🎤
I grew up in the hardcore music scene and have never fully left. Listening to hardcore music is mostly just dudes being nostalgic about “the gold ol days” etc etc and sadly you don’t get a ton of new/young bands that come in and shake up the genre and really get people EXCITED. That is until recently there are two bands that I love to recommend to people even though they are making a huge splash on their own as we speak. ZuluThis is an all Black hardcore band, and that is something they make abundantly clear right away when you are listening to their music or seeing them live. When they played at LA’s big hardcore fest this summer, thousands of people were in the crowd to see them. Their singer Anaiah goes out there and gets the entire crowd to go dead silent and then starts into this speech. “In the name of Allah the benevolent and merciful, i’d like to let everyone know that this band is dedicated to the millions of our ancestors that were stolen from our homeland of Africa” and continued on for 5 minutes straight, the crowd dead silent- then proceeded to play maybe the craziest set of the entire weekend. It was the coolest shit ive seen in a long time. You have to understand, hardcore has always been a scene mostly made up of white guys (and i am one of them), also getting a crowd to listen to a speech that long about ANYTHING is impressive. Also in that same set I saw Anaiah front flip into the crowd, then come back on stage and do some kind of spin into the splits dance move, i’ll never forget it. What Zulu is doing is really noteworthy, impressive and really in line the original ethos of hardcore in a way that most bands havent been able to do pull off since it all began. SPEEDThese guys are awesome. Australian hardcore band that plays insane live shows. When I first stumbled across them I saw their video for the song “We See U” and I was like “man this is either the corniest shit ive ever seen or the coolest…” and honestly I think it walks the line in the sickest way, but I obviously realized that it is the coolest. These fools are literally like working out and boxing in their music videos, flexing muscles to the camera out the window of speeding cars etc. It’s the epidome of a stereotypical hardcore music video but in a really really good way. I think it works because they truly do love this music and it is their entire lives- and that shines through in everything they do. People love SPEED, I love them too. Speed and Zulu are all great people on and off the stage. If these dudes or Zulu are ever playing in your area, you should try to go. Even if you don’t listen to hardcore you should just go for the experience if you can get a ticket.
Nov 8, 2022
Related Recs
HELLO
DESPITE WHAT TWITTER AND TIK TOK SAY, HARDCORE IS A VERY DOPE AND REAL COMMUNITY. HARDCORE IS NOT INTERNET DISCOURSE. DIY ETHOS ISN’T DIY IF YOU ONLY TALK SHIT ON THE INTERNET. PLEASE LISTEN TO THIS ESSENTIAL HC ALBUM IF U ARE GETTING INTO THIS FOR THE FIRST TIME. START A BAND, MAKE A ZINE, BOOK A SHOW, GO TO A SHOW. ENRICH YOUR COMMUNITY AND ENGAGE COOL SHIT. BEING PASSIONATE AND PRESENT IN LIFE IS AWESOME
-HC
Feb 2, 2025
🎸
Obviously your mileage may vary based on your tolerance for hardcore punk, but if you're so inclined, this was their last show before going on hiatus for a few years. The raw energy in the room is unfathomable; skip to the last two minutes if you don't believe me.
That hiatus is when two side projects really started taking off, too. Justice (the vocalist) started pumping out Angel Du$t albums, and Brendan (the drummer) started to become much better-known for his band Turnstile... Astute viewers will notice Franz from Turnstile singing around 39 minutes into this set as well! This show, to me, feels like a big bang that sent those two bands hurtling towards the 2020s to redefine the genre.
Oct 15, 2024
⚙️
i think we are in a golden era of hardcore music the scene is insane rn :3 too many good bands out there. also def check out your local scenes too
Feb 5, 2024
Top Recs from @jackwagner
👻
I am recommending my own damn show Otherworld. I describe it as a Paranormal This American Life. I have been interviewing people about their paranormal experiences for the last 5 years and just released this show October 3rd. I have been working very hard to create a podcast about the paranormal that I would actually listen to, and something that could be enjoyed by anyone from the hardcore skeptics to people that put crystals over their wifi routers.I worked way too hard on this and have lost sanity points that I may never get back, but it’s a great show and I love it so go listen.
Nov 8, 2022
🍒
Sarah Records is an indie record label from Bristol that was only around from 1987-95 but in that time put out some of the best bands/records I have ever heard and is in my opinion the best label of all time. Every single song this label put out is good. I think the first single ever released on Sarah was “Pristine Christine” by The Sea Urchins which is probably one of the best indie pop songs of all time. Such a completely bonkers first release and everything after after that was amazing. I think I like and actively listen to every single band that ever had a Sarah Records release. Talulah Gosh, Another Sunny Day, The Sweetest Ache, The Field Mice, 14 Iced Bears, The Orchids, St Christopher, Brighter (insanely slept on band, if you like dreampop go listen to ‘‘things will get better’), Action Painting, The Razorcuts etc etc ill stop there. Talulah Gosh’s “Was it Just A Dream” is in my top all time albums same with The Field Mice. Another Sunny Day might even creep in there too.I was tempted to broaden this rec to include Flying Nun and the indie bands of New Zealand (The Bats, The Clean, The Chills) and also the broader C86 era scene but I should contain it lol. I think this era is criminally underappreciated too, one of my dream passion projects would be to somehow create and release some sort of Sarah Records Box Set / Book / Documentary type deal. If I ever become some type of crypto billionaire guy you will know it because I will be Martin Shkreli-ing the entire Sarah Records catalog but only to better share it with the world.
Nov 8, 2022
🧰
Everyone should own a decent drill but I feel like there may be a lot of drill-less people out there that might need to hear this. You need a drill. Everyone needs one. The question is, when drill situations happen, do you want to be caught drill-less? Do you want people to catch you and witness you in a drill situation as a person without a drill? Not a good look. Nobody can live without a drill. You either own one yourself or you’re a person who relies on another person’s drill. You gotta decide now what type of person you want to be and what message that sends to the people who may or may not be judging you off this…. the choice is yours.
Nov 8, 2022