Zetazeroalfa

ZetaZeroAlfa is a musical group from Rome. They are the official band of CasaPound Italia.^[1]

1 History
2 Lyrical Theme
3 Concerts Abroad
4 "La cinghiamattanza"
5 Discography
6 External links
7 Notes

History

"Zetazeroalfa was born first as a joke. During a warm summer night in our city, Rome… between a beer and a laugh we have imagined what would happen if we had put our vision of life into music… and thus we began to play." Taken from an interview with the band.

Zetazeroalfa (ZZA) started in 1997 and have made 8 albums so far, as well as many participations to compilations in alternative music and RAC scenes, which include different genres of music characterized by the political content of a fascist nature.^[2]

On the 25th of November 2000 ZZA in collaboration with Rupe Tarpea Productions/Perimetro participated in Faenza MEI meeting and got the opportunity to play live.

December 8, 2001 - During one of their gigs at Teatro Piccolo in Sulmona a riot started, because of approx 20 Antifa activists tried to stop the concert. The situation was resolved only because of police intervention. The band leader Gianluca Iannone, along with 4 others were sentenced to 10 months for "acts of violence". This was the first of a series of boycotts organized by Antifascist militants which have struck the band ever since.

November 14, 2005 - As an act of solidarity with prisoners, ZZA along with the band La Peggio Gioventù played live in the Roman Prison Rebibbia. During the event they presented football player Damiano Tommasi with a prize named after the prison journal Premio Nonsolochiacchiere. The crowd was composed of 300 prisoners along with the entire (80) prison staff. This was the first time a band not belonging to "the left" had ever played inside an Italian detention facility.

June 18, 2010 - ZZA held a nationwide pre-release party which took place in 26 Italian cities simultaneously.

October 22, 2010 - The launch of the book "Nessun Dolore: Una storia di Casapound (No Pain: The story of CasaPound)" saw for the first time ZZA holding an outdoor gig, which took place in Ponte Milvio. More than 2000 people were in attendance.^[3]

So far ZZA have played more than 80 gigs in Italy and abroad.^[4]

Lyrical Theme

Although having lyrics which criticize globalization and the excesses derived from the Free Market system, often their songs are both characteristically joyful and sarcastic.

Their music predominately attracts a young crowd who are most often associated to various fascist movements/groups, in particular those linked to the association for social promotion CasaPound Italia, its student movement Blocco Studentesco, and those revolving around OSA/ONC ("Occupazioni a Scopo Abitativo" ed "Occupazioni Non Conformi").

Concerts Abroad

May 1, 2004 - The band played live for the first time outside of Italy in Nice, France. The support bands included local group Fraction, as well as Ile De France from Paris.

June 29, 2004 - Completed a short tour of Quebec.

May 9, 2007 - In honour of Sébastien Deyzieu (Groupe Union Défense militant who died under dubious circumstances) they played a second time in France, this time in Paris.

During the summer of 2007 they took part in the "European Revolution Tour 2007" together with French band Fraction, German group Carpe Diem, and Brigade M from The Netherlands. Tour dates included: Eindhoven June 29, Saarbrücken, June 30, Latina, Lazio July 6, Marseille July 7.

May 24, 2009 - Played London as part of the "Warmachine Tour".

June 12, 2011 - The band plays a show in solidarity with the Karen People live in Bangkok.^[5]

"La cinghiamattanza"

One of the characteristics which has been popularized by the group is practice of "La cinghiamattanza". Named after one of their songs which is featured on a split with Italian counterparts Hate For Breakfast.

The act of "La cinghiamattanza" is as follows: while ZZA plays the "La cinghiamattanza" track, those in the crowd moshing take out their belts grabbing them by the buckle (as stipulated by the rules). With belts in hand, they begin to flog each other with the straps. For this reason at the beginning of 2008, numerous videos appeared on YouTube showing young people from all around Italy imitating the practice. Because of this, the band receives unexpected coverage over major media outlets, in particular La Repubblica and its youth magazine XL, which described the phenomenon as the "new stupid trend". In 2010 the Rai3 programme Citizen Report also dedicated one of its episodes to La cinghiamattanza.

ZZA state that "denying such a non-conformist sport with its joyful and vitalistic energy could only be seen as an act sheer dishonesty".^[6]