INTERVIEW: Indonesia’s hardcore punk giants Thinking Straight call it quits…last words with Adit

For many people outside the world of Indonesian hardcore the words Thinking Straight may not ring many bells. Today however, we’d like to help change all that. This band that has been laying down the groundwork for what makes Indonesian hardcore beat so fucking hard with immense power and inspiration for 20 damn years, has released a wrap up video from their final show which took place a couple weeks ago. The video itself easily captures the passion and love this band was able to garner within the hugely influential Indonesian hardcore community. The band calling it quits this year on their 20 year anniversary is also a poignant place for a band to reflect on what it has accomplished and what, if anything, is their left for this entity in its current form to still do.

The band didn’t just end it just by fizzling out…the band released a phenomenal hardcore punk record called An Old Factory last year that easily stands as one of the strongest hardcore punk releases from Asia in recent times. The record is ferocious in speed and impact…the vocal delivery is a throat shattering collection of passionate screams as the vocalist lays down yet another chapter of the band’s life through words. But if you listen carefully, there is a deeper emotion in the music, as if the band knew its days were winding down. Fitting, since it was to become the last Thinking Straight release ever.

We were able to hunt down guitarist Adit who graciously took the time to sit down and share his thoughts on that final Thinking Straight show.

Enjoy…

Photo credit: Ignas B.C.

What’s up Adit! Where are you right now and what are you up to?
I’m busy running Merchltd with Gaga (guitarist of killer melodic hardcore band Modern Guns). Merchltd is an official band merch store.

https://www.facebook.com/merchltd2015

Awesome man! For Merchltd do you guys do overseas bands or is it mainly focused on Indonesian bands?
It’s focused on overseas band merch.

Adit and partner in crime Gaga – together they run MerchLtd in Indonesia

So tell us why you guys decided to end Thinking Straight?
It’s the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make. To me Thinking Straight will always be a straight edge band. I see it as a vehicle to send out a message about straight edge. But what started happening was that over a longer period of time it was hard to keep members who felt the same way about straight edge and the idea behind Thinking Straight. We tried our best to keep it going and thus frequently changed members. After about 4 years of doing this and trying to get the right fit for the band, it was just impossible and so I decided it was time to wrap it all up. The members of Thinking Straight were already ready to move on from singing about straight edge and thus on our most recent release Old Factory, the lyrical content was totally different.

Oh damn…that is definitely a tough situation! Videos from the show are up online now and it looks like a few hundred people showed up to support you guys. How was the show?
The show was great! Definitely one of the most memorable moments in my life.

How many people were at the show?
I’m not sure but I think about 500 kids showed up.

Sick…now that the band is really over – what are your thoughts and feelings?
A little sad because I spent half of my life growing with this band. But I’m also relieved that I can now move on and start something new.

So what’s in store for you guys now that the band is done? What are you going to focus on and how about the other band members?
We’re all focused on our jobs and our families…we all have kids. But I have another band called FINAL BREATH and our EP will be available soon on Set The Fire Records. Our guitarist Donal and myself also have another band called PAINTED BLOOD.

Final Breath

Awesome man…last question…to you straight edge was very important – why is straight edge so important to you?
Hardcore and straight edge basically saved my life. If not for straight edge and hardcore maybe I would’ve ended up a junkie. But because of straight edge and hardcore, I am who I am today.

Enjoy a fullset live video of Thinking Straight’s last show ever below. For more amazing photos from that night check out a collection by Ignas B.C. here:

https://flic.kr/s/aHskJkLXV4