EP 278: January 2026
Killer episode this week on the pod. Check it out here, here, or here. Playlist here. This post is too long for email, so open it in your browser.
We kicked it off by talking about what we want to see in 2026.
Number one for me is bands gotta be about something this year. Have an opinion on the fucked up world around us and take a stand on something. If DHS invading American cities, terrorizing communities and murdering people in the streets doesn’t motivate you to write meaningful lyrics or say something on stage, fuck off.
Number two I wrote about as part of our Top 50 Hardcore / Punk Releases of 2025 article:
In 2023 when the latest demo-core revolution began, we ate everything up. It was new and refreshing that not everyone was aspiring to be a metalcore/alt-HC/pro-core sensation. The more the merrier. Then came 2024 which was a helluva year for demos and most likely the quality peak of this revival.
By the end of 2025, there’s no way around it — when you see another demo with similar J-card art, a mid recording, and folks rehashing the same NYHC bands post-’87 Demo, it’s a little less awesome. Is this a real band? Are they going to gig? Are they going to stick around at all or is this a goofy project? If I can’t tell if they care about their band, why should I? For me to get fired up now, it’s gotta be dope for real.
This kind of ties into my first point. If you’re going to do a band, just care about it and make it matter. It’s really that simple.
Hopefully we get some surprises this year like Steröid or Ayucaba…two of my favorite LPs last year from bands I had never even heard of before those records came out.
Lastly, my band Subversive Intent has a 12” coming out this year on Rebirth Records, so on a personal level I hope you all dig that too (and buy it).
Boston’s Feeble Minds put out their demo in December after we already did the cutoff for the best of article and the awards show. It’s a scorcher and would’ve made both lists for sure. Think Out Cold meets Jerry’s Kids meets Speed Plans meets Total Con. They even tucked in a mid-tempo banger for Dan.
Kev gave his breakdown on FYA fest from earlier this month. Cliff notes: it ruled. Shoutout Bob and Kev.
The celebration of another successful year of FYA brought us to another question: are fests a net positive or net negative for hardcore? I mainlined a Tylenol and then broke down both sides…
Pros:
Gathering of super-fans. Diehards travel from all over and plunk down some serious coin to attend fests. They’re a good spot to see longtime friends that you don’t live close to and to meet other folks who are as embedded in the scene as yourself. It can be lonely being an serious fanatic about something and fests are a good spot to be around likeminded people.
The money generated can create unique moments. You want to see a band like Hatebreed without a barrier? A HC fest is your best option. Plus the cash generated from the bigger fests provides opportunities to lure bands out of retirement, inactivity, or their distant locations to play.
The payday can subsidize hardworking bands. You know that band that played your bunk ass town on Tuesday night? They may have been able to do that cuz their yearly nut is subsidized by playing certain fests and getting that nice guaranteed payday.
Allows breakout moments. You worked hard to build up a name for your band and now you got the opportunity to get booked on a notable HC fest. If you turn out and get a great reaction, especially in the current TikTok/IG stories/reels video age, this could be a breakout moment for your band.
Great for remote fans. I’ve lived in Southern California my entire life so I am definitely spoiled when it comes to having access to gigs. Most bands of note make an attempt to play the Los Angeles metro area at least once at some point, so I’m within driving distance. But if you live in small town America, chances are not a lot of gigs are hitting your hometown, and maybe not even coming to the bigger town an hour or two away. Fests provide the opportunity for these kids to travel and see a bunch of bands in a weekend and actually save money.
They work as a de facto yearbook of sorts for the history books. Looking at a fest lineup won’t tell the full story, but let’s say you wanted to look back at 2006 and get an idea of some of the significant bands in the hardcore scene from that year. If you just looked at the This Is Hardcore and Sound & Fury lineups, you’d have a nice chunk of info to start working with. Want to know the good bands of the early 2000s? Check those Posi Numbers lineups. Want to know the shitty bands? Check those Hellfest lineups. I kid, I kid.
