Kuwait & Rock N' Roll: Full Review

The Hardcore & Typical
The rock fans in Kuwait are increasing, but they are not hardcore, they got into rock through the mainstream, through bands like Linkin Park and Evanescence. So you'd see that they love The Pussy Cat Dolls other than the mainstream rock n' roll bands. So how do the hardcore rock fans "happen"? They get introduced to in-depth rock through hardcore rock fans that have been introduced to rock n' roll before them due to buying albums for Guns N' Roses and AC/DC and got addicted to the real sound which later on made the music they like 95% rock and 5% for other genres, those are the real deal.


It's Not A Fashion Statement, It's A Death Wish
Okay, we have Punk, Metal & Goth. These genres of rock are the biggest in Kuwait, though Punk doesn't have that many fans, and it has been introduced as Emo lately instead of it's raw state. You can tell who's is what by their fashion sadly. But they all agree on one thing, having long hair. Each one got it's own purpose to having long hair. Metal heads use it to swing it around when they bang their head to the music, it's traditional. Gothics have long hair because it's simply Gothic, covering your face, black, dark, mysterious. Punks has got no purpose for long hair, but if we're in America then yes of course it's for the Mohawk but Emo has got a purpose for long hair in Kuwait, Emo stands for Emotional, having that long hair cover part of your face, making you able to give people that cute innocent emotional look, that's the purpose of long hair for the Emos. Now for the clothing, Metal & Goth both agree on black, Metal has got passion for leather though, so do Punk, but not in Kuwait, since Punk is Emo here as i said earlier. You can tell an Emo/Punk in Kuwait through their colorful yet pale clothes, stripes all over and a scarf in winter, chains occasionally and big sunglasses, though i doubt that they have been introduced to the big classic sunglasses yet, and of course, converse all star chucks. Now comes the complicated part about Punk & Emo in Kuwait, because the Emo fan in Kuwait loves Emo music, some Punk, has got Emo fashion all over, put yet some Punk here and there, the personality is all mixed up, they're fun, crazy and full with love.

Sex, Drugs & Rock N' Roll
Some people like to take it a bit over the edge, bringing drinks and drugs to the concerts, having sex day and night just because they're rock fans. Even the rock fans inside the local rock scene hate those, they are the reason why the local scene is having a hard time and a bard reputation. Those who walk on the saying Sex, Drugs & Rock N' Roll are mostly Satanics, because this is Kuwait.




The Government Of Kuwait & Rock
People in Kuwait are typical, they judge the person from his looks, so as soon as they'd know that you listen to rock and wear black then you'll be taken as a Satanic, so many times this issue has been brought up on News Papers, and it all begun with Muhammad Al-Awathi bringing a (retired) satanic to his show and interviewing him, and the stupid guy from his part tells Muhammad that Satanics listen to rock and didn't say which type of rock, which is Satanic rock. Since then Metal fans & Gothics have been having some hard time getting along with the society in Kuwait. But the Punks and Emos got away with it because their fashion isn't blackish and their music is popish, Alternative Rock, which is nowhere near Satanic Rock, and no don't take us back to the Sex Pistols and Iggy Pop, we are talking about today Kuwait not yesterday America.

The Misunderstanding
In 2005 this picture you see was added to a news headline on Al-Arabiya's Website that said "Satanics In Bahrain In A Concert" we all know what we are seeing here are a bunch of kids banging their heads in joy to a rock song about some girl, but to the typical governments of ours, they are in a ritual to drink tea with the devil. Various rock concerts were held here and there with a huge gap of time in-between. The government is enforcing very strict laws on music concerts in general, and taking in mind that rock has got it's reputation smudged by Satanics, it meant rock concerts would have double trouble existing in Kuwait, and that's why they are so few and rare.

Civil War, What's So Civil About War? Local Bands, What's So Local About Bands?
In Kuwait there are many local bands for a country like this, but most of the bands consist of non-Kuwaiti members, this has fired up some local-racist-punks and rock fans and rock bands that consist of Kuwaiti members for many reasons some of them are, they disrespect the non-Kuwaitis, they don't like it that non-Kuwaiti local bands are taking over the local scene, simply, they are racists. Kuwaiti Local Bands like The Giggly Daisies emerged from the ashes of hate and mischief and fired at a rock community that supported non-Kuwaiti local bands despite the fact that the managers of that community were Kuwaiti, it's clear that they'd fight the non-Kuwaiti local bands, their members and the Kuwaitis that support them. This has gotten bigger when a new Kuwaiti rock community emerged, it's gotten bigger because that community is a racist one, imagine, it's now communities fighting each other instead of individuals.

Your Rock Scene Is Obscene
At the end there are those who say what the title says, that the rock scene in Kuwait won't ever make it out of the quick sand, so they stay away from the whole thing and settle down as specators enjoying a wrestling match, there are whole bands that think the same and are planning on moving the the United States to accomplish their rock n' roll dream instead of going on a wild goose chase in Kuwait.



The Puppet Masters
So there are those who won't lose anything but will win everything by simply planning concerts for something forbidden, and they'd have all the respect at the end though they don't have the slightest emotion for rock in Kuwait, while others who're trying to do something and who are living their lives on the book of rock are disrespected and hated, life is unfair, and business will always be there to ruin the purity of things, unless there are communities that take the money they get from the concerts to make better ones, and to support the rock scene.