Fabio Ferrarini holds a PhD in History, Culture and Theories of Society and Institutions. He recently served as a post-doctoral researcher at the Federal University of Ceará (Brazil) and participated in the RADICAL-NORM project with the Norwegian Center for Holocaust and Minority Studies. Presently, he is an adjunct professor in contemporary history at the University of Milan (Italy). His research explores the cultural and ideological impacts of totalitarian regimes, particularly Fascism and Nazism in Nordic countries, and the role of arts, especially music and aesthetics, in far-right movements.
- Fabio Ferrarini, F. Gentile, Música como instrumento da diplomacia cultural brasileira na Noruega (1964 1985). Uma perspectiva sócio-histórica / Music as an instrument of Brazil’s cultural diplomacy in Norway (1964-1985). A socio-historical perspective, in Francisca Rejane Bezerra Andrade, Emanuel Freitas da Silva (eds.), “Políticas Públicas e Internacionalização do Conhecimento”, Editora da Universidade Estadual do Ceará, Fortaleza, Brasil, 2024.
- Fabio Ferrarini, Arctic science and politics in Fascist Italy. Italian polar expeditions and the International Polar Exhibition in the interwar years, Acta Borealia, 2023.
“Tomorrow belongs to us”. Origins and Developments of Far-right Alternative Music in Italy (1965-1977)
The roots of far-right alternative music can be traced back to 1965 when Leo Valeriano, a pseudonym for Leo Di Giannantonio, made his debut as an actor and cabaret artist for the variety company Il Bagaglino. His songs, although rich in anti-communist and anti-Soviet sentiments, did not have the explicit intent to celebrate Fascism. This style was later carried forward in the following decades by several political movements within the neofascist world (La Bionda 2017). The adjective “alternative” was adopted in the mid-1960s by the first right-wing musicians to emphasize that their environment (and that of their audience) was different, “other,” compared to what had matured in Italy from the conclusion of WW2 to the Years of Lead.
The transition from cabaret to proper alternative music took place in the mid-1970s. The pioneers of the genre were solo singer-songwriters, often multi-instrumentalists, after which the first bands began to form. The production of this music had already begun in the early 1970s with the activities of the Gruppo Padovano di Protesta Nazionale, followed by Janus, Amici del Vento, and ZPM. As for singer-songwriters, the most famous were Michele Di Fiò, Roberto Scocco, Massimo Morsello, and Fabrizio Marzi (De Grassi 1994). Alternative music began to spread across clandestine and underground groups echoing through the so-called “free radios.”
But the most effective means of promoting the alternative scene was the first “Hobbit Camp” (in Italian: Campo Hobbit), held in Montesarchio (near Benevento) in 1977 (Guerrieri 2005). During this event, the group La Compagnia dell’Anello was formed, taking direct inspiration from J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.” Under the slogan “Gandalf is alive and fights with us,” they managed to blend fantasy with political commitment (Lanna, Rossi 2003). Moreover, the band’s most famous song, Il domani appartiene a noi (Tomorrow Belongs to Us), became the anthem of the young right-wing movement.
Another crucial factor to examine during the 1970s is the birth and rapid spread of punk music, which, particularly in the latter half of the decade, was soon adopted by far-right bands to convey their ideas and rally their militants. Most authors identify the roots of modern far-right music in the late 1970s, when the fusion of racist lyrics and punk rock was promoted by Ian Stuart Donaldson, the leader of the British band Skrewdriver (Bulli 2020). In this sense, the adoption of punk, particularly Oi!, by Italian alternative music was not rapid.
This paper investigates the origins and evolution of far-right music in Italy and its role in forming a new right-wing movement, which embodies elements inspired by but independent from the fascist regime’s historical and cultural legacy. It also examines how this phenomenon has led to the creation of an international network of artists that are crucial in consolidating far-right music, especially among younger audiences.