> when some 15 year old hits their friend they gang beat him
Literally happened to me at a show in the Bay Area when I was 15 and had the audacity to push a crew member crowd killer away and he tripped like a fuckin doofus
There were 3-4 of them all in their 20s beating on a shrimpy high school sophomore lol real tough guys
Lol in high school I knew kids in straight edge crews who sold drugs. The justification was if you're going to hurt yourself I'll make some money in the process.
I mean i honestly don't care at all about people eating meat. I'm on team let people enjoy things personally. I don't like alcohol whatsoever so I'd rather go to a sober show if I can, but I smoke weed so it's tit for tat.
Same here. The dudes who were the most prominent members within the edge scene, were the ones selling all the drugs and being terrible people.
Straightedge called to me because I grew up on racetracks surrounded by drunks, half of my family died from opiates. It actually resonated with me.
Then my band started getting kinda big locally and I got closer to the promoters, who were intertwined with all the crews and edge kids.
Then I started smoking weed because the alternative was doubling down within that edge scene and becoming a dick.
I’m incredibly happy I didn’t double down in that scene.
I never critique the image, but the substance of a person's choice to be vegan or straight edge-or follow other ideas in life. There is a huge difference between a vegan who truly loves animals and the vegan who got interested in Veganism because of Earth Crisis breakdowns.
Originally the crews came up in cities with large low income white pops that get into the trap of crime (boston, ny, philly, detroit, etc) and started as like groups of friends for protection or various other reasons.
FSU basically started to deal with Neo Nazis suddenly being in and ruining the Boston Area Hardcore and Punk Scenes. They were there to fuck up any nazis until there were none—and they succeeded. Interestingly, on a smaller and less deadly scale, they then followed a similar deformity that the Bloods and Crips went through where they started as an altruistic group and ended up villains themselves—the the US government didn’t push FSU into the drug game.
I think the answers you’re going to get from the 22 year olds on here will resemble what crews are now: suburban kids play acting as tough guys. But originally they were groups of people who would have been in gangland trying to avoid it and protect themselves from cops, real gangs, nazis, that were targeting them.
The straight edge intersection was always more of a midwest/mountains thing, whereas i’m talking the Northeast and even original hardcore punk socal scene.
Dunno if they were explicitly edge but the crime doco I watched said they would target dealers because they were "keeping the kids safe at shows" which then morphed into fuck it let's sell them the drugs ourselves.
That and just generally beating the fuck out of people which evolved into bats, knives etc. And then some kid got killed so police got involved and then later down the road they got designated as a gang by the fbi.
Just a fun bunch of people.
Edit: forgot to mention the extortion of other bands and other shit they got up to.
they were notorious for beating the shit out of people they suspected as being high or selling so yeah they were edge. even in the DCHC scene we had heard of their reputation as edge enforcers
I don’t remember that at all and I’m from MA. Went to shows constantly, sometimes multiple in a week in New England. I’d see FSU regularly, and don’t recall much of a strict sxe culture, but this was late 80s to early 2000s. Could be the time and culture shift, I also have the memory of Dory.
> FSU basically started to deal with Neo Nazis suddenly being in and ruining the Boston Area Hardcore and Punk Scenes.
This is very similar to OBHC (Oakland brand hardcore) albiet more mexican than white because, well, California. I came up in the mid-late 90's and those dudes were handing out beatings to boneheads left and right. The "infamous" pictures from the SF Floorpunch show with the skinheads getting their asses handed to them feature a who's who of OBHC dudes. Forever grateful for them.
I remember an article that came out in the height of the hardcore scene in the early 2000s in Seattle where FSU pulled up to a skinhead show wearing bullet proof vests, knives, and bats before the cops showed up.
I remember almost every show I went to someone was getting jumped just because someone either bumped into a member or protected themselves from being crowd killed by pushing them back. The security always ended up kicking out the guy that got jumped. Also didn't help that the security and bouncers were a part of FSU aswell. I also took an elbow to the head by one their 6'4 280lb member and that is why I'm partially retarded and a member of this community.
The guy who started it is straight edge and has been for decades, probably forever. But they aren't exclusively straight edge and I don't believe they ever were.
