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Warsaw’s second half and especially the late 1980s saw an explosion of new punk bands. Young crews appear on many housing estates. This is also the time when a series of concerts organised by the punkers in their schools starts. Virtually all the bands from this wave are gone and have not become more widely known. They no longer had goals like performing at Jarocin Festival, and releasing an album was out of the realm of plans. They tended to play locally and gain notoriety locally. The only band from the second half of the 1980s that became well known was, of course, POST REGIMENT – who were part of the same crew together as TRAGIEDIA. It was thanks to the Regiments that Tragiedia did not become dusty history – in the first half of the 1990s, Nika from PR self-released a low-quantity cassette distributed to friends only, which included both previously unreleased demos from 1988-1989, and in 1998, the excellent album ‘Tragiedia wg. Post Regiment’ was released, recorded by POST REGIMENT together with members of TRAGIEDIA. In the following years, recordings from the demos were released on split cassette in the Czech Republic (Malarie) and on vinyl LP in the USA (Todo Destruido).
TRAGIEDIA were by far the fiercest local band active at the time. Their sound was heavily influenced by the raw and fast international HC bands of the 80s, with a noticeable influence of Bristol and Stoke-On-Trent sounds like Disorder, Chaos UK and Discharge, but also with a fair bit of Polish Hardcore’84. Fast, short and ultra-charged songs, which at gigs caused a total cauldron and crazy pogo. Plus great lyrics, which were not optimistic, and the level of pissing contained in them still raises adrenaline. This can still be heard today – the noise of the big city, emptiness, alienation and the ever-present aggression in the air.
Almost 35 years since the band disbanded and despite the fact that they did not even release a single song during their time, the memory of the band is still alive and their output is still appreciated today. Tragiedia’s songs have even been covered in recent years by bands such as GOVERNMENT FLU, OHYDA and HUMAN RIGHTS.
“Demo 89″ EP contains their last and best recorded session. We felt it should be released in this form to sound better than ever. This 7” is accompanied by a booklet with photos, collages and an interview that will illuminate the somewhat little-known history of the band and the sparsely described realities of the Warsaw scene of the period. Edited, of course, by their bandmate Smok/Post Regiment/Studio As One. Cover artwork by Cezary Szpak.
- Format Type: 7"