Ah yes, every time we came to Banja Luka we ended (or started) the visit by going to the basement of the Pub in Gospodska, then to the park across from Boska. We went to some gigs there. One of my favorite ones was the Citizen Fish concert in Sebastian (it was along the Vrbas, across the bridge?). Great concert. That's where Miladojka Youneed played as well. I didn't see much more shows there. Either I wasn't there, in Prijedor ... because I traveled a lot then ... Ljubljana, Zagreb, Karlovac, Novo Mesto, Sarajevo, the sea .... punks from everywhere).
I'll let you know if I think of anything else, and you feel free to ask.
Greetings, and greetings to those people from Doboj who are near you.
Cheers

Winter 2021/2022, Sweden
Habi- Geneva Decree (Mostar)

Habi: I believe that there were a lot more punk bands in Banja Luka in the eighties than the ones you mentioned (WSW, Curfew), but it was probably all local in nature and quite closed to your own city scene. Otherwise, I don't know how else to explain that I haven't heard of them, that they weren't mentioned in fanzines, etc.

Back then I did a fanzine too. It was called Udarac Svijetu (A Blow To The World). 2 issues were published in some fifty copies. I failed to save a single copy of those 2 numbers. I would be glad if I could find them somehow. I inquired, but so far I have not been able to find any.

By the way, at that time ('86 / '87) I was in the army (mandatory in Yugoslavia), I was pretty off when it came to music, so I completely missed this tape (Mako Love Not War ?!). Only some 20 years later I found out for the first time that it had been published at all.

I remember that quite early on, maybe even in '85, a big article about the Zenica scene was published in the youth newspaper "Novi Dani" where 3 bands were mentioned. Even some of their lyrics were published. The names of the bands are impossible for me to remember.

Of all those guys, I only met Sexy from the Dissidents on the train to Zagreb when D.O.A. played there.

In Tuzla, there was a band "Polica Lica" which were supposed to perform at the HC fest in Subotica. However, due to the fight between the skins from Novi Sad and the punks from Subotica, neither they nor we played that evening. As far as I remember, of the many bands that were supposed to play, only Patareni and another band from Subotica played, and then the police dispersed everybody. If this band from Tuzla had not appeared in Subotica that evening, I would never have heard of them, because after that all trace of them was lost.

Spring 2022, San Francisco, USA
Boris (Lovra) - Fuck The Army (Doboj)

Boris: A concert called "Pigeons Have Fallen To The Ground" was held in 1986 at a Doboj theatre called "U Magazi". The bands that played that night were WSW (Banja Luka), Dissidents (Prijedor), Art 'E Facto (Doboj), and Fuck The Army (Doboj). We (Fuck The Army) had a new guitarist, Slaven, who joined the band just before the concert. He was a metalhead and learned our songs in an instant. Fuck The Army was the fastest and most brutal band at that concert. Compared to us the other bands sounded like punk rock.

A year or two later, a concert that was supposed to be held at the Music Youth in Doboj was canceled. Many people came from all over. The Geneva Decree was supposed to play as well.

Fuck The Army was formed in 1986. We rehearsed at the Music Youth. After FTA, I played in several other bands: 193+ (all band members were taller than 193 cm), OPTM (O Pizda Ti Materina), and Hyperactive Children (drum & bass band formed after my return from army 1990 or 1991).

Art 'E Facto members were Robbie, Roni, Cako, Chennai. They played punk. Robbie lives in Berlin.

The concert "Pigeons Have Fallen To The Ground" was recorded by a guy from Radio Doboj. I had the recording until a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, it was stolen together with a very good live recording of Miladojka Youneed (I think it was live from Banja Luka) when my car was broken into in San Francisco.

In 1987, Roni and I went to Popovača to visit Kečer from Satan Panonski. From there we went directly to Vinkovci to hang out with a bunch of punks. There were many people there from different parts of Yugoslavia. We used to go to Banja Luka to visit Drazen Zaric and others. We also went to Rijeka. There, our contact was Damir Pilić Pile, with whom Kečer connected us.