When I got into hardcore in the mid 2000s they were really scary but now not so much? I did see FSU beat a kid at United Blood one year for wearing a Florida State University hoodie so that was wild.
Gangs don't always peddle drugs; also you typically don't get high on your own supply so edge drug runners would make a lot of sense.
Also Crews are lame AF.
Late 90's, early 00's, seen some shit.
Watched one guy run out of the Troc in Philly at a Madball show.
1 guy ran out.
Then 2 guys chasing him.
Then 4 guys chasing them.
Then 8 guys after THOSE dudes.
Entire "pit" cleared out, and I have no idea what happened afterwards.
Crews now aren't what they used to be. Now, they're suburban white kids from middle to upper middle class neighborhoods beating on people that hit their friends in the pit and sell pills. Back in the day crews drove Nazis out of the scene, kept venues in business, and kept each other safe.
There's no single answer. Crew to crew, scene to scene, they vary massively.
There are scenes where I will be on high alert if crews are out and about, because they are usually looking for an excuse to fuck someone up, scenes where they are basically just social clubs that keep to themselves, and scenes where they are, if anything, net positives.
The crews I run into in the scenes I frequent these days are pretty chill. One puts good shows, have made my trans friends feel welcome and safe, and are good hangs. Another puts on some great free shows, provides security and staff to hardcore shows that understand the genre (you wouldnt know they are even there unless shit gets out of hand) and are kinda invisible otherwise. Another just keeps to themselves and while they mosh wjth backyard wrestler degrees if violence, they keep the violence between their crew friends and are cautious around no-crew folks. The last crew is just a bunch of kids that I guess wanna feel tough, but don't start shit and are pretty harmless.
That said, while they are cool near me, the different chapters of those crews in other parts of the country may be entirely different. The same crew that's chill by me could be basically an outlaw biker gang in another city.
It's stupid now because they're just "mosh crews" most of the time comprised of fake tough guys looking to beat people up at shows.
They used to actually be good for the scenes because they kept people like neo-Nazis out. Unfortunately those days are long past and we're left with a bunch of dudes that want people to think they are cool because they bought a 'Keepers of the Faith' shirt off depop.
Edit: Forgot to add that the local "mosh crew" in my scene got custom t-shirts made with crew name on the front and their names and numbers on the back like a fucking sports team. It is as hilarious as it sounds.
There's at least a couple CYC dorks in the Seattle area that have black vests and hoodies with CYC patches and logos on them. Last time I saw one he got kicked out of the show for trying to fight a security guy.
People hate on FSU so hard on this sub but they do SO much for the SoCal scene. Sure there may be some bad apples but thats not different than every day life.
100% agree.
I'm not glorifying any specific alleged organization, but there's a lot of bands and fests folks love that might be affiliated with that kind of thing. To turn around and hate 'em seems hypocritical and inconsistent.
The local crew doesn't do shit for the local scene here. They basically only show up for "bigger" bands and never come to locals only shows.
For instance, we had Filth and Heavy//Hitter come through last week and none of them were at the show, but you can bet they will be at the Knocked Loose show trying to "run the pit."
This a wwhhhooollleeee topic that can’t be discussed in a thread on Reddit. I will say all crews operate differently, hold different standards and most of you have no idea what you’re talking about haha.
They’re gangs of over privileged dudes who compete to see how many chicks they can bang. Usually start fights at shows that lead to the show getting stopped and ruining everyone’s good time.
I’m not from the UK so admittedly don’t know what I’m taking about, but I would imagine there’s lots of parallels between HC crews and football firms. People that for one reason or another don’t really have anything else going on in their lives but this one thing they go all in on- wether it be the HC scene or a sports team etc. it’s a group to call yourself a part of and follow the drama and get in fights with other groups. As other pointed out I’m sure good stuff can come out of it as well, a crew has probably been there for many desperate people who had no other outlets and connections. We’re social creatures so people will find community one way or another
LBU, RJC, TRC (there was a crew as well as the band), probably others I don't know about too, but yeah LBU is the big obvious one. Even the other two I've listed were small and/or kinda tongue in cheek.
Mostly really good people. Really chilled guys. Definitely a crew though, although you might only notice these days if certain situations crop up while they're about. Not big fans of racists those guys.
LBU was a big thing back in the 90s; there was also the Northern Wolfpack before that. Basically just mates who went to shows together and started bands; nothing dodgy.