Cons:
Gathering of the casuals. The yang to the “gathering of the super-fans” ying. Travel to two fests a year and you may see more hardcore bands that your average kid who goes to shows on the reg in his mid-sized town. Instant scene cred on Reddit. Time to flame the posers!
Gathering of bourgeois. The high dollar entry fees, travel expenses, etc. make fests a luxury for those who can afford it. Crowds are padded by concert goers who are there for the spectacle and used to paying high ticket fees. The fact that financing is available to purchase tickets for some of these should be a real moment of reflection. I can’t imagine the level of FOMO a hardcore kid must experience these days if they can’t afford to go to a fest and some of their friends can.
Creates a caste system of bands. This wasn’t the fest’s fault but it was another nail in the coffin in the death of regional hardcore and the hardening of a tiered system of hardcore bands.
It started with the package tour. When tours used to be one or two bands, they'd come to a town and the local draws could look like they were equals or sometimes bigger than the national acts, cementing their draw. This created pride in the hometown scene and a respect from the kids who came up in those scenes for the local bands who kept the scene alive. With the four band package tours, the local (if there even was one) was now relegated to the curtain jerking spot. It made them look lesser than any of the bands on the package and made it seem like the locals didn’t stack up to the touring bands. This combined with the internet was the death knell of regional hardcore.
Fest culture was the next big nail. If you had the funds, you could see a years worth of bands in a couple weekends. Huge swaths of kids no longer had the desire or interest to support their local scene. They only attended fests or went to gigs when national level bands played their areas and could converse with other likeminded people on the internet.SIDENOTE:
The fest has been around since the early hardcore days. Probably not fests in the amount of bands, but huge tentpole events at the Santa Monica Civic or The Olympic Auditorium rivaled the size of some current hardcore fests. Do the Rock Against Reagans qualify?
This gig from 1982 definitely checks all the marks:
metallipromo.com VERDICT:
To each their own, maaan. Now lets go kick around the hacky sack.
Kev Hare is a pretty cool dude normally but for whatever reason last week he decided to be a dick and propose we cut down the first WarZone LP down to a 7”. That’s a daunting task cuz every song on DFTS DFTS is good, and maybe half of them are some of the best hardcore songs ever written.
Alright, so we have 6 1/2 minutes per side to work with. What are we keeping and what are we losing? Does the whole first side stay? Do we lose “As One” cuz it was included on The Way It Is the following year? Are we forsaken to live in a world without the “Judgement Day” guitar hook?
We hash it out on the pod.
Hardcore heroes Radio Raheem recently gave Enuf’s excellent 1988 demo the vinyl treatment. Enuf is probably known for two things: having one of the best hardcore intros ever and being Ari from Lifetime’s first band. They really don’t sound like Lifetime at all though—think more Warzone meets Wide Awake.
Beyond “Sucka Mosh,” this thing rages pretty hard throughout mostly due to the great vocal performance. “Face the Music” and “Once Too Many Times” go hard. If you’re into straightedge hardcore of the era beyond the big dogs, it’s a nice addition to your collection for sure.
Jay Petagine joined me for the interview. We got into his hardcore origins, what makes his local scene special, thoughts on HC being documented so much these days, as well as some of his bands like Living Laser, Mindforce, and Crush Your Soul.
Crush Your Soul just released a new LP called Ice Water. Check it out below and buy it here.
My band Subversive Intent has a couple gigs coming up in the next couple months. Roll through if you’re in the area.
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I play in a band called SUBVERSIVE INTENT. Jam the demo here, here, or here and buy the tape here.
- ZN
great ep. saw Feeble Minds the other night along the River Charles with The Damage (Philly), Intensive Care Unit, Uniformed Service, Rabid Few. very fun and solid show and yeah that FM demo/ep rips, as does The Damage ep on Bandcamp. who also did Last Rights "Chunks" which delighted concert-goers as well.