Jun 20, 2023

Street Punk Legends The Exploited Play Tbilisi, Yerevan and Istanbul

The Exploited, Tbilisi, Georgia © Onnik James Krikorian 2023

A lively crowd of passionate fans eagerly gathered outside Elektrowerk, a repurposed Soviet-era factory in Tbilisi’s Isani district, last weekend. They were here to see[ME1] punk legends, The Exploited who had come from delivering electrifying shows in Yerevan and Istanbul just days earlier. Now they were bringing raw energy, rebellious spirit, and a dose of punk-infused chaos, to the Georgian capital.

Their arrival was only fitting. Georgia pioneered the regional emergence of punk in the early 1990s and even though recent fashion has seen the electronic music scene dominate the contemporary cultural space, there are signs that punk might be attempting a comeback.

[…]

“Perfect,” says Buchan in a thick Scottish accent when asked how the shows in Istanbul and Yerevan went. He can’t remember when The Exploited first performed in Turkey, but thinks it was about 18 years ago. Armenia and Georgia were a first for the band, however, and a day before Tbilisi band members shared photographs visiting the pagan temple of Garni in Armenia before their Yerevan show.

“This time was fantastic,” he says. “Armenia – I’ve never been there before or here [in Georgia] but I knew it would be good because we’ve been to Russia and Ukraine and they’ve always been great gigs. Coming here – the people here are crazy up for it. Tonight there’s so many young kids here all screaming. I could be their grandad so it’s absolutely fantastic. Really good.”

[…]

The full article is online here.

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