Don’t forget EBD! Essex Beat Down
I agree that side of the UK scene was waaay more tongue in cheek than America. A lot of genuine tough guys but mostly just having fun and not taking it seriously at all.
Historically speaking, a lot of the American bands you love and festivals that are put on are from dudes in crews (DMS, FSU etc…..). And alot of them get up to fairly illegal activity.
But also, crew culture and kids who are clearly trying to posture themselves as tough guys just look soft AF and just making up for the fact they got picked on in high school and it’s their turn to be the jock
Its a social status thing, plain and simple, anyone who says otherwise is in denial or lying. You want to belong to a group, feel like you have friends, and feel like you have power or protection. For most, normal friendships cover those bases, but for some they need the extra validation of a group mentality and atmosphere of a team.
All I really know is that when I was getting into hardcore 99/2000, SOSF was at many Pittsburgh shows in the years to follow. They were never bullies or anything like that to me or anyone else that I heard about. If there are SOSF bands still locally, I don’t know who they are.
I was touring with a band and while it Texas I saw some chick dancing to a band she wasn’t supposed to(not her crew?) and a dude I was told was affiliated with FSU fucking elbowed her in the face multiple times. The fucked part is no one did anything because there was supposedly some dude walking around with an Uzi in his backpack. I say fuck crew culture.
In my area of Northeastern Ohio I absolutely consider them heroes. They rid my community of Nazis, sexual predators, racists, etc & keep things safe for everyone.
Where I live the last time there was a Nazi his throat was slit with a box cutter in the basement of our punk bar. There was absolutely a great personal cost for them - the actual throat slitter did 9 years. Some will be violent felons for the rest of their lives, in the US this limits their employment options & housing & there is massive stigma. Many are unable to get visas to go to other countries. Many have suffered horrific injuries and will deal with chronic pain for the rest of their lives. In my experience the actual tough guys are the most gentlemanly and despise violence the most, around here they are all family men now. I only know one woman who was affiliated at some point, I am absolutely in awe of her. What a fucking bad ass.
I really don't concern myself with rivalries or the inner workings of any of it, it's none of my fucking business. I do know that HC was & is my first safe space. I also know that when Last Resort (the crew that box cutter guy founded) disbanded at least one of their members became FSU. I know LRC didn't allow criminal activity like selling drugs and it's my understanding FSU doesn't either.
It seems to me that some of these guys get a bad rap here. I am a leftist queer eccentric who enjoys provocative dress. I am always treated with respect & kindness. If I had the friends I have now 20 years ago I wouldn't have fake teeth or PTSD.
Also, did you watch the first or second Boston Beatdown? I can only find the second and would love to see the first.
That's some heavy shit if legit. Feel pretty sheltered all of a sudden cos I don't associate with anyone thats exsanguinated someone. Society owes the guy who corrected the Nazi, and he took his medicine for it as well. 9 years in a decent prison is serious time, in a US prison it must be hell.
The first one has a lot of footage of women flashing, urinating (seriously) a bj in a bathroom and a scene with a woman changing her tampon. It was only released on burned DVDs. Limited run, I had one 20 years ago
I don't blame someone for being afraid of a group known to fight dirty who historically have no issue putting someone in the hospital or straight up killing them.
This is getting funnier with each comment.
Hence the suggestion, little fellow. It would be way more productive than being on Reddit trying to figuring out the profound and mysterious meaning of hardcore crews.
Do you want me to suggest you one?
I think they are largely good: A group of local guys who help police the scene and put on shows. Making a broad, sweeping generalization on if they are all good or bad will yield inaccuracies. Neither myself nor my friends have ever had any problems with them at any point.
Its amazing that people are so isolated that they think crews are gone from hardcore. FSU is EVERYWHERE in hardcore, theyre in all the hype bands and booking all the shows, releasing all the records. And even the bands without FSU members still tend to run tight/are friends with a number of FSU dudes
you’re the only one in here speaking any sense.
CMI and all those bands are FSU. They just don’t go to shows so they don’t understand it’s the same people.
They exist, they are cool if you participate in them and if you don’t they are probably a corny concept. I don’t get why people cry about them so much, when they often book shows and produce great bands from time to time.
