] the members of the band turned to music to achieve politically what they had not been able to via protest rallies, and to draw on their Pakistani Muslim backgrounds to promote an Asian presence in popular culture.[4] They took their name as a response to then newly elected Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's stated fears of being "swamped by people with a different culture".[5][6][7]

Seeking to express themselves as youth caught between two cultures, they wrote songs about racism and issues within the Asian community, such as arranged marriage, leading to attacks both from neo-Nazis supporting the National Front as well as other Asians who felt they were disgracing their community.[8] Abbas has stated that Rock Against Racism established conditions for a more assertive and self-confident mood amongst British Asians.[9] The band eventually recorded one single, "Culture Crossover" b/w "Asian Youth", which was released by Rock Against Racism Records.[10] They attracted the support of famed BBC DJ John Peel, who said he played them on the radio, but they were otherwise ignored by mainstream media.[11][6] They declined an invitation to perform at a concert with The Specials at Coventry Stadium in protest of racial profiling by police because Ausaf and Azhar were due to sit their finals exams at the London School of Economics that same day, and disbanded soon after, having played only 30 shows.[1]

As of 2010, Huw Jones was working in the non-profit sector in Leeds, Pervez Bilgrami was running a recruitment agency with his wife, and Azhar Rana was a partner in a firm of chartered accountants.[11] As of 2016, Ausaf Abbas was working as an investment banker, having initially worked as an economist for BP.[12][13]

References

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  1. ^ a b Duncombe, Stephen; Tremblay, Maxwell, eds. (2011). White Riot: Punk Rock and the Politics of Race. Verso Books. pp. 231 ff. ISBN 978-1-84467-688-0. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  2. ^ Rachel, D. (2016). Walls Come Tumbling Down: The Music and Politics of Rock Against Racism, 2 Tone and Red Wedge. Pan Macmillan. p. 193. ISBN 978-1-4472-7270-0. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  3. ^ Clegg, M. (2022). Punk Rock: Music Is the Currency of Life. State University of New York Press. p. 257. ISBN 978-1-4384-8939-1. Retrieved 21 December 2023. They hailed from south London and wanted to form a band in response to the racist violence aimed at South Asians at the time. They wrote songs that "broadly originated from their experiences and observations about being a ...
  4. ^ "Alien Kulture – R.A.R. Records – 1980". Killyourpetpuppy.co.uk. 25 December 2009.
  5. ^ "Band profile on Art Asia". BBC TV. 1980.
  6. ^ a b Renton, David (7 December 2018). Never Again: Rock Against Racism and the Anti-Nazi League 1976–1982. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-38390-5.
  7. ^ Stewart, Francis (2017). Punk Rock is My Religion: Straight Edge Punk and 'Religious' Identity. Taylor & Francis. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-351-72556-9. Retrieved 21 December 2023. Alien Kulture named after a provocative statement by then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who stated that 'people are really rather afraid that this country might be rather swamped by people with a different culture'.
  8. ^ O'Connell, Joe (10 November 2020). ""Caught in a Culture Crossover!" Rock Against Racism and Alien Kulture". The Oxford Handbook of Punk Rock. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190859565.013.20.
  9. ^ Goodyer, Ian (2009). Crisis Music: The Cultural Politics of Rock Against Racism. Manchester: Manchester University Press. p. 84. ISBN 9780719079245.
  10. ^ SMYTH, DAVID (18 September 2020). "White Riot director Rubika Shah on why Rock Against Racism is as relevant as ever in 2020". Evening Standard. Retrieved 18 December 2023. Aside from the rowdy archive footage of bands like The Clash, British reggae band Matumbi and oiks Sham 69, the biggest musical thrill might be the revelation that there was an Asian punk band called Alien Kulture. Comprising three men of Pakistani heritage and a white guitarist, they released one single, Culture Crossover, on Rock Against Racism's short-lived record label.
  11. ^ a b Manzoor, Sarfraz (10 January 2010). "Whatever happened to that Asian punk band?". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 11 January 2010. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
  12. ^ Tassell, Nige (7 May 2016). "Never mind the bus pass: punks look back at their wildest days". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  13. ^ Marcus, G. (2022). More Real Life Rock: The Wilderness Years, 2014–2021. Yale University Press. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-300-26543-9. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
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