Remain is a straight edge band from Dresden. Their discography may be short, spanning just two demos and the End of the World EP from 2023, but what immediately caught my attention was how they fuse a classic straight edge hardcore sound with relevant left-wing politics, steering clear of fashion trends and social media posturing.
They’ve been also involved in their local scene, organizing the annual Edge Fest in Dresden, which has grown into one of Europe’s standout straight edge gatherings. With Edge Fest 2026 recently announced (save the date: April 18th!), I caught up with the band and learned a few new things, like how their former singer now lives overseas and has been replaced by the young Hannes. Here’s Remain, keeping straight edge antifascist and working class on Edge Day 2025.
Straight edge has usually been tied to youth culture. What pushed some older guys like you to start a straight edge band in the 2020s?
Matthias: What do you mean, older guys? Our current singer, Hannes, is 15. He’s singing in the band while I’m living overseas at the moment. Hannes is a passionate little football thug who grew up with hardcore and loves everything about being straight edge (for now). It’s interesting to see people’s reactions when they hear how young he is. So I’m not sure if straight edge or hardcore are still truly tied to youth culture nowadays.
I mean, when was the last time you saw a fifteen-year-old at a show or playing in a band? The scene today is mostly made up of people in their mid-twenties or, like us, somewhere between our mid-thirties and late forties. But there’s hope that a new generation will get intrigued by our music, especially now with Hannes being the singer for several months. Despite our age, we’ll always be young at heart, and I think the reason is this very subculture and the energy of the music. It’s actually something I talk about in my upcoming book, where I also discuss whether subculture is still divided along class lines.
Sebastian: The flames still burn. I’d say that the philosophy of being straight edge has never really changed throughout the decades of being actively involved in hardcore. I know, you know, we all know that straight edge, as corny as it sounds, has saved many people’s lives. This music and these lyrics have pulled me out of my darkest times, when alcohol almost entirely consumed me. Hardcore and straight edge define who we are, and playing in bands, organizing shows, and touring are all driven purely by passion for the music and the culture. It’s like an itch you can never quite get out of your system.
Tell us about being a hardcore band from Dresden. The city has been known for right-wing extremism, AfD strongholds, and vicious football hooligans. Do you feel that history is around you, and is there still a noticeable divide between East and West Germany?
Matthias: It’s interesting how the city is perceived by people not living here. Dresden actually has a very strong antifascist scene, with numerous collectives ranging from anarchists all the way to the techno scene, starting their underground shows at 13:12 o’clock. There are venues and bars that are vehemently antifascist and queer. The city has more active punk, skinhead, and hardcore bands than Berlin, with shows on a regular basis thanks to all the different DIY collectives bringing in national and international acts.
The city, however, does have corners where militant neo-Nazis live and gather, and occasionally venture into the more left-leaning neighborhoods to cause some trouble. I’d say the city itself is alright; the overall atmosphere is negative and grim, but that might just be an East German thing anyway. The majority of neo-Nazis, AfD sympathizers, and Dynamo fans come from the outskirts and provinces around Dresden. It’s easier to run into trouble with neo-Nazis in the villages that have been taken over by right-wing populism. I think the main problem we are facing today is how the AfD and right-wing agenda have infiltrated the schools, with more and more reports of teachers being physically attacked for teaching that Nazism is wrong, trying to educate about the Holocaust and the misery of WWII.
Stefan: The East is known for being rougher around the edges, but in general, I wouldn’t say there’s much of a divide between East and West anymore, apart from salary and cost of living, perhaps. It always comes down to the individual, with some people still being prejudiced toward the East, saying we’re all Nazis, we steal, we are poor, etc. And that’s probably people talking who have never been here.
Sebastian: There are still many places that look neglected, with lots of empty houses and decaying factories. So many people moved away after the reunification and in the mid-2000s. It left scars, of course. But as Stefan already said, it really comes down to the individual. I don’t think I have ever experienced any indifference when playing shows in the West. People sometimes ask us if it’s really that dangerous in Dresden, etc., but that’s pretty much it.
You’ve been organizing Edge Fest in Dresden for a few years now. How did it first come about, and what bands have been part of it? Do you see a resurgence of straight edge in Europe today?
Matthias: I think one of the main reasons was that we didn’t feel connected to any of the bands that were around, especially with the surge of metalcore and all this beatdown bullshit—all those kids in their North Face jackets, vaping and playing cool. It felt like the essence of hardcore was lost in a way, where being cool and tough in the pit is all that matters now. I missed the political outspokenness, especially about environmentalism and antifascism, in times when political parties like the AfD were on the rise. And when I hear young hardcore bands saying that they aren’t punks or actually hate punk rock, I even feel that the music scene has been taken over by the wrong kind of people.