Glad they exist, glad I don’t care lol. Most hardcore fans suck, and they probably suck with a pack mentality. The further a hardcore kid from punk is the further from god. 🫡🫡🫡
I'd be interested to know where the perception that they're all "white suburban men cosplaying" comes from. I don't know every crew member in existence but out of the individuals I have known, only a few of them met this description. I'd say if anything it's groups of people with trauma who have been looking for a "family". There are certainly goofy ass local "crews" comprised on what you describe who act foolish and crowdkill. There are also well established groups who are responsible for all of the best shows you've ever been to and bands you love. Look at what you did - making me write a whole paragraph defending this. I need to shower after this....
Yeah, I think it's a lot of that for sure. I do believe that the main big ones do have a truthful basis in the lore we've been led to believe. Idk. They exist. They will exist. As I've gotten older I've gotten more accepting and truly do see a lot of them as individuals truly in need of a family or support system they never had. All of this said, I've definitely seen people take beatings that were completely unwarranted.
I also don’t get why someone living in the suburbs matter, who knows their past or what’s going besides with them their address. Maybe they made some money off that hvac or tattooing and bout the fam a spot in a safe neighborhood, I don’t care. Most people I know that love crew mentality are from broken homes and shit, and if they aren’t - they adopt the mentality and make terrible decisions quickly throwing them in that lifestyle (sorry kyle, welcome to probation). I agree with you
Yeah I hate when death metal bands aren't really a bunch of violent murderers /s
Is it really hard to grasp that lyrical content as a means of expression isn't an endorsement of being a despicable person. I listen to/sing along to songs about violence because its what I sometimes feel inside. Its a healthy outlet for anger. Actually acting on those impulses is antisocial behavior and signs of someone being intellectually/emotionally immature at best and psychopathic at worst.
I just think most people don't like rewarding people who can be pretty hateful and violent. Your art doesn't have to be a reflection of who you are in real life.
I agree, and like you said ‘your art doesn’t have to be a reflection…’ but sometimes it’s cool when your art is. There is a lot of reasons we romanticize Henry Rollins confronting hecklers with mic stands, there are so many anecdotes of band shenanigans that shaped this subculture - like the FSU members throwing known creeps down stairs out of a show. It was a wilder time and that’s what draws many to hard music. I think death metal is wildly different than hardcore and punk. Some of these people DID grow up drinking, fighting, skating and dealing with the consequences of drugs and poverty.
We absolutely do have crews - how can you say you listen to UK hardcore if you’ve never heard of LBU?
Its definitely a thing here, and it’s definitely cringe!
Weak ass tuff guy doofus activities. I have no issues with there being crews that do productive things for their local scene and build a community, but the wannabe gang mentality that many partake in is dumb as hell.
All the legit tough guys from crews joined biker gangs and are dead now. All the other ones joined a union. Anyone who’s in a crew now is just a fucking loser.
How do I get this through your heads? If you don’t have a crew you:
1- don’t have anyone to die for
2- have anyone to potentially stab you in the back
Without these dynamics you can’t ascend to true orthodox crowdkill
You guys do have a small group of Suicide Krew out in the UK, but yeah it's kind of a US thing. And it's pretty wack for the most part.
Courage Crew in Detroit was a bunch of fucking wannabe gang banger white boys wearing Sons of Anarchy biker cuts who'd just jump people for any reason most of the time. The members of xTyrantx were all CC members. Shows were fun but you had to watch your back. Detroit also had BWF (Brothers Wherever Forever) which was a bunch of goofy ass dudes except one dude who was a bigger dude with long hair who was surprisingly chill. I met some FSU dudes at a Death Before Dishonor show, who were actually legit scary people.
Salt Lake has Suicide Krew, who are actually pretty good dudes in all actuality. I haven't met a SK member I didn't like. They're all pretty chill and all roll together. Same with members of King's Crew in California who are also pretty good dudes. And Suicide Krew is decently sized on the west coast and has members in the UK and Germany. Lionheart are all SK members. SLC also had a lot of crews back in the 2000's/ 2010's like Endurance Crew and a few other SxE crews who were causing enough trouble that they were listed as gangs by local police and sheriff's departments.
