SCENE REPORT ON SQUATTING IN RELATION TO THE NYC PUNK SCENE 2024
Anonymous submission
squatted shows and diy shows have been an essential part of the history of punk in "so called" nyc. for years there have been consistent diy spots that have been holding up the scene. unfortunately in these last few years most of those places have been stripped away from us. in a post-covid lockdown dystopia of hyper inflation, resulting in a housing crisis, diy spots are the front lines of demolition for gentrification/yuppie condos and businesses nobody asked for or even afford. landlords work hand-in-hand with the state to use surveillance culture to catch diy spots and we have the dry-snitching that is instagram show photography accompanying geotags to thank for that.
december of 2023 marked the first squatted show that set the tone for what is being considered a "reclamation series" of squatted shows.
that show was in an abandoned commercial space somewhere in manhattan, surrounded by highend restaurants and bars that were built for yuppie gentrifiers. there is something eerily disturbing about there being blocks of abandoned buildings rotting while people sleep on the streets. there was no location information on the flyer but a small quote which i think encapsulates where we were pretty well: "they build a playground for the rich on open graves of the poor". i'd also like to note that this was a benefit show for a local squat and took place during the peak of a, luckily, failed attempt at a violent forced eviction by zionist developers.
that show kickstarted a series of shows that have taken place on bridges, abandoned sites, active construction sites, and even active railroad tunnels often being overlooked by the city's iconic skyline, keeping the city that never sleeps awake. these shows have been scouted, backlined, and booked by a large crew of people that go by the name "logout".
none of the flyers include the location of the show and people are encouraged to go hunt for large screenprinted show flyers that are wheatpasted around the city which include the coordinates of the show location. this is all in a grand effort to keep these locations offline so the internet doesn't do what it's best known for: blowing up the spot.
hence the name logout*.
we're lucky to live in a grandiose, loud city that is filled with nooks and crannies that are being left to rot. i only say lucky because we see those places and our eyes light up knowing at least for one night we can bring life back into it. the benefits of being in a city this rambunctious is that we make it happen right under their noses. they don't want us having these spaces to let out our anger and speak loudly on the atrocities the country we live in is perpetuating around the world.
reclaiming spaces that are being left to rot by those pushing us out feels necessary in today's climate. not only are we pushing the boundaries of autonomy in a disruptive way but we are also raising funds and awareness about the imperialistic horrors being committed across the globe, including our own neighborhoods such as the heavy-handed police interventions on migrant vendors and barrios.
-loc
*in other fun anti-internet news: logout is making a newspaper which will include things like comics, show reviews, tape releases, future gigs, strictly offline photographs from diy shows and all the fun local news a newspaper should provide. unfortunately, this newspaper can only be attained by coming to new york city! hope to see you soon.
