If Nikšić is considered a punk city, and it is, then "Punkreas" is one of the most important, perhaps even the most important pillar of that tradition today.
For two decades, this band has been spreading the story of an uncompromising attitude and love for music not only in Montenegro, but across the territory of the former Yugoslavia and beyond. Recently, they had the opportunity to get acquainted with this story intimately in Smederevo and Zrenjanin, which the people of Nikšić visited on the wings of celebrating two decades of existence, and among other things presented the current release, last year's EP "Stand Your Ground".
The drummer of "Punkreas" told "Vijesti" about the performances, the last edition, the Nikšić scene, love for the football club "Čelik" and the defiant two-decade journey of counter-trends and fitting into desirable patterns. Đorđije Njunjić.
How did the gigs in Zrenjanin and Smederevo go and how does it feel when you go somewhere for the first time after so many years of experience, is it something special for you? Will there be more gigs soon, festival season coming soon?
The concerts went great. It's always special when we go somewhere for the first time like this time. It's always nice to get to know new cities and people, but the audience that comes to our concerts in the region is from the same story, they are people who come purposefully and we and they know what to expect and there is always a good atmosphere. It is a great pleasure when you see, for example, in Zrenjanin, two men aged 50 plus who came to Belgrade just for us and waited until one hour after midnight for us to leave, and on the other side in Smederevo kids aged 13, 14, 15 and older to sing songs. That's the point of our work and it's why we are full of heart. We work on the principle that we schedule concerts when we have free time, which are usually weekends. The festivals are starting, but they all reduced to bringing authors who are profitable to the wider masses, for which we do not have too many pretensions after so many years of dealing with a genre that is stylistically unpopular. Probably, throughout the years, there will be these trips, as we did in the last two months, and we plan for them to be cities and places we haven't been to before, of course, there will always be those that we are happy to return to.
You have two decades of work behind you, how do you manage to survive in such difficult conditions for a band, let alone a punk band?
We love music, we love what we do, for all these 21 years since we have been in existence, it has been our motive, it has never stopped, despite the good or bad things that happen to a scene in terms of numbers. In addition, in the band we all have godfather, fraternal ties and it is the closest family, similar to the one we have at home. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to cover a thousand and one-odd kilometers in one weekend without a split. We are increasingly impressed by the fact that we are dealing with punk music, because it means that, in our case, the quality and messages reach the people who need to hear it, and that is the point of music.
It's been almost a year since the “Stand Your Ground” EP, how has it been so far and are you planning to record anything new soon?
A year seems like a long time today for a release. However, it is still fresh. We always have new songs in mind and they happen as soon as we gather material that already exists in some indication. "Stand your ground" was baptized in many centers important for our music, namely Exit fest, Belgrade, Niš, so almost all teams from the HC punk story know about the release, which as such managed to reach the audience without physical editions. There will be singles, which will certainly be in the form of an EP at the end, and I believe that will happen by autumn, winter, when another winter tour is planned.
What kind of freedom as an unattainable dream do you sing about on that release, to whom is that song dedicated?
Freedom as an ideal is really something that has not yet been achieved. Dabo, the singer, usually says at the beginning of that song: "Here's something we need more than a couple...". When we put it in a realistic paradigm, we actually see that the world is torn between money, profit and freedom as such, which is given by birth to every individual in the world. The song was written after the war in Ukraine. It meant that regardless of the bloody war that is happening, all people must strive to be free, to live in peace. After the song, a new front opened in Palestine. Coincidentally, in March, when the EP came out, we used on the front page a photo of a Palestinian photojournalist who caught a Palestinian boy throwing a stone at an "Abrams" tank of the Israeli army. That was the image of freedom for us, that children, especially, should not suffer in this world, and we are witnessing that they are dying en masse and that the world is not really shaking because of it. So this EP will remain in our memory as an EP that was created in a difficult situation for the world that reflects on us as well. It is not easy to hear about the death of children and be powerless. At least we from the Balkans know a lot about it.
The song "Hush" is also interesting, can it be said that one of the problems today is that we don't know how to keep quiet more often and enjoy the things around us, but also to listen to the interlocutor instead of imposing our opinion?
