Hardcore punk facts for kids
Hardcore punk (or hardcore) is a style of punk music. It usually sounds louder, faster, and more angry than earlier punk rock music from the 1970s. Hardcore music started in the late 1970s. Some important bands in this music style are Bad Brains, Black Flag, D.O.A, Minor Threat, and Cro-Mags. Hardcore songs often have more political words than songs from 1970s punk.
No one is completely sure where the name "hardcore punk" came from. The band D.O.A. might have helped make the name popular with their album Hardcore '81 in 1981. The first hardcore punk song was "Out of Vogue" by The Middle Class, a band from Santa Ana. This band started playing a loud type of punk with shouted words.
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The Sound of Hardcore Music
Hardcore band singers often sing by shouting the words of the song. Hardcore songs often sound like the singer is angry.
Hardcore bands use electric guitars, electric bass guitar, drums, and a singer. The electric guitars in hardcore bands sound distorted, noisy, and fuzzy. This is because guitarists use electronic boxes called distortion pedals. Some hardcore guitarists have changed how their guitar strings are tuned. This lets them play notes that are lower than what a normal guitar can play.
The drums in hardcore music play loud and fast. Drummers often use a double-bass pedal, especially during parts called breakdowns.
Hardcore Style and Shows
People in hardcore punk bands and those who listened to hardcore punk wore two main types of clothes. Some people wore clothes and hairstyles that were strange and a bit scary. Examples include Mohawk hairstyles and leather jackets with metal studs. Other people wore regular clothes like black pants and T-shirts.
At hardcore punk concerts, people did a type of dancing called moshing. This dance involves people pushing each other and jumping off the stage.
The Hardcore Community
In the early 1980s, hardcore bands from England started to become well-known. These included Discharge, The Exploited, and The Varukers. Discharge played with a sound that included heavy metal guitar styles.
Hardcore music led to the creation of the straight edge movement. People who are straight edge choose not to use alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs. Straight edge later led to two new groups, called hardline and youth crew. Hardcore musicians also created their own independent record labels in the 1980s.
Many bands had a "Do it Yourself" (DIY) attitude. Bands would record their own albums using simple four-track recorders. They would then sell the records themselves at shows or through the mail. Hardcore music influenced new styles of music. These include alternative rock, grunge, alternative metal, metalcore, thrash metal, and post-hardcore.
Politics in Hardcore
Many early hardcore punk bands had songs about liberal politics. They spoke against political leaders, such as American president Ronald Reagan and British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. When George W. Bush was President of the United States, many hardcore bands criticized him.
A small number of hardcore musicians have shared right-wing views. This includes the band Antiseen. Their guitarist Joe Young ran for office as a Libertarian in North Carolina. Former Misfits singer Michale Graves supported George W. Bush.
Images for kids
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Jello Biafra performing with the Dead Kennedys
See also
In Spanish: Hardcore punk para niños