glory days

'tough' guys annoy the hell out of me, especially tough guys in hardcore. you aint cool because you walk round being lairy and trying to intimidate people and generally being a dick. you're an idiot, go home.

i remember when i first started going to hardcore shows and they were fun, the bands were engaging to watch, people had a good time. i can't remember the last time i went to a show and all three of these things happened and this actually, makes me kind of sad. not in a "the scene is so rubbish" way, as i know there are a tonne of people striving to keep the hardcore scene in this country alive and thriving, just that i miss when shows made me excited. where i enjoyed myself. was the last hardcore show i enjoyed really paint it black/trash talk?

i've been to plenty of other shows recently that have been amazing; good people, good bands, good times, but it hardly ever seems to be at a hardcore show. maybe my tastes are changing. i still love hardcore though, although admittedly i get excited by fewer new bands at the moment. that isn't me being pretentious or uttering that now famous quote from one norwich show goer, "i'm quitting hardcore", but it's true. some of the funnest shows in recent times for me have been shows like polar bear club, cloak/dagger, kris roe acoustic, the new found glory/set your goals tour in november, gaslight anthem. shows where people weren't being dicks (on the whole anyway) and i left thinking, "yeah that was a fun night". i spent all those with most/all of my best friends and all the bands blew me away. i honestly can't remember the last hardcore show where this happened.

maybe this is just a 'bad patch'. maybe i'll see defeater in may and it'll be amazing (well it will be because the other two bands are polar bear club and crime in stereo...this however, is not the point.) i guess i just kind of miss shows, especially in norwich as london shows have been attended by morons for years, that weren't just, well, dull. i don't even know what i'm trying to say any more. i want to be seeing bands like hope conspiracy and suicide file in venues like the ferryboat again. i want to see bleed 13 supporting strike anywhere at the ferryboat with no barrier. or another breath at the cricketers rest, that was a fun show.

xo