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Kwaknit x Fête – Kwaknights Special Edition: We Are Not Your Kind [06/25/2024]
Back in the late 90s and early 2000s, alternative subcultures — punk, goth, grunge, nu-metal, emo — felt like entire worlds of their own. Deftones rising to cult status, kids in thrifted band shirts and studded belts, the raw DIY spirit of small gigs — it was all part of a bigger movement that gave outsiders a voice. For many of us, that era was more than music. It was a lifeline.
After being on hiatus since around 2019, I returned to the scene last year, and what I’ve witnessed since has been nothing short of surreal. The energy is back. The aesthetic is back. The spirit is alive — but this time, it’s a new generation carrying the torch.
The Shock of Return
Coming back into the music community after years away, I expected to find nostalgia, maybe a few old names still around. Instead, I stumbled into a youth-driven explosion: packed small bars, energetic young bands, and a crowd that looks like the early 2000s hit pause and play again. Baggy pants, thrift culture, smeared eyeliner, chain wallets — these kids aren’t just copying a look; they’re reanimating a movement.
Culture Recycling, Culture Reinventing
Yes, fashion, sound, and subcultures move in cycles. But this isn’t just nostalgia. What I’m seeing now is reinvention. Young bands aren’t just playing “retro grunge” or “2000s nu-metal cosplay.” They’re mutating influences into something raw and new. And unlike the online nostalgia-core scene, this is happening in real venues, in real sweaty rooms, with real communities forming around them.
Why It Feels Different This Time
The early 2000s had MySpace, LimeWire, and MTV. This generation has TikTok, Bandcamp, and Discord. But the core energy feels the same: kids creating worlds of their own outside the mainstream. There’s something cyclical yet completely fresh about watching alt culture rise again, in an era where mainstream pop has never been louder. It feels like the underground is thriving, not surviving.
The Feeling of Déjà Vu
I could name so many groups, productions, and bands—each one capturing the essence of what made alternative culture powerful in the first place. And the more I see it unfold, the more I feel like I’m reliving my own generation. Only this time, I’m not stuck behind a computer screen—I’m there, watching it happen, drenched in sweat at a gig, listening to the feedback ring out from the speakers.
Davao is alive right now. Its alt scene is pulsing with the same chaotic beauty we thought belonged to the 2000s—but it’s being reimagined by a new wave of kids, bands, and collectives. And honestly? It feels even better the second time around.