Straight Opposition show 13 April 2007

Hell yes!

Last Friday's Straight Opposition show was a keeper! Thanks to Apostolis and the Disharmonic crew we got to see another good hardcore gig. Straight Opposition are from Italy and they play heavy as fuck and equally fast hardcore. Imagine the heaviness of Machine Head (!) combined with proper old school hardcore drumming, a killer flattening sound and you get the picture. As for the vox, they're also heavy and distorted without sounding metallic, in the usual European hardcore tradition. Awesome stuff, dude!

Disharmonic also played a hell of a show. These guys keep getting better and better, who knows how far they're gonna take it! But we can surely say that Greece has a hardcore band that can stand up for our country and also make a name for it. Now let's have some more Greek hardcore bands kicking ass! The scene might be on a decline at the moment, but that only means that it's setting itself up again!

I unfortunately didn't get to see Toxic Waste because I got to the venue just before the Disharmonic show. That's because I was working till late afternoon and had to go pick up my friend before the show, so that resulted in us being kinda late. I'm sure they kicked ass, in any case.

It was super cool to catch up with some friends and say hi.. Some old faces, some-but only a few- new ones... The gigs, it seems, are getting smaller and smaller. Also, I know some people who run record shops & say that the kids just don't buy hardcore records anymore. Hey, you know what? Who fucking cares!? Hardcore is not supposed to be a trendy form of music for the masses. It's best to keep it underground, keep it healthy and vibrant, and let the cool kids show up only when SOIA is playing... ha ha ha.

Let's have some more underground gigs like this one!!!

The music, the message

Have things been kinda slow recently, or is it just me and my busy as fuck schedule? I know I've been slacking from writing this blog (before even starting properly!), which will change from now on, I promise. But it seems to me like there ain't any enthusiasm for hardcore these days, at least here in Athens Greece. Since I moved back a couple of months ago, I just can't find what's going on with hardcore activities, and where the heck all the hardcore kids have gone. No shows, no new bands, no nothing. Something's gotta change, and quick.

At the same time, I feel more dedicated now. 25 years old and I'm feeling the strongest I ever have about hardcore! Hardcore picks me up, gives me hope and gets me through the day, especially now that life becomes harder with all the adult responsibilities. I play my records whenever I get the chance to, in the morning when I wake up before work, in the car or anywhere fucking else. With the lack of gigs around, I tend to lose my head and mosh on my own. It's nothing to be ashemed of, friends, and definitely better than going through life half-asleep like so many people I know.

But it's not jus the music. It's also the words, the inspiration, the message behind it all. The truth is that these days I can't listen to a hardcore band that has nothing to say, no matter how hard and fast it might play. I need that message that makes the difference compared to any other sort of music in this whole wide world. That's what speaks to me and keeps me psyched all these years!

I might be a little dissapointed with the current state of hardcore in Greece 07, but I' not about to give up. Maybe it's just a matter of time until a good gig takes place, so I can see all my friends and have my faith restored (not that it needs to be restored, it's not even gone, but anyways...). The bottom line is: I won't despair, and I'll keep on being a hardcore kid no matter what!

Keep it up!