Whenever I think of marching bands, I tend to picture them as the militant-looking ones you see at high school football games which are organized, in uniform, moving completely in unison, and performing very intricate, well-rehearsed marching patterns. At my high school, marching band members were often referred to as “Bandos” and even sometimes as “Band Geeks”. This was due to the fact that majority of them were very serious about and unnecessarily dedicated to their extracurricular activity.
Having never heard of the Infernal Noise Brigade prior to reading these articles, I was very intrigued to find out that there was a marching band somewhere that decided to break the previously mentioned stereotype. I think they were very smart to find a way to protest while simultaneously having a good time and encouraging others to do the same. I believe that their intention to inject art and creativity into the often stale political spaces was a great attempt to unite these two worlds and to give loud voices to those who may not usually get to speak.
The Infernal Noise Brigade was capable of invading public space, private space, and even the uncertain areas in between. In public spaces such as protests and marches, they were very difficult to avoid. Their music would fill every corner of the place they were in and therefore would be heard by everyone around them. One of their main concerns when performing anywhere in public was how they could creatively use elements in the space to engage spectators visually as well as audibly.
The originality of the Infernal Noise Brigade’s protest methods makes them incredibly memorable to anyone who witnesses them in action. This allows them to stay with these people even after they have left the public space and have entered into the privacy of their homes, for chances are they will be thinking about the Infernal Noise Brigade’s performance at some point after the fact.
They were also capable of having an effect within the space in between public and private. Such an instance took place when they entered a Starbucks full of people going about their normal morning routines, formed a circle, and started playing their instruments. Although Starbucks is a public place, people go there expecting to enter their own private worlds once they receive their drink order. Whether they go there to work on their laptop, to read the paper, or to get lost in a book, they expect privacy and consideration while doing so. I can imagine that the people in that particular Starbucks were not particularly happy the Infernal Noise Brigade was playing there, but they made an impression on them regardless.
The Infernal Noise Brigade chooses to engage their viewers outside of expected venues such as galleries and theaters. They did not like to perform on stages and I think it was because stages made them feel creatively restricted. They preferred to play at public rallies or even on the bus or subway as they were on their way home. They have also performed on the decks of ships in Germany which offered them endless opportunities in terms of creatively using the spaces in their entireties. Their ability to adapt to any space is what allowed them to successfully engage viewers in unexpected places such as these.
An audience expects to be entertained in a gallery or theater setting. However, finding entertainment in an unexpected venue catches viewers off guard and therefore sparks their excitement right from the very beginning. An observer would be more likely to participate in exciting, engaging events occurring directly around them than expected, mundane events happening up on a stage fifteen rows in front of them. The former describes the demonstrations of the Infernal Noise Brigade. They made their viewers feel as if they were part of the action rather than passively observing the action. I think that this was the way in which they made their audiences feel as if they had voices too.
I believe that audio is extremely capable of influencing, provoking, and inspiring its listeners. Certain sounds (music in particular) are capable of moving its audiences in ways that mere words cannot, especially in an environment where words are the only things anyone expects to hear. Music can tap into the emotions of unsuspecting listeners, causing them to honestly consider their feelings on one issue or another. The Infernal Noise Brigade’s sounds breathed life, creativity, and fun back into the arena of political protest. I would think that such a dramatic change within this scene would have influenced others to make significant changes elsewhere.
I believe there is a large amount of anonymity when it comes to the Infernal Noise Brigade. They did not seem to seek recognition as individuals nor did they portray themselves as a group of vastly different individuals. To me, they came off as one large group of anonymous members who collectively had the same intention: To act as one big voice and to spread energy and creativity as far as they possibly could through music so as to inspire change. No one individual could produce a strong enough musical effect on his/her own; therefore the individuals are not paramount when considering the demonstrations of the Infernal Noise Brigade.
Even without being familiar with the individual members of the Infernal Noise Brigade, I do not feel there would be a huge question of authorship. One could easily seek out authorship if they so desired, but I do not think it would be a pressing issue for majority of the INB spectators. For me, it is more than enough to believe that all of the group’s members had an equal part in authoring their work.
I want to finish by mentioning how extreme people’s reactions are to the Infernal Noise Brigade and their intentions. I have read a few other responses from my classmates and saw that some find their methods disruptive and obnoxious while others find them intriguing and refreshing. I happened to agree with the latter, so I was thinking a lot about the people who may not have appreciated the group’s mission. Suppose those people did not feel strongly one way or the other about an issue, but the sheer fact that they did not like the additional noise made them side against what the INB was speaking for? Wouldn’t that cause them to lose support? It made me wonder if that’s perhaps why the group does not still exist today; perhaps they were too extreme of an effect for their own good.
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