What a day. What a show.
Got to the venue around 2 in the afternoon with Yah Jagtap after a fish meal and, as expected, immediately passed out till about 4. Woke up to the Catatonic and Tryst boys chatting around, wandered into the smoking area and there was Anoop. Always nice when people start showing up early and you get a few hours of just hanging around, smoking, talking music, work, food.
Varun, Pritesh, Anamika and the Haramcore crew arrived shortly. By around 5:30 P.M. the place had completely transformed — stage going up, merch being sorted, food and beer coupons getting distributed, soundchecks happening everywhere. Everyone running around doing their thing.
The only problem was Strangle. Their flight from Delhi to Bombay got cancelled, so for a while it looked like they weren’t going to make it. When I asked Sid, he was cool about it, didn’t sweat it at all.
Around 7, people started lining up and by 8:00–8:30 the place was filling up for Tryst. Pune hardcore, full energy. One particular dude spent the entire set jumping, kicking the air and throwing two-steps like he knew every song on their set. Boys are the future — loved their music and their thecha!
Chargesheet came on next and by then the entire line outside had made its way in. Packed room, sweaty bodies, people throwing themselves around to that big nu-metal sound. There’s something great about watching a bunch of friends who’ve been making music together just have a good time.
Then Catatonic. I’ve had a soft spot for these guys, more now especially since their recent EP Smug, so getting to see them play Mumbai again was a treat. Stage dives started almost immediately. Arms flying everywhere. A few uncles getting visibly pissed about said arms flying everywhere. The boys from Tryst were also going at it from the side — dancing, getting on stage, singing songs by snatching the mics off the singers, haha.
Pacifist came on next and, honestly, these guys just know how to get Mumbai moving. Jumping, dancing, grooving, stage dives, people smiling ear to ear. They motivate, man! They really do. Proper heroes of this scene.
And then Strangle finally arrived. After having their flight cancelled they made it just in time, rested, got themselves together during Pacifist, and then walked out and fucking destroyed the place. Angry, violent, groovy music that makes you want to run through a wall. By then the crowd was so tightly packed that moving through it with a camera was hard, hence I planted myself on the stage for half their set. The crowd was locked into the same rhythm, going completely mental.
The final act — Whispers, from Bangkok. What a fucking band. Just this enormous, evil, ferocious wall of sound. Probably some of the most aggressive live energy I’ve seen in a long time. They came in, did exactly what they needed to do, and slowly buried the place. Such sweet human beings though, so polite in between songs. By the last song there must have been 15–20 people getting on and off stage, dancing and headbanging with them. Absolute chaos.
Getting there early. Eating, sleeping, smoking, talking shit, meeting friends, bands helping each other out, people losing their minds in front of the stage and then everyone hanging around afterwards. That’s what I like about Haramcore. I’ve been around for a while now, and that’s probably what I love most about these shows. They keep getting bigger every year, but somehow never lose what makes them special. It’s still simple, honest and very much about looking after your own.
Thanks Haramcore! See you next time.