So with the Edge Fest, our idea was to bring together bands that are political, outspoken about straight edge, and whose music actually speaks to us. I was so tired of going to shows or festivals and constantly seeing one and the same band over and over again, while there are so many more phenomenal bands out there. We also make sure that at each fest we give space to political collectives to promote their cause. One year we had the organization Kein Bock auf Nazis, and last year we had a local anarchist group with lots of literature.
So far, we’ve invited Lifelike, Escalate, Supernova, Spirit Crusher, Drink Deep, Inclusion, Schwach, Spiral, Verdugo, Blockage, Protijed, CLEARxCUT, Protein, and Care; a whole network of European straight edge bands, even though not all of them are 100% straight edge. It’s the attitude that matters to us.
Sebastian: With the Edge Fest, we want to give bands, especially those from the younger scene, a voice and the opportunity to make themselves known. I also feel that the straight edge scene is becoming more elitist, as it’s turning inward. At least in Germany, it has become quite cliquey, with everyone keeping to themselves. That’s also something we want to counteract with the Edge Fest, bringing people from different cities and countries together.
Stefan: When we put on the first Edge Fest, finding straight edge bands was pretty rare at that time. But in the last two years, the straight edge scene has grown tremendously, with Edge Fests being organized all around Europe suddenly. I think that’s amazing.
Edge Fest 2026 is already announced. Do you actually dig deep to find new straight edge bands, or is it mostly booking friends and familiar names? And how far along are you with the lineup for next year?
Matthias: It started with just booking bands that we personally knew. Today, we’re really searching for new bands because we don’t want to have a band play twice. And it’s actually really fun, with all these new straight edge bands popping up. Our approach to finding bands is always different. Last year, we booked all the bands pretty far in advance, and this year everything is way more laid-back. We have only two bands confirmed so far and haven’t really approached anyone yet, to be honest.
The German left is infamous for its positions on Middle East politics and its silence around the genocide in Gaza. Has openly supporting Palestine brought you trouble in the scene, and how do you deal with that at your shows?
Matthias: Threats, show cancellations, disturbing personal messages… being labeled antisemitic who knows how many times. In the end, we don’t care what people call us. And it’s all via social media anyway; nobody has actually talked to us at shows. Germany, however, has always stood on the wrong side of history, and certain pockets within this subculture confirm all the reasons why we’d rather play shows outside of this country.
I’ve never understood how punk and hardcore bands could play under the banner of any flag, or how people could advocate for the existence of any state or religion. For me, flags are symbols of separation and colonialism—in all cases, nothing to be proud of. When I was about 15, I painted on the back of my jacket in big, bold letters: “NO BORDERS, NO NATIONS, NO GODS, NO MASTERS.” And to this day, I live by that code. The division of people by illusory nations is completely fictitious and should be eradicated from our minds. And with the current state of the world—religious fanaticism and nationalism—it just doesn’t get into my head why people are cheering for systems and beliefs built on colonialism, oppression, and patriarchal machineries of control. So, in my eyes, there are parts of the German hardcore scene that are absolutely fucked in the head. Remain is certainly a bit of an underdog because we do the fuck we wanna and would put the slogan “No Pride in Genocide” on our record any time again. And if you oppose that, I wholeheartedly believe you haven’t understood any of the messages punk and hardcore bands have been singing about for decades now.
Colonialism, from the dawn of civilization, has destroyed cultures, erased identities, and reshaped entire continents through oppression—the unseen holocaust. Look at Australia and the Stolen Generations, North America, New Zealand, and the list goes on and on… and now Israel. How can you be okay with that? How can religion ever be an excuse to ignore our shared humanity? How dare you use religion for your perfidious, self-righteous obsession with control in the first place? Propaganda. Misinformation. People turning against people. And the politicians are the ones cashing in. It’s always been that way, and honestly, I’m aghast that this me-against-you narrative has found its way into the hardcore and punk scene, with everyone trying to be more righteous than the next. So as a band—and especially with the Edge Fest, as mentioned earlier—we truly try to bring people back together.
Which social or political movements in Germany resonate with you, and do they intersect with the hardcore punk scene in any meaningful way? And when it comes to identity and daily life, do you see yourselves as working class people?
Sebastian: I grew up during the so-called baseball bat years and the rise of the vegan straight edge movement, and I started putting on shows at my local youth center. Back then, when you were into hardcore, you had to be political because of all the neo-Nazi terror. Everyone was antifascist, and that was something that kept the scene united. We all had a common enemy wherever we went.
For a few years, I also helped Mori from Invictus Records in Cottbus with putting on shows and working at his vegan food truck at festivals. Mori also provides us with vegan food at the Edge Fest each year. And I think growing up in a working class family surely shaped who we are and how we perceive the world nowadays. We’re more down-to-earth, we know the importance of community, and we have a healthy rage against this bogus online influencer society.