When you mentioned Zavidovići, I remembered that there was a punk band there in the eighties, but I can't remember their name. It's not the band Pauk (Spider).

Fotografija Dissidents-a sa koncerta Golubovi su pali na tlo/ Photo from the Pigeons Have Falled To The Ground gig: Dissidents
Plakat za hardcore feštu u Subotici 1985/ Hardcore fest Subotica 85 poster
Članak o Art 'e facto iz fanzina T.S.O.M./ Article about Art 'E Facto from T.S.O.M. zine

I did a fanzine, but I can't remember the name. At that time punks were all over. I remember going with my sister to a small town called Visoko where I saw punk graffiti written on the walls.

That black and white photo of Dissidents was taken in Doboj in 1986 at the Pigeons concert.

We had a lot of problems with the police. The punks from Banja Luka were banned from coming to Doboj by the police after 3 primary schools were broken into. The punks were accused of that. We were detained and interrogated. In the end, we were released, but the people of Banja Luka were forbidden to re-enter the city. That was the last time I saw some of them.

During the war, in Teshan there was a punk festival Rostock. I think that younger punks who during the war fled to Teshan were involved.

Spring 2022, Sweden
Golub- Geneva Decree (Mostar)

DTE: Lately I've been trying to connect some missing dots, especially about mid-late 80s hardcore punk scene in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in Macedonia, about which little has been documented. I wrote to Gvido (Brainstorm), Habi (Geneva Decree) and Eka (Dissidents), but I received very little information.

Firstly, I wonder if you know anything about the compilation tape "Make Love Not War!?!" Gvido has no idea. Habi told me that he was in the army in 1986 and that it was only 20 years after the release of that tape that he first heard about it. I corresponded with Eka, but he didn't tell me anything concrete except: "Brother, there was a party. We recorded at Drazen's grandmother, in the WSW practice room. There were a lot of bands in Banja Luka at that time."

Golub: Drazen (R.I.P) contacted us (me and Kokich) about that compilation (by a letter, of course, that's how it went at the time) and that was sometime after the recording of our first demo. He and another guy from Banja Luka were doing the compilation. Kokich was more in charge of contacts in BiH, and due to acquaintances I was in charge of contacts with people in Ljubljana, Subotica, Novi Sad… Drazen sent us a copy when the tape came out and there were only bands from BiH on it. So Banja Luka, Prijedor, Mostar and Doboj. An excellent retrospective presentation of the then BiH HC punk scene and active bands.

Quite strange and for a deeper analysis that Sarajevo did not produce any hardcore bands at that time. The name of the compilation is prophetically good.

DTE: Do you know of any other mid 80s Banja Luka punk bands besides these ones?

Golub: Well, these from the tape and some more like Policijski Cas, Rescue Party, Subversion ... Somehow, Banja Luka, unfortunately, was more in post punk, noise and dark sound. At least judging by that Banja Luka Dreaming compilation that Drazen put out.

DTE: I did not know Drazen Zaric. I know some people who knew him, but I don’t know how to reach them. I went to the show in 1997 or 1998 when he returned from London to Banja Luka to promote the Banja Luka Dreaming compilation. He died in a car accident during that visit...

Golub: He remained in my memory as cheerful, agile, always ready to cooperate, to help, full of energy and positivism. We actually met in 1986 on a train going to Ljubljana (they joined at Banja Luka train station) to the Ni Strahu hardcore party. Later, a video cassette of the same name was released, as well as an audio cassette called Čudeza Ne Bo. WSW, his band, also played at that party and they “stuck” to us because we were a little older than them and knew more people. We were together the whole time of the party. Even today, it is not clear to me why their songs did not appear, at least on the cassette tape. They were not much worse nor better than the rest of us. As far as I can remember, they were the first to play, so maybe the recording equipment hadn't prepared yet. Too bad!
Punkers from Prijedor also came to the festival and started pogoing at our performance: my great friend Sexy, Eka….
It was also the beginning of our friendship, which continued through concerts of foreign bands when they played in Zagreb or Ljubljana. They were sure to be at those shows: Exploited, Angelic Upstarts… We continued to hang out once some of us ended up in Sweden.

