At these years Black N Blue Bowl, Hardcore history was written thanks to the amazing lineup that the BNB Productions team assembled. As soon as I arrived at Webster Hall, the excitement was evident on the streets as kids were anxiously waiting for the controlled chaos to begin. Outside of the venue, we ran into Freddy and Hoya from Madball, Tim Williams from Vision Of Disorder, John Joseph from the Cro Mags, Lou Koller from Sick Of It All, Danny Diablo from Skarhead, Lars Frederiksen from Rancid, Paul Bearer from Sheer Terror, Jimmy Gestapo from Murphy's Law, and Cousin Joe from Black N Blue Productions.
Seeing all this VIP’s of the Hardcore scene in one place was surreal. After all, one of the first things I learned about New York culture was the music created by those who are part of the New York Hardcore family. I can honestly say that this form of music has been a huge part of my life since I was 16; it has definitely helped shape me as an open minded individual. And as much respect as I have for other musical scenes, the bond between the bands and the fans that are part of the New York Hard Core family is incomparable. Let me tell you about what went on at the old Ritz. Incendiary had the honor of being the first band to step on stage with enough fuel to burn the place down and the kids got right into the flames. Then the BNB Bowl continued to explode with H8 Inc. from Detroit, who made themselves right at home as the global audience present at Webster Hall welcomed them with their fists in the air.
Next up on this Hardcore party, was the band Sand from Japan who are also known as Asia’s masters of breakdowns. These guys impressed the hell out of the audience with their great energy, wild stage presence and most importantly their killer songs. I had the chance to speak with their lead singer Makoto (through an interpreter) and he mentioned that New York Hardcore has been instrumental in the Japanese Hardcore movement. He also mentioned that when Madball was in Japan, Freddy Cricien from Madball promised them that if they made it to the US; he would make sure they played at the BNB Bowl.
Minutes after Sand left everyone sweating profusely, Cruel Hand shook the venue with a fast driven, energetic set: a set that was not for the weak hearted. Next up the surprise of the night: Wisdom In Chains. A band with phenomenal stage presence and with a very tight dynamic sound, as a result the kids went ape shit. I spoke with singer Mad Joe Black right after the band finished their set and he was drenched in adrenaline and absolutely stoked! Then it was time for Trapped Under Ice, who had a rough time following the energetic set that Wisdom In Chains had just completed. Around 7 PM Supertouch (the night’s special guest) took over center stage, and continued getting the crowd riled up for what was about to unfold. Supertouch were well received by most of the crowd, but some attendees were expecting a lot more from this band. I think the crowd was expecting a special guest of more caliber like Agnostic Front or Sick Of It All.
Then Webster Hall turned into a party of semi-controlled mayhem. The venue was grooving as soon as Skarhead stepped on stage. I had never seen them live, but was aware that they shoot lethal doses of energy into the crowd with their powerful music and stage antics. By the time Skarhead finished their set, everyone was bruised up.
As the night was winding down and some were starting to get tired, Toby and his band H20 charged up everyone’s batteries. It is hard to find a band with the energy of H20, and as a result hundreds of kids kept coming on stage and making their way back into the crowd. It was the Hardcore Olympics!Soon after H2O finished their exploding set, Yuppicide made their comeback after 12 years of silence. And they made sure that it was felt by all of the Black N Blue Bowl attendees. From the moment they jumped on stage, it was clear that they were absolutely ready to get the crowd stomping and that the band was very excited to be back in front of such a great crowd.
Finally it was time for one of my favorite bands of all time, the mighty Madball, to get on stage and set it off! These guys never cease to blow minds away and they sounded tighter than ever with the addition of their new drummer Jay Weinberg (Max Weinberg’s son). There was not one person standing still or sitting down during their vulgar display of true street Hardcore. I had a chance to talk to Freddy and Hoya, and they said they are making sure that the next Madball album leaves a worldwide mark!
Concluding the night of Hard Core mayhem, the legendary Cro Mags proofed why they are one of the most influential Hardcore bands in history. From the moment they ran on stage, it was nonstop insanity. John Joseph’s vocals sounded crisp and one thing that impressed me is that the entire band knew exactly how to feed the crowd some adrenaline, when some were getting tired.
All in all, it was a fantastic day in which fans from all over the world came to have a great time. There were no major problems and the venue (which was sold out) was very happy with the results. Black N Blue 2010 was an absolute success, and it looks like it will happen again next year, at Webster Hall. Congratulations to the entire Black N Blue family for putting together one of the best shows, if not the best show, of the year! And the fact that there were people from Europe, Scandinavia, Latin America, Asia and even Australia, is proof that New York Hardcore is now Worldwide Hardcore.
ARTIST QUOTES:
Freddy Cricien (Madball):
"Thank you to everyone who supported our event. Whether you were performing or observing, you were part of a historic night.. They'll be more to come!"
John Joseph (Cro Mags):
"It was great to play in front of so many different kinds of people, to me that is the concept behind Hardcore music. I want to thank Freddy and the rest of the Black N Blue team, for putting together such a great show. We had so much fun and that is thanks to what the crowd was feeding to us. This show will be talked about for months to come. And to think that it was all started by the Bad Brains, who couldn't find a place to play back in DC and ended up in New York. Who would have thought that on times were segregation was evident, that a group of African Americans would make such an impact and help give birth to the New York Hardcore scene."
RELATED LINKS:
BNB Productions
Cro Mags
Madball
H2O
Skarhead
Sand
Wisdom In Chains
H8 Inc.
Supertouch
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