The Fishska was formed in late 1997 in Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia.
They have been an active part within the Indonesian underground's grass roots scene.
In 2023 they released their second album, 'Banned In Jakarta'. Two songs from that album were released by Liquidator Music: 'Johny's Whiney' and 'Confession Of A Skinhead’ in 2024. Both songs have 60's style early reggae.
Now, in 2026, they release a brand new single on 7” and digital, featuring the songs Bovver Reggay and Beggars And Thieves.
Do the ‘Bovver Reggae’:
Adjie and Alan wrote this song after listening to Los Granadians ‘La Chica Más Dulce’. Adjie really loves that song, and Alan is a big fan of Los Granadians. So this track is basically a kind of Los Granadians–inspired Boss Reggae musicianship collaboration by fans.
Adjie asked Liga to write the lyrics, but he never came up with anything. So the lyrics were eventually written right there in the studio. During the workshop, Liga said he had been listening a lot to Boss Capone and George Dekker’s ‘Mother Bang Bang’. When the music started playing, he suddenly came up with the words:
Mara mara bam bam… oh, oh…
I love the Bovver Reggae, so let’s go!
The idea was to create a singalong-style skinhead reggae song. The lyrics needed to be light, not heavy, with social or working-class protest themes, which is what he usually writes about. Making people sing along and dance is just as important as raising consciousness.
‘Beggars And Thieves’ is about certain people in our scene who make a living through deception. They cheat the kids who support them with radical politics, while gaining money and fame at the same time. They sing anti-government songs, yet tour abroad with government support. They ask for donations from people in the scene to play at big international subculture music festivals, but then post on Instagram showing themselves shopping for brand-new Doc Martens at Camden Market in London.
Sometimes, we don’t just need to protest for the working class, we need to protest the working class itself. At least, that’s what The Fishska have always done since the early days of the band.
Having a reggae, and having a say, forever!
The Fishska.
Tracklist
A. Bovver Reggay
B. Beggars And Thieves
