HARDCORE

Hardcore was an American phenomenon fueled by British and homegrown Punk scenes. It began in Southern California. The first HC bands came out of suburban LA beach towns, probably cause there they lived as close to the American Dream as you can get. Born of a doomed idle of middle class utopia, Punk juiced their nihilism.The typical Hardcore candidate listened to hard-hitting Brit outfits like 999, Angelic Upstars, and Sham 69, as well as the star-spangled sounds of The Ramones and The Avengers. Such outfits had a violent edge, but Reagan-era kids needed something even more primal and immediate.Hardcore extended, mimicked, and reacted to Punk; it appropriated some aspects yet discarded others. It reaffirmed the attitude and rejected the new wave. That's why it was called Hardcore-Punk- for people who were fed up.You knew somebody was Hard-core if they had a shaved head or a crew cut, a threating demeaner and a hatred of the mainstream. The few girls into hardcore appeared severe and unfriendly. What set these kids apart from jocks and rednecks was a vague political consciousness vigilante like do-gooder streak. All in all, it was not a pretty sight.