As far as I remember, Drazen also published a fanzine called the Eastern Front.

DTE: Toshe from Skopje wrote to me that the last time he was in Banja Luka was on a tour with Padot Na Vizantija (The Fall Of Byzantium), sometime in 1987. If I remember correctly, he said that it was their last concert. Do you know anything about it? Did you go to the Sebastian Club in BL?

Golub: No, but I know about that concert. It is possible that before that concert, the band were guests on TV Sarajevo and recorded a video.

DTE: Was there anything related to hardcore punk in Sarajevo in the mid-1980s? In Bihach? In Herzegovina? In the villages?

Golub: Some bands appeared in Sarajevo before the war, but not at the time of the release of this tape. Later from Sarajevo came Mentols (garage punk), Nuclearchy (Voivod style)...
From Tuzla were the Polica Lica who traveled with us to Subotica for the fest called Strah (Fear) in 1985. Later appeared Ludilo and Pakleni Dvopek.

DTE: Who was the publisher, ie Branko Lazić who did the New Musical Direction, and the fanzines Exces, Akt and Gutemberg? Was he in one of the bands?

Golub: I don't know, I didn't know that Branko. As I told you, in our case it went through Drazen. At the time we came out on a lot of compilation tapes and this one was no different based on its (non)quality.

I want to say that everything was okay, and the only difference is that the tape Make Love  covered only bands from BiH. Their great idea. I salute them for that.

Intervju sa Fuck the army i gig report iz faznina T.S.O.M. / Interview with Fuck The Army and gig report from T.S.O.M. zine

DTE: When and where were the songs of the Geneva Decree on this tape recorded?

Golub: They were recorded in 1986 in Ljubljana in the studio of Borut Činč, sometime at the end of the year. We recorded 10 songs with the great and selfless help of Borut who was the best and most suitable man when it came to punk. We have fond memories of him and he still mentions us in a fine light on his website.

Lineup: Kokich - voice / Kuzma - guitar / Golub - bass / Tocha - drums


Spring 2022, San Pablo, California
Tino- Clarence ADK, Gracki Duvacki Orkestar, Purple Dickheads (Doboj)

Tino: Doboj was quite musical for its "greatness" during the eighties. There were more weird bands than others. Sarajevo students from the seventies are to blame for that: Garo, Zica, Macan, Vlatko, Kvisko. Later, some of them played in Gimpel ludi, and Elvis J Kurtovich. I started playing with Clarence ADK, post punk, very similar to Idoli. In the middle of the eighties Prpa and I started the Gracki Duvacki Orkestar (City Brass Band), a 15 piece brass noise band. In 1987 Chobby, Gigi Govedina, Kara and I, along with a few others, formed Purple Dickheads, a band that lasted for a very short time. I would call it upbeat Bauhaus, hahaha.

DTE: When was Clarence ADK formed? When did you break up?

Tino: I think the band was formed in 1980. I joined them in '81, left '84, disbanded '85 -'86.

 DTE: Where was the photo of Clarence ADK you sent taken? Do you have more photos? Any recordings?

 Tino: 1984. Law School in Doboj. Student party.

 DTE: And recordings? Is there a recording from the concert? From a rehearsal room?

Tino: Around 2005-2006 my ex girlfriend from that period sent me a tape. I was smart, I made a digital copy. 10 years later I took it all to my parents' to save it, and shit! Everything got destroyed in the 2014 flood.

DTE: That sucks. Does she still have those recordings? Where are the other members of the band? Any of them have the recording?

