If you’ve been hanging around the L.A. Hardcore scene in recent years, you may have seen flyers floating around for events like Cy Fest and L.A. Punk Invasion. Ignacio Rodriguera (of Hardcore band Corrupted Youth) a.k.a Nacho Corrupted is the mind behind these shows. As his fests have grown both in traction and stature, so has the demand for more events at more accessible prices. Old school and new school punks alike jumped at the opportunity to attend a free “aftermath” show on March 19th at The Regent Theater which included some of the most talked about bands from the previous day's festival.
The show operated on a “first-come first-served” basis for tickets and easily reached capacity only an hour after doors opened. Neon mohawks and studded battle vests painted Downtown's Main Street, and exploded out of the venue's patio. Despite the overcrowding, like any punk show, there was an instant sense of community wafting through the air, and those lucky enough to get inside were immediately met with a whirlwind of punk multiformity.
L.A. punk powerhouse Spunk played the first set I was able to catch due to the Disneyland ride-level line outside. With some material channeling New York Dolls-esque Proto-Punk and others taking a more Ron Reyes-era Black Flag approach, Spunk has been helping to revive classic punk in the local scene and beyond for a few years now. U.K. punks The Skeptix (previously known as The Vermin as well as Chaos) followed shortly after, delivering some classic politically charged lyrics and D-beat style ditties.
At this point in the night, the pit was still warming up, however, the younger teens enjoyed the open space to two-step freely without pushback. Much of the time spent between sets allowed for the admiration of different outfits in the crowd. Several “droogs” were in attendance in homage to the aesthetic of headliner Major Accident, as well as various mohawks, battle jackets, and even a hyper-realistic wolf mask.
Later, the cheekily named Monster Squad hyped the crowd up with some classic Hardcore, evoking energy as sinister as their band name with imagery of a corpse-like priest projected behind them. Stage diving also began during their set, though not always with successful landings.
Clit 45 took the stage next and proceeded to upstage every band that played previously before even playing a note. As the lights dimmed and the DJ stopped, the venue slowly began to fill up with the “Rocky Theme” song, highlighting that the only true way to unite the public is with cheesy pop culture. Along with their early Green Day-like guitar riffs, the whimsy continued as a Spiderman-shaped pinata was thrown to the audience, and subsequently destroyed by the pit.
Three-piece Japanese punk outfit The Erections seemed to be the fan favorite with their rainbow mohawks and sharp bass chords. Crowd energy levels were at an all-time high, culminating at one point with three different people riding on each other’s shoulders as they circled the pit. Despite being a primarily English and Spanish-speaking audience the pit was at its most energetic for these guys, showing that passion knows no language barrier.
As the night entered its latter half, gear set-ups became more elaborate and the crowd became rowdier. Stage techs taped down setlists as people watched like hungry vultures. The penultimate act, Non Servium, provided the illusion of safety with an orchestral intro song and warm lights beaming towards the stage before dissenting into a blend of Hardcore and Thrash so heavy it could almost be considered metal.
Finally, Major Accident ended the night in their classic “clock-work punk” style while seamlessly blending Hardcore and Oi. As the band didn’t go on until almost midnight, many people headed home before their set, but those who stayed made sure to pack a moshing punch as if it was just another one of their iconic shows of the early '80s.
If one thing was made clear by the diversity in the band's backgrounds, it was the importance of helping to bring punk to the people’s doorstep. Many bands aren’t famous enough to tour outside of their home country/state, and many fans don’t have the means to travel to another country or state just to see a show. Having a centralized event such as this—bringing together bands from places like Spain, Japan, New York, England, and more—is so important, and it’s what made this show significant for the scene.
Photos by Cade Pinkerson
