Punk Rock in Hanoi!

Tonight we were scheduled to meet our friends Justin and Jyoti to see an Australian/Vietnamese punk band called Offensive at Cuba Cafe, but O. was overtired and developed a splitting headache. Not the best way to appreciate punk. So I went to meet J&J by myself.

The club was small and crowded, packed with young Australian guys drinking copious amounts of beer and smoking continuously. Actually about a quarter of the crowd was Vietnamese, and probably a third of the Australians were gay. One guy pulled down his pants and mooned his mates (and everyone else). A perfect Hanoi punk rock crowd.

The sound system was terrible and the ventilation practically nonexistent. Perfect venue. Then the band started up. Check. Perfect choice of an opening song: the Ramones "Commando"--"From old Hanoi to East Berlin, Commando, involved again."

They did mostly Ramones and Clash covers, as well as a great version of the Stooges "I Wanna Be Your Dog." The singer was more than adequate and the drummer and guitarist were terrific.

We left partially deaf and mostly satisfied. My skin and clothes are saturated with cigarette smoke, so there's a shower in my future. And I'll probably have to burn my clothes. But it was worth it to hear punk as punk should be heard.

Tiny, hot, smoky, loud.

Justin and Jyoti (well, Justin) bemoaned the lack of a mosh pit.

I was just glad no one was spitting.

P.