Music Sociology by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781317255833
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Published: 2015-11-17T00:00:00+00:00

The Hardcore Subculture

Crowd Behavior

A crucial component of a subculture is members engaging in similar types of behavior. In hardcore, that occurs as people gather for a show. It is important for individuals attending hardcore shows to be knowledgeable of the unwritten rules and norms in order to avoid the hazards of a large number of audience members such as injury in the “pit” that inevitably develop in the crowd, and to maximize the viewing pleasure of the show.

Anytime you have a full crowd that hasn’t already made room for the pit, the pit will make room for itself. This meant that when the moshers and hardcore dancers pushed the rest of the crowd to the outside, it created a domino effect that sent somewhat of a “wave” through the entire crowd. [Excerpt from field notes—Macomb, IL, 2009]

Both verbal and nonverbal cues are used by performers and audience members. The actions in this setting are acceptable only within context, and would otherwise be deviant.

Having no personal space to myself, the close proximity of the crowd created an intense amount of heat and humidity. As the crowd started to build up with the anticipation of a breakdown, Haste the Day’s frontman addressed the crowd with “Dallas, Texas, show me what you got!” which led to the explosion of movement in response to the ensuing breakdown. [Excerpt from field notes—Dallas, TX, 2010]

Venues for the shows vary in size and shape but are typically small, darkened areas with the only light coming from the stage itself, drawing attention to the stage. The shows are extremely loud—the sound systems fill the room with music—and they’re often humid because of the large number of people in a small space: there is risk of dehydration and hearing damage. This serves to maximize the musical experience rather than make audience members comfortable. The intensity of the music provokes excitement in the crowd and establishes behaviors of a subculture (Waksman 2001).

Because of the confined space, personal boundaries are crossed; physical contact is common. The main objective for some audience members is to be involved in the music close to the stage. This is not unique to hardcore but exhibits hardcore values. Thus audience members may be pushed, pressed against, and even stepped on by others. This situation becomes more severe when a pit emerges within the crowd—usually in the very center. This aggressive behavior would be considered deviant elsewhere, but here it is part of the hardcore crowd experience. Personal space is only restored by leaving the show, which ends with the headlining band’s set (performance).

In the context of the show, the band and audience play off of one another using both verbal and nonverbal cues. The emergence of the pit is a result of the band’s introducing a “breakdown” to the crowd by means of a verbal command (example: “I wanna see this place open up!”) or nonverbal cue (specific musical note and tempo change) that is generally a widely accepted norm among audience members, regardless of the popularity of the band.

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