Tino: No, it looks like I was the only one who had copies. She had my master, which she sent, as well as a live recording of GDO, from the poster I sent to you.

Purple Dickheads had a studio demo, and GDO had a recording made in front of 5000 confused people.

DTE: The article about Yugoslav fanzines that you sent to me... it was published by Tiberius. I think that's his name. In Austria in the 1990s he ran a label and distro, Sacro Egoismo and Sacro Kabalismo. That article came out in his fanzine. My friend Marko has it. That is where I first read it some ten or so years ago.

Tino: I've never heard of New Regime fanzine from Doboj. I have no idea who published it.

* If anybody knows the WSW bassist (I'm not sure if his name is Miloš or Dušan, affiliated with the Anarchist Federation in London), please let me know. We met in 2003 and I unfortunately lost his contact. For years, I have been trying to get in touch with him again because I would like to do an interview about an anti-war protest organized by punks in Banja Luka in the early 1990s.

Dule Kengur (The Dissidents guitarist) - I met him in Prijedor shortly after the war (1996 or 1997). I later heard from people who knew him well that he had returned to Australia. If anyone knows how to get in touch with Dule, please let me know.

Intervju sa WSW iz fanzina Memento mori / Interview with WSW from Memento Mori fanzine
Krdo slonova kasetna compilacija na kojoj se nalaze WSW, Ženevski dekret i Dissidents/ Compilation cassette Krdo Slonova with WSW, Geneva Decree, and Dissidents

Izvodi iz intervjua urađenih u zimu 2021. i proljeće 2022. o hardcore punk sceni u Jugoslaviji sredinom osamdesetih godina prošlog vijeka, poglavlje Bosna i Hercegovina.

Zima 2021. Rijeka, Hrvatska
Samir (Sexy), Dissidents (Prijedor)  

Samir: Mi (The Dissidents) smo nastali negdje u zimu 1986. Skupili smo se onako, ono, ekipa mladih, nadobudnih pankera koja su mislila nešto reći i izbaciti iz sebe. Postava je bila: Eka-bubnjevi, Dušan (Dus-Kengur) - gitara/ tekstovi na engleskom, Amir/Serđo- bas i ja kao pjevač/ tekstovi na našem. Osnovali smo se malo prije te famozne svirke kod bake od pokojnog Dražena. Od tud i snimci sa te kompilacije Make Love Not War. Tada su tu dole, u tom podrumu, bili WSW i još jedan bend, čini mi se da je to bio AWOL. Za te Terminatore fakat nisam čuo ništa ni prije ni poslje te kompilacije. No ne znači da nisu postojali jer kao i svagdje postojala su "društva" koja su se tu i tamo susretala. Ono, iz istog grada, ali svi za sebe. Nije bilo interneta, pa se išlo po modelu "rekla -kazala... ovo i ono" i "čuo sam od tog i tog". Shvataš već. Tu u igru ulaze fanzini. Pojavljuju se, i krug ljudi se širi, sve se više povezuje, infomacije se šire, saznaješ za "istomišljenike", bendove, adrese. Dražen je imao fanzin Istočna fronta i radio je distro. Dosta sa te strane je i dolazilo do nas. Imali smo kontakte sa masu ljudi. Putovanja, ljudi , koncerti, kasete... Po mome ličnome uvjerenju, pokojni Dražen Zarić je bio jedan od najbitnijih likova u banjalučkome panku (bar u tome periodu druge polovine 80-ih) jer je širio krug. Od tada je prošlo masu godina, dosta tog se i zaboravilo, dosta je tog i uništeno zbog rata u Bosni i Hercegovini (meni osobno SVE... svi ti fanzini, ploče, singlice, pisma ljudi... sve... nešto mi je rahmetli mati spasila, slanjem vani preko nekih konvoja, pa su mi ljudi to pokupili... no 80% tog je otišlo u nepovrat kad su preko noći, ne svojom voljom, morali izaći iz Prijedora... onaj ko je "ušao" je to, hajdemo reći, rasparčao, uništio i šta ja sve znam).

