It is a bold concept: to imagine that in the difficult interwar period, when the fascist movements in Europe grew in strength, labourers reached not just for weapons but also for musical instruments. They refuse to be manipulated – they don't trust the factory owners, nor the communists. Their outrage has bred punk rock played on accordion, banjo, tuba, and a drum. Hańba! (which translates to Disgrace!) has been described as folk cabaret. Not at all! Hańba! is a band with a strong, sincere message, which is enhanced by its appealing form, but still very much valid in contemporary times. After all, over the past several years, the ongoing economic crisis has been new radical right-wing formations that oppose the free market doctrine to emerge and enter both national governments and the European Parliament. Hańba!'s premise is thus topical: no to fascism, no to liberalism, no to clericalism, while communism – no to that, too. A few years earlier, the punk-folk R.U.T.A. conveyed a similar message based on historical context. Hańba! adds a pinch of salt to that context, for who now wears a flat cap, shirt, or baggy trousers with suspenders? In their case, however, it is the the lyrical layer that is fundamental, while their tribute to President Gabriel Narutowicz is to be taken seriously. Just like in the poems by Brzechwa and Tuwim, which they tend to use – things are sometimes funny, but also quite harsh.
They explained the source of their fascination with those times in
an interview :
The Second Polish Republic is so interesting for it's a condensation of everything that is best and worst in Poland and Poles. On one hand, the great Polish figures, phenomenal inventions, best literature, and on the other – illiteracy, xenophobia, antisemitism, poverty. […] We probably also liked the fact that at the time, the Republic of Poland was a melting pot of cultures, religions, and ethnicities, which we – as persons who are really inspired by very many musical genres – miss sometimes.