Tales from the Belgrade pit: performance, identity, communication and violence at underground concerts

Since the early 80s punk rock/hard core punk and heavy metal music were already part of the ne Yugoslavian music scene. Although these genres originally came from different social context they were accepted, approach to the music and attitude was highly influenced by the Yugoslavian social political context. Performative parts of these ( scenes such as visual look, communication, behavior, musi cal lyrical themes and concerts were subordinated to wider socio and ideological climate. Šutka the term used in Serbian stands for rough form of dancing and other bodily techniques practiced at underground concerts. In this presentation I’m going to analyze the specifics of these practices in Serbia in the last 15 years. As the title indicates, I will explore the relationship between performance, identity, communication and violence within the context of concerts as places of social ritual.