Young People in Hardcore #1

As I have shared my views and insights in my first article about being a young person in Hardcore and what it means to me as a person in the scene, I thought it would be suitable to expand some features on the future of the scene itself and talk to fellow young people who are a part of the local scene and have a passion for Hardcore like myself. I interviewed Rosie on her thoughts on what it’s like to be involved with scene that is based in her hometown as well as what the music means to her and how she lives her life a teenager as a hardcore kid. From bringing Straight-Edge into her life, too being a young female amongst a scene that is known to be predominantly male.

Rosie McAlinden, 17, Birmingham

What is it like being a young person in the hardcore scene?

At U.S. shows, all ages shows are everywhere which is amazing. I think this age limit on many local hardcore will make it die out because realistically the under 18s are the ones being influenced to starts bands and keep listening. Fair enough the crowds can sometimes get aggressive, but people attend anyway with that knowledge. Under 18s should be included more because it tends to be a period in peoples lives where they want to find their identity, but these age restrictions are potentially stopping kids from becoming who they really want to be. Straight-Edge bands generally are good role models which I think this modern generation could really benefit from, as being an escape from the growing drink and drug culture teens are heavily peer pressured to involve themselves in.

How has the straight-edge lifestyle affected you as a person?

The drastic change from leisurely drinking to living off J20s has really positively effected my mentality. It helped me appreciate how much there actually is to do with life that doesn’t involve getting off your face, as well as helping me value myself as a person. The most annoying question I get asked is ‘isn’t it boring?’ and I can’t help but get annoyed because how can passion be boring? PMA is meant to be the hardcore mentality and I personally think its such an amazing DIY ethic. And while its difficult to always be positive I find that this mindset has made a huge impact on my life and I can’t help but preach it to the people in my life.

What is it like being a female in the scene?

I’ve had my fair share of ignorant comments about my gender and my place in this scene because of it. Majority of the time it doesn’t matter that I’m a girl which is the way it should be. And most of these comments don’t even have context, sometimes people will just instantly assume that I’m not genuinely into this genre of music. Honestly this is just disrespectful and embarrassing because hardcore is genuinely the thing I’m most passionate about and it makes me want to not go to shows because I stand in a room full of boys and feel self-conscious of the fact that some will think I don’t belong there. The mentality this scene is built on is that it’s meant for everyone but when comments like ‘I bet you don’t even listen to them’ are being thrown around, it makes it quite intimidating. I’m especially annoyed at the assumptions because if you knew me you’d know that I was raised on heavy metal and have been seeing bands like Black Sabbath for as long as I can remember. As well as this, I am personally faced with the inner conflict of wanting to throw down but still not wanting to draw attention to myself looking like an idiot. And it sucks because I have so much pent up anger, but I don’t always feel completely comfortable with letting it out, but then again this could just be a me thing and not a gender thing.

What do you love about the scene?

The people. There’s a stereotype surrounding people that listen to certain genres of ‘angry’ music and its almost always negative. Despite this stigma I’ve really found that this scene is full of genuine people, obviously there’s the odd few dickheads but that’s the same as any other scene I guess. Everyone seems so easy going and I feel like I could just have a conversation with anyone involved in this scene and it wouldn’t be weird, even if it is a little awkward. Saying that, I’ve met so many new people, that I now consider good friends, just from awkward conversations in venues about music and gigs which I think adds to the excitement and buzz of going to local shows. I also love the fact that everyone seems to be involved just for the same purpose, their love of the music and energy. It’s amazing because there’s a mutual respect for one another and a knowing that you’re all connected through the interest of music.

By Dane Barker