Uglavnom, hajdemo sad malo da se vratim na Banja Luku. Da, znali smo neke ljude koji su svirali u Policijskom času. Jedan lik iz Prijedora, Nidžo smo ga zvali, možda je Nikola ili slično, bio im je basista. Znam da je tamo studirao, sigurno je upoznao nekog od likova iz Policijskoga i tako počeo s njima svirati (čak sam imao i neku kasetu sa njihovim demom, 3 ili 4 stvari- završilo u onome što je otišlo u nepovrat). Imena koja mi padaju na pamet u vezi Policijskog časa su Babin i Emir, ali sve je to onako kao u magli (gušćoj). Oni su to ljeto (1986.) svirali na nekoj gitarijadi u Prijedoru, u Ljetnoj bašti. Ja nisam bio tu, ali po pričama ljudi to je bilo revolucionarno za taj čas. Imali su neki mračniji izričaj... nije punk, a nije ni mekano. Od likova iz BL sam još u kontaktu sa basistom WSW, Gramsom (Goran). On je u Njemačkoj.

Da, bila je još tu i neka mlađa ekipa. Ono, nisu svirali baš punk, ali taj neki Mega City Four, pop gitare, melanholija i slično. Zvali su se Blue noise. Sa njima i još jednim bendom smo mi (The Disssidents) svirali u SKUC-u. Mi smo tad već bili na trećem demu. Od svirke u podrumu od Draženove bake pa do tad smo izdali već 3 dema. Izlazili smo na nekim kompilacijama (From the Cradle to the Grave, Dead Men Tell No Lies, Bezimeni). Tu u igru ulazi nacija, frka pred rat, pizdarije, Dušanova tvrdoglavost- za tog tipa neću ništa da znam... loše je odigrao zadnju godinu našeg "prijateljstva"... ništa više o tome.

Kompilacije za koje znam su Make love not war, Krdo slonova (na njoj su i WSW i Ženevski dekret) i još neke za koje nikad nisam dobio povratnu informaciju (ono, pošalješ nekome materijal, jer je rekao da pravi komp i nikad ti se ne javi i slično).

I da, ta famozna svirka u Doboju. Svirali smo mi, WSW, Fuck the army i, mislim, ArtDeFacto. Svirka je bila 1989., mjesto se zvalo U magazi, i sad, ne znam da li je imala naziv Golubovi su pali na tlo, no sad kao da se neke sive ćelije bude, pa bi to moglo i biti tako. Hvala ti što si mi "osvježio" pamćenje. I kaseta sa tog koncerta je bila naša. Neko nas nažicao da se pusti na Radio Doboju i od tad ni traga.

Likovi kojih se sjećam iz Doboja su Robi, Roni i Sanjin. Čak smo pokojni Dražen i ja bili nakon te svirke u posjeti im, ono, druženje, i spavali smo kod Ronija. Tad su bile neke policijske vježbe -plavi i crveni- i "uhvate nas" plavi zato što sam ja imao neku crvenu bandanu na hlačama. Mi svi čupavi, ofarbane kose u crno (HC thrash imidž), mali milion nekih zakrpa i šta sve ne... cirkus. Teško su nas pustili, morali smo lične karte pokazivati da smo iz Banja Luke i Prijedora i da nismo znali za tu vježbu.