Matthias: We all grew up in working class families. My grandad and my dad were miners and factory workers in the GDR (German Democratic Republic), but we never lived by the impoverished standards of working class people like you see in the UK or other countries, even though there were times when money was scarce and I saw my parents cry. Growing up in the ruins of the former GDR definitely shaped me in a certain way because I saw the struggles my family went through, especially after the German reunification, when factories shut down, jobs disappeared, and people were left with nothing. From a very young age, I knew I didn’t want to depend on any company or system. I never pictured myself drudging in a factory or being trapped in an office. Growing up in a working-class family pushed me to find a way out of dependency, and together with the DIY ethos I learned through hardcore and punk, it really shaped my mindset and my drive for independence, carving my own way.
Stefan: I was a member of the Left Party in my local council for many years and also the chairman of Bunrock e.V., which is a house where bands can find a place to rehearse, organize shows, or put on family and skate events. And as Matthias and Sebastian mentioned before, we all come from working class families. Today, I’m the one who wears a blue coverall at work each day.
Youth crew has often been criticized for focusing too much on aesthetics, American-type individualism, and bands ending up sounding the same. Since you draw inspiration from that sound, do you make a conscious effort to bring politics into it?
Matthias: I personally never cared about aesthetics in terms of clothing. Money was scarce, and the few bucks I earned were spent on skateboards, tons of kingpins, and bearings. What drew me to youth crew, though, were the gang vocals and the velocity and brevity of the songs. No fancy, draining guitar solos or boring mosh parts. It’s just straight-in-your-face music with a simple breakdown and catchy gang vocals to get all the frustration out before jumping feet-first back into the crowd.
Since everyone in my town was into drinking and listening to the more commercially successful hardcore bands like Biohazard and Madball, youth crew was something unique to me. Most of my friends hated it when I put on a Youth of Today song, and the more they hated it, the more I fell in love with that sound. And it’s true: youth crew is pretty stereotypical, without too much diversity in sound. But it’s the same with ’90s vegan straight edge, or today with all this beatdown bullshit. And I think it’s actually more difficult to write a good, catchy youth crew riff than to create a song in any other hardcore genre. Even if I’ve listened to that exact breakdown and two-step part a million times before, it still gets me and makes me feel alive.
Sebastian: Since I grew up in the ’90s vegan straight edge scene, it’s never been a question for me whether politics should be part of the music, no matter if you play metallic hardcore or youth crew. What would hardcore be without politics? Without social criticism? And a touch of militancy can definitely be part of that, because a positive sound combined with political lyrics is a beautiful thing. That’s what we’re trying to do with our new songs.
Veganism seems pretty mainstream in Germany, at least when I’ve visited cities like Berlin. But now with rumors that companies like Beyond Meat are going bankrupt and Impossible talking about launching a 50% beef “hybrid” burger, do you notice a wave of ex-vegans and more people drifting into flexitarian diets or this kind of faux eco-consciousness?
Sebastian: At the moment, the vegan industry is in decline. There are also new EU regulations concerning the labeling of vegan products. Politics seems to want us to take steps backward, surely in the name of the meat lobby. But it’s a general phenomenon you hear about again and again: people who were completely outspoken vegans started companies or restaurants, sold them, and suddenly they’re not vegan anymore.
Matthias: Okay, this might sound really harsh, but personally, I wouldn’t mind if the majority of these faux vegan companies went bankrupt. Why? Almost all vegan products you get in a German supermarket are produced by actual meat companies or Nestlé. If I’m vegan, why would I pour my money into any of these companies? And when I look at a lot of these mock meat products, I’m not sure if we really need that sort of food. There are so many great ways to eat a nutritious vegan meal—we just have become lazy. On the other hand, as much as I hate trends, I thought it’s great when mainstream people became vegan, because maybe, just maybe, one in a hundred will remain vegan for all the right reasons.
What hardcore bands have you been into lately? Are you excited about the resurgence of ’90s hardcore, or do you lean more toward the punk side of the sound?
Matthias: I wish hardcore would lean back toward its roots and more toward a punk mentality; without all these bands bringing container loads of stupid merch, where you feel like the band name has become a fashion brand. Do you know what I mean? Consumerism has taken over the scene, as if selling out has become a new sport everyone’s cheering for.
Young bands are creating records solely to fit into the market or whatever’s trendy. Originality is a rare thing. For me, hardcore should stay out of big business, without energy drink endorsements and all that shit, and stay true to its anti-fashion mentality. So, to answer your question: keep hardcore punk, mentally and sonically.
And when you ask me about bands, I’m still stuck in 2015, when the Line of Sight demo got released. That record, to this day, is my absolute favorite “new” discovery. The intensity of the songs, coupled with the explosiveness of the vocals and lyrics, is exactly what a great hardcore record should sound like to me.
Sebastian: There are so many new bands coming out almost every month now, it’s hard to keep track. But I’ll definitely use this opportunity to give a shout-out to Life Force, Time X Heist, Lifelike, Risk It!, Ausschreitung, Schwach, and Escalate. Great bands, and amazing people with a genuine attitude.
