Egypt/UK Hardcore Punk Band CIRCLE NONE Release New EP ‘Qodwa’ [Egypt/UK]

Egyptian/UK hardcore band CIRCLE NONE have released a brand new EP and we are super grateful that vocalist, May, allowed us to reshare what she had written about the release.

“When I first moved to the UK soon as I turned 23 I was fed up with my country. I wanted to escape oppressive ideology, sexism, classism, racism and patriarchy. I wanted nothing to do with religion, patriotism or nationalism. I wanted to prioritise my personal freedom that I’ve been deprived of most my life and connect to likeminded humans and I wanted to reach as far as I possibly could with the “universal” English language.

Whether in my older bands or Circle None, I only ever focused on strengthening my English expression and my connection to the outside world. It felt important to focus on what brings us together as a subgenre and global community. At some point over the years I started to feel an inevitable disconnect.. I couldn’t put my finger on it really.. As grateful as I am for finding myself and my chosen family in the west something felt fundementally wrong with the fabric of society in the so called “Free World”.

Enter October 7th.. a lot of masks came off and I saw exactly why I felt the way I did. It became clear to me that at the end of the day when shit hits the fan, actually in any given circumstance, western society will only look after their own and at first impression or impulse will cast people like me aside to safeguard their own views, values and hidden biases, viewing anyone outside their culture as an insignificant at best, or a threat at worst, like it has happened to me personally in social situations time and time again, to say the least, and you notice the fear and hesitation in people’s eyes, how they ignore and reject what they don’t understand, nothing new, but to finally see it on such a major worldwide scale was nothing short of eye opening, our kind started reaching out to each other across the globe and after many conversations and exchanges of stories and experiences, it started feeling natural to find safety in my own too, and reconnect to my roots with people around the world regardless!

This isn’t about nationalism or religion whatsoever, but embracing the birth of our own disconnect on this earth as people from countries and cultures belittled, diminished and dehumanised by white supremacy and imperialism, and share whatever discomfort and whatever worth within my existence with rare breeds of likeminded individuals from similar backgrounds that helped me connect all the scattered dots. I felt found and seen in a way I haven’t experienced in over a decade in the UK or ever in Egypt. I decided it’s important, now more than ever, to start expressing myself lyrically in my mother tongue and connect, not only to safe “universality” or share my suffering or my joy and misadventures to people who only “get it” as second and third hand witnesses or empaths, but to fully connect to the core of my existence, and the dangerous implication of being fucking disgruntled Arab punks constantly hustling between two worlds, denouncing capitalism, cLaSs or privilege. Never a victim. Or a helpless product of my circumstances. But a fucking instigator forever.

So I decided it is time to have some side talks with my homies from Arabic / SWANA backgrounds from here on out in everything I will ever produce.

Qodwa (translates to Leader or Leadership) is my first attempt at Arabic written vocals. Part of CIRCLE NØNE ‘s upcoming LP which will include 4 more Arabic tunes out of 13 tracks. It speaks of false leaders, world corruption, social & political injustices within my country’s radius extending to Palestine and the world, border control and feeling ostracised.

That being said I will always express myself in English as well, I didn’t eat the dictionary all those years just to toss it away! But I will be giving equal attention and full dedication to my core. Our core. The fucking lost and found of SWANA punks scattered across the globe. Are we fighting a lost battle or pushing for necessary and inevitable local and global change? Fuck knows. We just have to keep going. There’s some kind of purpose in there somewhere.

Anyway here’s Qodwa!”

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