Approaching the Underground

This article aims to shed light on how and why the underground urban metal scene in Bangladesh came into existence, and why it takes the forms it takes in this post-colonial country. Consistent with much recent work about alternative rock, it is argued that the concept of scene is helpful in this task because it allows a framework through which to understand how multiple elements come together but never fully cohere into a unified subcultural whole that has a ‘straightforward’ relationship with a cultural locality. Based on interviews with key figures in the scene, ethnographic observation and textual analysis, the article proposes that urban youths' frustration with the poor state of conditions in the country is channelled into a passion to build an alternative space. The exploration of foreign musical styles and the fantasy worlds of metal allow participants to occupy ‘another place’. While participants assert the distinction of their music from mainstream rock and pop, one of the main findings is that they are not much concerned about the idea of selling out to the corporate music industry if they become popular. Rather, translocal connections with other underground scenes existing elsewhere are emphasized in a local scene that remains tied to the activities of a largely middle-class, part-time, male population of artists who share particular social and economic resources. These resources afford their participation in the metal scene. The findings lead to questions about the extent to which the scene reproduces alternative rock discourses about authenticity and implicit critiques of capitalism, and also whether its transnationalism contributes to the hybridization of global cultural forms.