How to be 'Hardcore':

1). Never defend the hardcore music scene!     

      Hardcore music is an acquired taste -as it was meant to be, like      blue cheese or

      sushi. Listening to an album by 100 Demons or playing a track by Jawbreaker  

      does not result in a frenzy of nation wide toe tapping or catalyze an increase

      in ankle tattoos of musical lyrics. Hardcore music is not made for the masses,

      it is aimed at a certain type and audience and no one should ever apologize

      for that! At the end of the day, who really cares what music paddles through

      your ear canals? If you are enjoying the trip, just cruise!

2). Get involved.

       No one will ever take you seriously as a hardcore music extraordinaire unless

       you support your local scene. Go to gigs, watch home-grown punk bands and

       learn their songs. Everyone respects the kid who can unscramble their

       favorite bands lyrics, if you can’t, Google them. Google can be the answer to

       more than just confident karaoke, if you ever need instructions on how to

       pop your eyelid inside out or wonder about the origins of the wagtail bird…

       Google it! Google is a friend. 

3). Learn how to ‘Mosh’…

       I’m talking about mosh pits! One needs to be aware of the unwritten rules

       here, the intention is NOT to cause bodily harm! Moshing is about releasing

       aggression, not about releasing teeth! Lift people when they fall, don’t cope a

       feel – it’s wrong, wear the right gear (clothes that you don’t mind ever

       wearing again) and most importantly brace yourself!

   

The Black Wolf - Hardcore Punk

Hardcore Punk or just ‘hardcore’ as it is more commonly known, revolves around the axis of rebellion.  It is sneaking a girl out of your room in the early hours of the morning. It’s giving the finger to someone who cuts you off in traffic, but being “cool” enough not to chase after them or memorize their number plate. Hardcore is backchat, it’s colouring outside of the lines and it’s standing up for what you believe in.

This form of revolt is an underground music genre that landed on the scene in the late 70’s, kicking and screaming across America and the UK. For those of you that are not fluent in lyrical lingo ‘underground music’ refers to a range of genres that operate outside of mainstream culture – like the bubblegum pop Kesha spits out once in a while! Hardcore is generally faster, heavier and more abrasive than regular punk rock. Think of it as the monster truck of music. This “monster truck” has influenced a number of genres that have in turn enjoyed mainstream success, such as thrash metal, emo and alternative rock.

Hardcore is often noted, scratch that it is always noted for it's erratic riffs and scream style vocals! With more emphasis on rhythm than melody and most bands following the conventional singer, guitar, drum and bass format, you will know a Hardcore band when you see one! Now throw in 3 liters of human perspiration, 5 hair flicks, a guitar solo and a backstage orgy and you’ve got yourself a little bit of Hardcore heaven. 

Some Hardcore Punk coming your way!

The Sex Pistols - it just doesn't get more 'punchier' guys, soak it up!

Cut from the same cloth

Are Kwaito music and Hardcore Punk really polar opposites? Or are they just magnets of the same pole forcing each other to repel? Think about it...take Kwaito for instance. Kwaito rose from the ashes of social change. It was the voice of a post-apartheid generation. A generation that influenced culture, fashion, speech and South African attitudes in a way that the West would never understand! Kwaito lyrics are hard-hitting and often rock the boat, in fact they tip the boat and slash the life jackets! These artists deal with social and political issues that are decaying our society. Seeing any similarities between Kwaito and Hardcore Punk yet? Okay, let’s continue. Kwaito is a form of escape for many. ‘A cupboard to Narnia’ if you will, where expression is the word of the day and freedom of speech comes with the territory. The style is defined by its drum and bass beat as well as the spoken, almost ‘shouted’ vocal melodies, generally sung in one of the native African languages. In many ways it’s our cultural counterpart to the generations of screaming parents echoing, “Turn that rubbish down!” Finally, to tie up the common thread running through the two genre's of Kwaito and Hardcore Punk, 'kwaai' in afrikaans directly translated means angry! You must see that these genres are branches of the same tree? Can you see the leaves that they share at least?