Ostatak BiH sredinom osamdesetih:
Mostar- sve se već zna. 
Sarajevo- bilo je tu puno likova, malo bendova i nešto fanzina (Peša i Epitaph...), Križa (Enciklopedija).
Tuzla- izuzev Ludila i Rupe u zidu, ne znam ništa više. Polica lica kao neki mitski bend... čuli ljudi, a niko ni gledao, niti ih zna.
Zenica- hmmm, te neke podatke si mogao od Žilija pokupiti (znam da znaš „Žilija iz Prijedora", on je Zeničanin). Još jednog lika sam znao, Gudi, ali čujem da je ubijen.
Znam za još neke pankere iz "naše" okoline (Bosanska Krajina):
Dubica- legendarni Ado, te jedan lik iz Ivanjske (ime sam mu zaboravio, ali je bio odličan... slučajno ga upoznasmo u vozu za Zagreb... išli na koncert UK Subs-a, bila neke frka nakon koncerta... mi se marisali sa metalcima/ BBB na Glavnom kolodvoru, murija nas ganjala i nekako se vratismo u naš rodni kraj i naravno, niko nije pokupio kontakt od lika).
Sanski Most- bilo je nekih new wave likova i cura, čisto u redu su bili...

Ah da, u Banja Luci smo svaki put kad smo dolazili završavali (ili započinajali) posjet sa odlaskom u podrum Pivnice u Gospodskoj, onda u parkić preko puta Boske. Bili smo na nekim svirkama tu. Jedna od boljih mi je bio koncert Citizen Fish u Sebastijanu (to je bilo uz Vrbas, preko mosta?). Odličan koncert. A tu su svirali i Miladojka Youneed. Ostale nisam gledao. Ili me nije bilo tu, u Prijedoru... jer se tad puno putovalo... Ljubljana, Zagreb, Karlovac, Novo Mesto, Sarajevo, more....ekipe od svakud)

Toliko. Javim ako mi još što prođe kroz glavu, a i ti pitaj.
Lijep pozdrav, i pozdrav tim ljudima iz Doboja koji su tu kod tebe u blizini.
Živio 

Fotografije i crtež: Art 'e facto / Photos and artwork: Art 'E Facto

Zima 2021./ 2022. Švedska
Habi- Ženevski dekret (Mostar) 

Habi: Vjerujem da je u Banja Luci u osamdesetim bilo i dosta više punk bendova od ovih koje si spomenuo (WSW, Policijski čas), ali je vjerovatno to sve bilo lokalnog karaktera i dosta zatvoreno u vlastitu gradsku scenu. Inače ne znam kako drugačije objasniti da nisam čuo za njih, da se nisu spominjali u fanznima itd. 

I ja sam tada radio fanzin. Zvao se Udarac svijetu. Izašla su 2 broja u nekih pedesetak primjeraka. Nisam uspio sačuvati ni jednu kopiju od ta 2 broja. Bilo bi mi drago ako bih ih uspio nekako pronaći. Raspitivao sam se, ali do sada nisam uspio pronaći ni jedan od brojeva.

Inače, u to vrijeme ('86/'87) bio sam u vojsci, pa sam bio dosta off što se tiče muzike tako da sam ovu kasetu (Mako Love Not War?!) sasvim propustio i tek nekih 20 godina kasnije sam prvi put saznao da je uopšte objavljena. 

Sjećam se da je dosta rano, mozda čak '85. u omladinskim novinama Novi dani bio objavljen veliki članak o zeničkoj sceni gdje su se spominjala 3 benda. Čak su i neki njihovi tekstovi bili objavljeni. Naziva bendova je nemoguce da se sjetim.

Od sve te ekipe jedino sam se upoznao sa Sexyjem iz benda Dissidents u vozu za Zagreb kad su svirali D.O.A. 

U Tuzli je bio bend Polica lica koji su trebali nastupati na HC fešti u Subotici. Međutim zbog tuče između novosadskih skinsa i subotičkih pankera nisu ni oni, a ni mi, svirali to veče. Koliko se sjećam od mnoštva bendova koji su trebali svirati jedino su svirali Patareni i još jedan subotički bend, a potom je milicija sve rastjerala. Da se ovaj bend iz Tuzle to veče nije pojavio u Subotici ne bih nikada ni čuo za njih jer im se poslije toga izgubio svaki trag.

Članak o punk fanzinima u Jugoslaviji/ Article about punk zines in Yugoslavia (very incomplete)