Dr Sean Martin-Iverson

C. O’Hara describes do-it-yourself (DIY) punk as an anti-authoritarian philosophy of independence and self-expression, and this corresponds closely with the DIY value of autonomy as understood by the anak DIY in Bandung. The etika DIY of autonomy and community constitutes an emergent value system enacted through the practices and social relations of DIY production. This chapter examines the value politics of anak DIY hardcore in the Indonesian scene, describing their attempts to realize the DIY punk values of autonomy and community through the social organization of DIY production, while critically assessing the political significance of DIY hardcore in the context of the Indonesian scene. While the organizational structure of Indonesian DIY hardcore is quite fluid, for much of the 2000s the DIY community in Bandung was based around BalKot, named after its regular meeting place on a flight of steps in front of Bandung’s City Hall.

The city of Bandung, Indonesia is home to a substantial hardcore punk scene; within this scene, a small but assertive DIY hardcore current strives to build a creative community that operates according to anti-capitalist DIY principles. Drawing on ethnographic research in the Bandung scene, I explore the value practices and social organisation of this community, focusing especially on three specific DIY projects: the Kolektif Balai Kota (City Hall Collective), an open, consensus-based collective that organises non-profit hardcore shows; the Endless DIY Store, a local independent distributor of DIY records, zines, and other products; and Inkoherent DIY Nutritionist, a record label that releases localised, affordable versions of albums by international DIY bands. Through such projects, and the social relations in which they are embedded, the ‘DIY kids’ (anak DIY) are building a cultural commons of shared means, knowledge and value as an alternative to the alienating logic of the capitalist market. While the autonomy of this DIY community remains partial, precarious and contested, the values they express and realise point towards alternative ways of organising cultural production and social life. Such practices of radical social creativity are an important part of the continuing political significance of punk in Indonesia and elsewhere.