Parkhof night at OCCII:: a film, a book, a band film: Is er meer dan de straat (20 min.)
book: De slag om Parkhof (160 pag.)
band: Wanda’s (dr gtr gtr bs v)

Parkhof was a famous, infamous squat venue annex youth-center in the city of Alkmaar. Since the late 70s, for more than 25 years, it was the place to be for kids of all ages and backgrounds, fans of DIY culture and punk music. Like an OCCII avant-la-lettre. And yes, we know, Parkhof has ceased to be, a sign of the times alas, but the ideas and ideals are still alive.

Coincidence or not, but all of a sudden snippets from a punky underground past find their way to the surface and are out in the open again. So yeah, here’s a helluva tripple bill for ya not like any other.

Like, the viewing of the short experimental lowbudget? nobudget! movie “Is er meer dan de straat” (Is there more than the street), made on a shoestring by four young students in 1981, a visual final-year thesis about DIY and/in Parkhof... a movie that recently, after 45 years, attracted the attention of the renowned Rijksmuseum, to become part of its collection.

Like, the book launch of the new book “De slag om Parkhof” (The battle of Parkhof) by Marleen Kamminga en Bamber Delver, which tells the his&herstory of this music space that was so much more than just a place to hang out. Interviews with the people who lived there, who worked there, who played there, who visited concerts there, plus photo’s and posters. And a plea for more free space where the youngsters of now can be/become who they want to be.

Like, the concert by the recently resurrected feminist punk/rock band the Wanda’s, who were part of the Parkhof story from the very beginning, they actually ran the place, one might say. The band lasted about ten years, did a lot of gigs nationwide, made two albums, disappeared into oblivion, and since a year or so they’re back... Angry Old Women, ready to set your hearing (aids) to the test, ’cause Punk is stil Not Deaf.

Come and join us, it’ll be fun.

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IS THERE MORE THAN THE STREET
Four young, eager students at the social academy, in their final year, time for their graduation thesis, and not in the mood for it. Not for a stack of paper full of text that would end up in a filing cabinet that no one would ever look into again. What they DID want: to tell something about the do-it-yourself punk culture that was raging around them right there in 1980, ’81. Showing something about that, about how you can shape your own future yourself, well now, THAT did appeal to them. In short, they decided to make a film. They had no clue, really, never done it before, but they did it anyway. Themselves. Anyway, they just started, with borrowed equipment, and they stuck the theme “Do It Yourself” to the squatted youth center Parkhof in Alkmaar, where a group of female punks in particular ran the place. Plus something about making fanzines and releasing your own records. Through trial and error they discovered what worked and what didn’t, resulting in a film of no less than 20 minutes, on Super 8. The result was to be expected: primitive and (somewhat unintentionally) experimental, but also sincere and full of passion. And 45 years later, that little piece of captured 80s zeitgeist has turned out to be as urgent as fuck once again, having actually never really gone away.

WANDA’S
Wanda’s plays classic punk in a contemporary form. Even more urgent than they did in the 1980s, because the time is more than ripe for a major punk revival. In the late 70s, six girlfriends, all active in the squatted punk venue Parkhof, decided to start a band together. An adventure that would last nine years, countless gigs, several line-up changes, and two LPs. Over the years, their sound transformed from experimental rattle punk to solid punk rock with a (feminist) message. About 35 years later, they looked each other up again, and the musical and personal connection had remained unchanged. And so, ever since, they have happily continued working on their hearing damage: Punks Not Deaf! From noisy teenagers to Angry Old Women, Wanda’s keep on keeping on rocking hard.

https://wandas.bandcamp.com/
wandas.nl

THE BATTLE OF PARKHOF
A squatted school that grew into one of the most famous punk venues in the Netherlands. That is the story of Parkhof, the Alkmaar haven where generations of young people shaped their own culture between 1980 and 2009. In the new book “The Battle for Parkhof – How Punk Conquered Alkmaar” Marleen Kamminga and Bamber Delver bring this remarkable history back to life. Through dozens of personal stories, original photos, and posters, the authors tell how Parkhof grew into the beating heart of the regional punk scene. At a time when large music venues hardly existed, young people built their own stage and created a sanctuary where music, creativity, and the punk motto Do It Yourself took center stage. Kamminga and Delver, former Parkhof punks themselves, spoke with former visitors, residents, musicians, and youth workers. Together, their memories form a vivid picture of a place that was much more than a youth center for thousands of young people. At the same time, the book shows how themes such as housing shortages, identity, solidarity, and the search for a place of one’s own remain relevant today. According to the authors, the book is therefore not only a look back at a special period in Alkmaar’s history but also a plea for sanctuaries where young people can be themselves and develop their own culture. With “The Battle for Parkhof,” a unique chapter from recent history receives the recognition it deserves.