Grup Yorum

1985, Istanbul: In the aftermath of the 1980 military coup, fear grips the city, and the political establishment is determined to depoliticise the population. But a group of students resists and forms the band Grup Yorum — a response to repression and enforced silence, inspired by the resistance of the TAYAD movement, which fought against solitary confinement and torture and for the release of political prisoners. Their musical roots run deep into Anatolia, drawing on the voices and lyrics of persecuted poets and bards such as Ruhi Su, Mahzuni Şerif and Aşık İhsan. With an ever-changing lineup, the band has released more than 23 albums and performed worldwide— until they were banned from performing in Turkey in 2016. In 2019, a protest follows in Istanbul: the singer Hêlîn Bölek and her fellow activists risk their lives in a hunger strike against censorship and the persecution of artists. The strike ends in her death; her funeral takes place under police violence. These experiences are reflected in the art of Grup Yorum: in films like “TYP-F,” which we’ll be showing at the Alabama Kino right before the concert, and in songs that speak of life — of suffering and hunger, but also of dignity, joy and hope. When the bağlama begins to play and dozens of voices rise together, a sense of urgency emerges that cannot be silenced.