[This week we thought we’d share an interview with Hanoi DIY producer and punk aficionado, Josh Banks.]

Mutable: Could you give us some background on your time in SE Asia? Where have you lived? What are some events you’ve been involved in?

JB: I’ve lived all over South East Asia since moving here from China in 2009. Most of my time was spent in Thailand, but I have had the chance to travel and live in several different countries. I’ve spent a lot of time in Bangkok but also lived in the Deep South of Thailand, Vientiane, Laos and also Yangon, Myanmar.

Basically I’ve been involved in teaching English to make a living and got involved with different groups over time to write, promote and also later started to put together my own shows here in Hanoi. My main hobby became traveling for gigs around South East Asia in around 2015. I’d spent a lot of time in Bangkok. While living in Vientiane Laos I would head over to Thailand and fly down to Bangkok for shows. Later, I ended moving to Bangkok and getting more involved in the scene. Even after moving to Vietnam, I still spent a lot of time heading over to Bangkok to check out the shows happening, yet Vietnam, especially Hanoi, had more opportunities for me to put on my own shows. Here I was able to use my connections and past knowledge to put on gigs. My last show was the most successful, at a small underground venue called the Hidden Club which was a hot spot for the scene. The name of the event was “Return of Hanoi Punk Rock.” The headlining band was “Cut Lon”, a thrash metal group whose members all wear Pikachu outfits. They have gained quite a following in the underground music scene here in SEA.