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There are plenty of punk concerts in Berlin – but not many with musicians from Myanmar. So, it’s not surprising that people have formed a queue in front of the Festsaal Kreuzberg to experience the Burmese band Side Effect live on stage. By Caroline Meurer and Elisa Stahmleder

The motto of the event at the Festsaal is “Home Evening.” A home is something that can be shaped; where traditions can be broken. Not necessarily a place, a home can also be music – music that moves things. Anyone walking past the Festsaal Kreuzberg can see that this theme is well received: people are clustered in front of the entrance. Following their acid test in Hamburg, the Burmese punk band Side Effect is holding its second concert outside of Asia tonight in Berlin. The fan merchandise is as good as sold out – the audience in Gera, the site of the third and final concert on their Germany tour, will probably not be able to take any CDs and t-shirts home with them.

But, tonight some Berliners are also disappointed: the doors are closed at about 9:30 – every last seat of the Festsaal is filled. Before the concert, though, the visitors first get to see the documentary film Yangon Calling.



Yangon Calling tells of life in Myanmar. The film does not, however, focus on generals, protesters and Aung San Suu Kyi, but on the members of a rather surprising milieu: the punk scene. Young punk rockers tell of their lives in the Burmese capital city of Yangon. The scene there is still small; everyone knows one another. Everyday life in the country marked by military dictatorship is shaped by unemployment, state surveillance and the lack of prospects. The desire for freedom comes up again and again in the lyrics of the punk musicians portrayed.

The censorship reveals that they must fight for this freedom. Darko, Side Effect’s lead singer, explains during the panel discussion after the film, “Since the opening of the country, bands no longer have to submit their lyrics to the censorship office, but you still can’t write whatever you want. If the lyrics don’t please the government, you’ll be put in prison.” Yet only a few months ago, a tour to Germany would have been unthinkable for the band. The military dictatorship was largely cut off from the rest of the world. The regime is slowly opening up and although free thinkers continue to be monitored, tonight, at least, these three Burmese musicians are standing on a stage in Berlin.



During this question and answer session, the Berlin audience also learns about how Yangon Calling originated. When the filmmakers Alexander Dluzak and Carsten Piefke from Berlin heard about the growing punk movement in Myanmar, they decided to make a film about it. They contacted Side Effect on MySpace. After the musicians agreed to be involved in the film, the two from Berlin flew to Yangon in 2011. There, the filmmakers came into contact with other punk musicians through singer and guitarist Darko, bassist Joseff and drummer Tser Htoo. “Without the help of the guys from Side Effect, we wouldn’t have been able to make the film,” according to Dluzak. “And the support of the Goethe-Institut has now made it possible for them to perform here in Germany.” The Goethe-Institut funded the concert journey to Germany.

The audience wants to know whether a lot has changed in Myanmar since the country’s opening. “No,” replies Darko, “the ordinary population in particular doesn’t yet notice a difference; only the rich are getting richer. The people have to put pressure on the government so that something really happens.”



The Burmese band is making a start at opposition with its original songs. In Berlin, it is on stage together with the Berlin rock band Priscilla Sucks. The crowd in the Festsaal pogos wildly. The exuberance of the Burmese lads’ rocking show demonstrates how much they enjoy their freedom in a country far from home. Darko briefly sits in on the gig by the supporting act and sings its final tunes along with Priscilla Sucks’ lead singer Eva – after only two weeks of preparations. Punk unites.