In order to break the seriousness of our music, because we don't have ballads in our career, we always make a more humorous song with a clear message that quickly resonates with many people because it actually arises from ordinary life and situations. That's how "Quiti" is, which is a regional hit, because everyone accepted it. This suffocation of life, untangling both our own, and for many other people's lives, has led us to forget to look at the bigger picture of life and how beautiful it is. The bombardment of information from all sides means that we are mentally alienated from each other, that we live in virtual slavery and that we take all the information we receive without reservation. This song also builds on the concept of freedom. No matter how funny the refrain is, sometimes you have to react like that, in a "popular" way, to make it known that we lack mental peace. We have never had a culture of dialogue as a nation, but that would be a broader topic for discussion, and no concrete conclusion would be reached. It is followed by the song that bears the name of the EP "Stand your gorund". You must not give up on ideals and principles, you must remain yourself.
You recently dedicated another song to the football club "Čelik". Why exactly is "Čelik" and not "Sutjeska" popular among, so to speak, the urban youth of Nikšić and is this the case with the upcoming generations as well?
During our career, we recorded several songs for "Čelik". It was created as part of the sports collective of the former Ironworks, it was a workers' club. When we started as some other wave of "Fap Machine" fans, we strived for camaraderie, it was a rock and roll team or those who feel that way, without pretensions to success. The club and fans were synonymous with socializing and getting to know each other. As much as I went to the games, and we went for years, I don't remember much of the results, but I do remember the rains, snows and other bad weather. From such an atmosphere, someone decided to change it, added personal ambitions, and for those of us who went to the games, that was not the focus.
The camaraderie remained, some came, some left, and despite the historical football successes of FC "Čelik", it was time for the club to shut down, which is what happened. Who's left? Well, the people who from those first motives were with Čelik. The guys who used to train at the club, with the help of phenomenal people who come to the matches and some new "Fap machines", raised the club from the ashes, restored its meaning, and "Celek" today represents the original idea of uniting the community which, through a spirit that is unique, to make an important story, especially for children who will take their first football steps in it, and new people who will make new friends in the stands and various actions such as donating blood, humanitarian aid, etc., which has been done so far. As far as football is concerned, whatever happens, as long as the game is played, there will be results.
Now, the song came from that motive, and the best possible addition to it is the children's choir of the KUD "Zahumlje" led by the conductor Milena Popović which represents a pop rock choir, unique in the city and beyond. And I think that cooperation has shown a greater cultural and sporting significance of both the children who sing rock and roll in "Zahumlje" and the kids who train in "Celik". It's the future of the city! And we combined those two currents and made a song dedicated to youth.
"Sutjeska" from the time when we were kids, until today, for our concept, often represented something with which we do not identify. Although there is a huge importance of this football club throughout its history, however, in modern terms, even that name has suffered due to various individuals and currents, and it is often dragged out in the media today about various things, so I think that we, as one part of the city, have no contact points with that. It is interesting that the first match between "Sutjeska" and "Celika" ended with "Celika" winning 0:1 with a goal Abramović. In the end, every strong football city has two teams that are rivals, and so it is with Nikšić.
Nikšić has long been the music center of Montenegro, or at least one of them, if you take into account how many active bands it had, as well as concerts, festivals... It seems that all that has died down a bit in recent years, right? Why is that, what is happening?
It's a story we come back to often. Change of generations, the importance of music as such has changed. People from bands who found other jobs or the road took them to different places made the scene in Nikšić no longer exist. There are almost no concerts, festivals maintain the spirit of the past, but until some new forces appear, Nikšić will be without a rock and roll scene. There are individuals, but there is no audience as such. However, this does not discourage much, many cities have experienced such revivals. I hope that there are new people in secondary schools who will improve the situation in the future, until then we can only hope, we are here to support!
Where is the place of punk today, both in Montenegro and globally?
Well, punk in Montenegro, where it's always been, whoever loves it grabs hold of it, it's globally there. It certainly represents the strongest cultural machine that has undergone metamorphosis into many genres and cultures. He upgraded rock and roll and gave it many directions, both musically and ideologically. The terms anti-globalism, vegetarianism, eco-activism, anti-fascism are the loudest in punk. In the world of punk and hardcore underground, it forms a unique community that lives by such principles. I can say that the regional scene has become very cohesive and is connecting and helping. The experience from Smederevo shows that such a scene can be created in every community based on these principles, so there is no winter for punk. On the other hand, Montenegro and rock and roll, it's always pioneering work.
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