PANEL: ¡MASH-IT-UP! WE WERE ALWAYS THERE!
About the event
(Deutsche Version unten) Before and Beyond Riot Grrrl: BIPoC and FLINTA* Perspectives on 50 Years of Punk and Its Legacy in Today’s Queer-Feminist Cultural Scene in Berlin and São Paulo Panel language: English The panel “¡MASH-IT-UP! WE WERE ALWAYS THERE! — Before and Beyond Riot Grrrl: BIPoC and FLINTA* Perspectives on 50 Years of Punk and Its Legacy in Today’s Queer-Feminist Cultural Scene in Berlin and São Paulo” will take place at SO36 on 2 October 2026. Marking the 50th anniversary of the international punk movement, the panel brings together musicians and cultural practitioners from São Paulo and Berlin to discuss the historical and contemporary connections between punk, post-punk, feminism and queer cultural spaces. It centres perspectives that have often been overlooked in dominant narratives of punk: the experiences and contributions of FLINTA* people, BIPoC and migrant artists — before, alongside and beyond Riot Grrrl. What roles did women, queer people and BIPoC play in the early punk and post-punk scenes? Why do their stories remain largely invisible in music historiography? What similarities and differences existed between the scenes in São Paulo and Berlin, shaped by their distinct political, social and cultural conditions? And how did punk and post-punk create spaces in which gender roles, sexuality, racism, class and social norms could be challenged? Drawing on the experiences of the Brazilian post-punk pioneers Mercenárias, the discussion will also turn to the present. How does the legacy of punk continue to influence today’s queer-feminist cultural and music networks? What does the do-it-yourself ethos mean today for artists who continue to face structural discrimination and exclusion? How can independent stages, networks and spaces of solidarity be created without reproducing existing power structures within alternative scenes? And what forms of transnational collaboration and mutual support are possible between artists and collectives from the Global South and Europe? The discussion will be moderated by Luanny Tiago da Conceição, formerly of the Berlin Music Commission. The panel features Sandra Coutinho and Mari Crestani, respectively singer and bassist, and guitarist, saxophonist and backing vocalist of the post-punk band Mercenárias from São Paulo; İrem Kara, a Turkish guitarist with the queer-feminist noise-punk and hardcore band Anti-Corpos; Afro-German singer and guitarist Oyèmi Noize of Oyèmi Noize & the Sad Girls; and Afro-Canadian singer Yvonne Ducksworth, known as the frontperson of the former punk and metal band Jingo de Lunch and currently, among other projects, a member of Treedeon. BIOGRAPHIES: - Luanny Tiago da Conceição (Moderator) Luanny Tiago da Conceição works at the intersections of music, culture and social participation, quietly untangling structures and making things possible. Born in Brazil, she brings a range of perspectives and experiences to her work. She has worked with, among others, the Berlin Music Commission and Piranha Arts, and was involved with the former Musicboard advisory board as well as Music Women Germany. Her focus lies on diversity, social equity and sustainable structures. She currently serves as project lead for 48h Jenfeld. - Sandra Coutinho (Mercenárias) Sandra Coutinho is a composer, bassist, singer and one of the defining figures of Brazilian post-punk. In 1982 she founded Mercenárias in São Paulo, whose radical, minimalist sound and uncompromising stance have left a lasting mark on Brazil's alternative music scene. As the band's bassist, singer and artistic director, Sandra has been — and remains — a central force behind one of the most influential formations of the Brazilian underground. Albums such as Cadê as Armas? and Trashland are now considered reference works of Brazilian post-punk; in 1988, Sandra was voted Bassist of the Year by the music magazine BIZZ. Mercenárias have also been rediscovered and reissued internationally. After years in…
