Author: Primož Novak
Venue: Mostovna/Nova Gorica/Slovenia
Concert date: December 14, 2013
Ticket price: 23 €
In recent years the renowned club Mostovna has hosted plenty of big names in hardcore, thrash and death metal and other genres. Legendary Suicidal Tendencies, Exodus and Obituary have all stepped onto the club’s stage, to name just a few. This Saturday’s show, though, was reserved for New York hardcore legends Madball, one of the pillars of the NYHC scene alongside the likes of Agnostic Front and Sick of It All. Also on tour with Madball were Deez Nuts, Your Demise and Nasty.
Opener Nasty turned out not to really know what it wants to say with its so-called beatdown hardcore. The whole thing felt like a pile of breakdowns and jangly »plink plink« guitar noodling. The vocalist, with his stage presence, came across like a tough-guy poser who’d wandered out of the hip-hop scene. Nasty did get part of the crowd going, with arms and legs flying through the air to their monotonous songs. Often the mic was »lent out« so someone below the stage could bark some cliché line. Interest in Nasty showed in the half-empty hall too, since most people preferred to chat outside over a beer. In an oversaturated scene there are plenty of mediocre bands these days, arguably too many, but Nasty were below average.
Your Demise painted a different picture. Sure, the band doesn’t have the brutality of the act before them, and their hardcore is tinged with quite a bit of melody. Sure, Your Demise don’t bring anything new, sticking to pretty well-worn hardcore guidelines you can hear from the likes of Agnostic Front and co. But the crowd literally lost it. Stage divers were everywhere, and the front rows were in constant motion with all sorts of moshpits and circle pits. The stage diving got to the point where the band’s roadie had to step in again and again to make sure there weren’t too many people on stage getting in the way of the band’s playing. Your Demise announced this year that they’d be calling it quits. Still, their farewell is dragging on quite a while. They played a few festival gigs in the summer, including this year’s Punk Rock Holiday, followed by a European tour. And in that time Your Demise made a good impression on the Slovenian crowd. As for Mostovna, it should be stressed that lots of Italian visitors came to the show too. Anyway, Your Demise proved themselves with their more melodic-sounding hardcore.
After Your Demise came the Australian hardcore sensation Deez Nuts, who stop by our neck of the woods pretty often. Deez Nuts were presenting their fresh release Bout It!, and the tattooed vocalist JJ Peters stood out for everyone to see, managing, just like Your Demise, to get the crowd moving. The hall was packed almost to the back, and up front it was blood, sweat and tears all the way, just as it should be at hardcore shows. Always the hard way… A hardcore fan can get hyped about Deez Nuts. The band has authentic riffs and a sense for punch and rhythm, and the only problem is the singer’s vocals, which lack aggression and have the wrong tone. On top of that he leans too much on quick hip-hop lines, and as a result he also botched a few. Deez Nuts definitely gained some brutality when Freddy from Madball joined them for one song. Deez Nuts undoubtedly satisfied a big part of the audience, even if you could spot the odd bloodied nose.
A few minutes past eleven, the stage was taken by Freddy Cricien (vocals), Hoya Roc (bass), Mitts (guitar) and Mike Justian (drums). The four-piece played with total confidence and zero compromise, as hardcore demands. In their roughly hour-long set they served up practically all the hits from their discography, including a track or two from the first EP, Balls of Destruction. From the very first songs it was clear the crowd had gone delirious. Plastic beer cups flew through the air, and the crowd’s frenzy just wouldn’t let up, even though some had been on the battlefield since the start. With the stagedivers too, the roadie, had to step in again so the stage wouldn’t get overcrowded under a »my stage is your stage« policy. The band honestly didn’t mind. Well, they’ve been used to it for over 20 years. Freddy often handed the mic to a stage »intruder« so he could get his few seconds of fame.
Madball covered lots of hits in their set, though mostly the punchy mid-tempo tracks dominated. You could get pumped for hits like Down By Law, We the People, Hold It Down, 100%, Set It Off and plenty of other songs, which showed the authenticity of real New York hardcore. The band looked to be in a great mood on stage, but above all their excellent form deserves a mention. Madball obviously just keep getting better with the years. On stage the band works as a single entity. Long-haired Freddy bounced around the stage like a hyperactive teenager, and the other members didn’t slack either, except the bassist, who was mostly just trying to hold the rhythm. Freddy’s vocals are strong and clear, and occasionally a scream was boosted even further by the mixing desk, so it boomed through the hall at times. The rhythm section didn’t slack. Guitarist and hockey veteran Mitts shredded out powerful but simple riffs, and on drums Mike Justian dominated, having previously played in more complex bands, so playing in Madball gives him no trouble. Freddy’s attitude deserves praise too. He didn’t force the crowd into moshing or circle pits. When the crowd wanted a circle pit he simply said he wasn’t pushing it, but if they wanted one, they could go ahead and do a circle pit. The floor in the hall was slippery from spilled beer, and despite the freezing temperatures outside, it was a proper sauna in there. Hardcore fans finally got what they’d been demanding. At Mostovna, with Madball, Deez Nuts, Your Demise and Nasty, a proper hardcore party went down that’s not easy to forget.
Madball proved all night long that they’re not ready for the scrap heap yet. The only thing left to confirm it is the closing line: »Hardcore still lives!«
