New song rocks against far-right politicians and violence in the Netherlands and worldwide
Founded in 2000, Antillectual are melodic punks from Nijmegen in the eastern Netherlands. Their first LP was released in 2005. They name Crass and Hüsker Dü among their inspirations. Riekus has been their drummer since 2006. Ben has been their bassist since 2021. Guitarist Willem is the only one left from the original line-up. All three band members sing.
Willem contributed to the 2022 book Punks Listen. The theme of the book is: asking punks and their friends from many countries which record inspired them most. Contrary to most contributors, Willem did not name a particular record. His article, Being in a political band, is about Russia. Antillectual played there in 2011, when tyranny was still in its baby stages, with Pussy Riot. Like Pussy Riot, Willem opposes the dictatorship of Putin and his war of aggression against Ukraine. All profits from this book go to the Red Cross work in Ukraine.
So far, all Antillectual songs have been in English. But now, their first-ever song in Dutch is out. Its title is ‘Voorrang Voor Rechts‘, which means literally: priority to the right, in traffic.
This fast, thrashy song is not about traffic rules, but about politics; the current worldwide shift to the right and authoritarianism. Putin in Russia, Trump in the USA. This is also taking place in the Netherlands, with Geert Wilders’ PVV, Putin follower Thierry Baudet’s FVD, and their accomplices.
On this photo, by Niels Vinck, of Antillectual playing live, Willem has a not-so-complimentary sticker about Geert Wilders’ party on his guitar.
These stickers are available for free at the band’s concerts:
‘Voorrang Voor Rechts‘ comes out 10 days before the Dutch General Election on 29th October, with Wilders’ extreme right PVV aiming to become the biggest party. Wilders and Baudet supporters, demonstrating against refugees, cause violence all over the Netherlands.
On 20th September in The Hague, they attacked police horses with illegal heavy fireworks, burned police cars, injured journalists, and tried to set the building of a centrist liberal party on fire, smashing its windows, then smashed the windows of the House of Parliament, and attacked restaurants while doing Nazi salutes and carrying the orange-white-blue flags of the 1931-1945 Dutch Nazi party NSB.
During trouble in Amsterdam on 12th October, police arrested 29 violent right-wingers. They had demonstrated with, again, Nazi salutes, NSB flags and illegal heavy fireworks, with their main slogan being to scream that the (non-Jewish) social democrat party leader was supposedly a “cancer Jew who should die.”
In this disturbing political situation, Antillectual release their new song to strengthen resistance to these merchants of racism and violence.
Here is the video of the song, which includes some images of that violence:
In the lyrics, the band mention that the extreme right “fucks up culture” and “fucks up the government” and “puts culture into a far-right straitjacket.”
‘Voorrang Voor Rechts’ will appear on the ‘Antillectueel‘ EP, with 9 songs, all in Dutch, coming out on November 11th as a vinyl 7” and a digital release – pre-order HERE
Antillectual will tour in the Netherlands this year and next – dates below:
Follow Antillectual on Their Socials:
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In 1978 Herman co-founded Dutch Rock Against Racism and was a founder of Pin punkzine. He’s vocals/saxophone for Cheap ‘n’ Nasty and in 2021 co-founded the Punk Scholars Network, Netherlands.
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