Where have all the good hardcore bands gone?

A while back, fellow blogger and local music enthusiast, Rich, wrote a piece about the hardcore scene in Rochester in the 90s. After reading it, he and I traded notes about the scene and how, over time, it has devolved into a place where electric drum kits and neon tees rule.

So where have all the good hardcore bands gone?

The answer emerged Sunday evening in the dingy Dub Land Underground basement with Mayflower, Title Fight, Like Wolves and especially with headliner, Polar Bear Club.

Mayflower blew us away with their Millencolin-like speed guitar parts and a surprisingly mature sound for a young band. Even though their songs are a bit on the melodramatic side, we were impressed with their sound. By the end, we too were chanting along with In it to win it.

If the boys of Mayflower looked high school age, Title Fight is pushing middle school. Their musicality was solid, but the lead vocals left us underwhelmed. We think they have the pieces to work, but just need more polish.

Like Wolves came screaming on stage, easily the hardest of the openers. Lead singer Ben turned up the intensity level, crawling over the crowd and nicking the overhead pipes, while never ceasing the battle-cries. Amazing passion.

Splitting time between Syracuse and Rochester, Polar Bear Club strikes a perfect chord of boyish good looks, solid musical background and the emotional, crowd-engaging vocals that harks back to Rochester hardcore of yesteryear. The concert at Dub Land was to commemorate the release of their album Chasing Hamburg and recent signing with Bridge Nine records. Track Living Saints has gained much notoriety in the industry as the jam to focus on.

But, to us, though this was a concert to showcase the new, nothing says Rochester hardcore like the crowd interaction and participation that older songs brought. And, PBC sure did bring the love from the hardcore community that still thrives on.