Bane review. Nails, Sworn Enemy, BxB!

April 4^th, 2013: Bane, Violence to Fade, Living Laser and Disconnect at Bogies

by Jay Frost

This evening’s event showcased four excellent 90’s style hardcore acts – Western Massachusetts’ Bane and Violence to Fade, Newburgh New York’s Living Laser and locals Disconnect. As per usual, gainful employment prevented me from seeing Disconnect and most of Living Laser’s set (which was especially disappointing for me, as Disconnect is one of my new favorite local acts), but the remainder of the evening was a lot of fun.

Being the first “pure hardcore” line-up since Crown of Thornz back in March – and myself being a “hardcore purist”, if you will – I wouldn’t have missed this show for the world. Arriving in the nick of time to hear Living Laser’s last two songs, I received my first dose of fast-paced hardcore punk. I use the term “punk” loosely here: though their sound relied heavily on four-on-the-floor tempos, Living Laser had more of a old-school New York Hardcore feel (heavy guitar riffing, shouted vocals, dance parts, etc.). Fans of Leeway, Quicksand, Warzone and Gorilla Biscuits would dig these guys. To sum it up in a neat little phrase: old-school.

After the customary intermission for breakdown, set-up and sound check, Violence to Fade broke the silence with a heavy instrumental intro fit for stomping your way through the pit. Upon hitting the final E-chord, VTF took Bogies by storm with “G.I. Joe Headstomp.” What a song title! With guitars at standard tuning, shouted vocals and alternating fast/slow tempos, I was reminded of Strife, Burn, Killing Time and even tonight’s headliners. Forming in 2012, Violence to Fade is a unique addition to the ever-growing underground; where most up-and-comers in the extreme music genre try to out-do each other with low-tuned guitars, syncopated drum beats and guttural vox (some even veering into the realm of “metalcore”), knowing that a certain subset of the new-school is still interested in playing good old-fashioned hardcore is refreshing. The fact that acts like Violence to Fade are few and far between make catching them live a true slice of nostalgia that’ll have you two-stepping and circle-moshing all night long. I had a lot of fun watching these guys, as any hardcore purist would.

Violence to Fade’s demo is available for free download as well. Just follow the link on their Facebook page to check it out.

Worcester, Massachusetts’ own Bane took the stage close to the ten o’clock hour. The brainchild of Aaron Dalbec (Converge), Bane has been credited with being one of the first Boston hardcore bands that developed alongside the extreme metal scene as opposed to hardcore-punk. Having gone through several line-up changes since their 1995 debut, Dalbec and vocalist Aaron Berdard are the only remaining original members. Stylistically, Bane is fast, mean, and definitely traditional.  Their message is positive and idealistic, leading many to associate them with the straight edge movement in hardcore. Though accurate, Dalbec and Berdard are the only members of the band who adhere to the tenants of this lifestyle. Therefore, it would be inaccurate to refer to them as a straight edge band. In fact, this event had a real “straight edge or not” vibe: though I saw band members and attendees with X’ed hands, there was never a clear declaration of this being an edge event. The bar was just as active as any night, and everyone was welcome, whether “straight edge or not”.

While the audience was scattered in pockets for the openers, the room had since filled up a bit and EVERYONE gathered up front for Bane. True, this was a Monday night, and Bogies wasn’t anywhere near maximum capacity, but the enthusiasm of both Bane and the audience equaled that of a packed house. There was no shortage of pile-ons, sing-a-longs and stage dives and the pit raged like riot. If there were fifty kids up front, thirty of them kept it going to the end. Bane’s set consisted of classics from their entire back catalogue, from 1998’s “Holding this Moment” up to their 2005 effort “The Note”, as well as new and unreleased material – most notably a song called “The Bold and The Beautiful”. Anthems celebrating strength, tenacity and courage in the face of adversity soared through the air, proving once again how vital positive hardcore is to the underground music scene; by recounting personal experiences and promoting constructive solutions to relevant problems, a sense of mutual respect and empathy is born. To paraphrase myself, this music could save lives.