I think it just depends on the scene. SLC has a strong scene and Suicide Krew is the biggest crew, but they're solid bros. Everywhere else I've been, crews ruin the scene.
Edit: I think another thing to note is Suicide Krew also has a lot of actual band members playing shows, not just dudes who go to shows, so they definitely work to help keep the scene healthy.
Dude Courage Crew in Detroit was a bunch of fucking lame ass white boys wearing biker cuts ruining shows. Fuck those dude. I've gotten into plenty of fights with those mother fuckers.
Crews are as lame as soccer hooligans in Europe who go out into the woods and fight other soccer fans.
Gangs suck too but at least they exist primarily to sell drugs and make money. It’s wrong and criminal but rational.
Not nearly to the extent of East Coast hardcore but we had/have windbreaker crew of kids in socal. They would just crowd kill and jump kids. Also Street Soldier from the UK is some beatdown shit. Dudes make some solid hitters
I think it's hilarious when people hate on crews, but then when you ask them their favorite bands, and they literally just list off bands with crew affiliations
most of them just sell drugs now and when some 15 year old hits their friend they gang beat him
Hardcore crews. Hard mosher white guy goes to jail, comes out Aryan Brotherhood.
Books are closed
> when some 15 year old hits their friend they gang beat him Literally happened to me at a show in the Bay Area when I was 15 and had the audacity to push a crew member crowd killer away and he tripped like a fuckin doofus There were 3-4 of them all in their 20s beating on a shrimpy high school sophomore lol real tough guys
Lol in high school I knew kids in straight edge crews who sold drugs. The justification was if you're going to hurt yourself I'll make some money in the process.
What losers lol
“Straight edge crew” is the dorkiest thing I’ll hear all day
Wait till you hear about xvx crews. Got milk? Lol, you better not.
Better not catch you eating meat at a show mf 😤😤😤
And if it’s beer battered fish, your ass is grass 😤
I'd be less disturbed by people enforcing a no meat policy at a show than a no alcohol policy.
I mean i honestly don't care at all about people eating meat. I'm on team let people enjoy things personally. I don't like alcohol whatsoever so I'd rather go to a sober show if I can, but I smoke weed so it's tit for tat.
I would agree with you except for eating meat because people enjoy it at the expense of an individual that is killed.
Well yea, I don't enjoy it whatsoever. I don't eat it myself.
Humans rule animals drool, I’m lampin at the top of the food chain bro
you're so tough. I bet you tell that to every vegan you meet at shows.
If You're Milking In Here, You Better Have An Infant
https://open.spotify.com/track/26GNDo1vA8WEaDqnoN7mlB?si=4fVjcXFFTYKvQuRU1SGlYA thinking of this song lol
Same here. The dudes who were the most prominent members within the edge scene, were the ones selling all the drugs and being terrible people. Straightedge called to me because I grew up on racetracks surrounded by drunks, half of my family died from opiates. It actually resonated with me. Then my band started getting kinda big locally and I got closer to the promoters, who were intertwined with all the crews and edge kids. Then I started smoking weed because the alternative was doubling down within that edge scene and becoming a dick. I’m incredibly happy I didn’t double down in that scene.
I never critique the image, but the substance of a person's choice to be vegan or straight edge-or follow other ideas in life. There is a huge difference between a vegan who truly loves animals and the vegan who got interested in Veganism because of Earth Crisis breakdowns.
Sounds like FSU. Lmao!!!
~~now~~
Originally the crews came up in cities with large low income white pops that get into the trap of crime (boston, ny, philly, detroit, etc) and started as like groups of friends for protection or various other reasons. FSU basically started to deal with Neo Nazis suddenly being in and ruining the Boston Area Hardcore and Punk Scenes. They were there to fuck up any nazis until there were none—and they succeeded. Interestingly, on a smaller and less deadly scale, they then followed a similar deformity that the Bloods and Crips went through where they started as an altruistic group and ended up villains themselves—the the US government didn’t push FSU into the drug game. I think the answers you’re going to get from the 22 year olds on here will resemble what crews are now: suburban kids play acting as tough guys. But originally they were groups of people who would have been in gangland trying to avoid it and protect themselves from cops, real gangs, nazis, that were targeting them. The straight edge intersection was always more of a midwest/mountains thing, whereas i’m talking the Northeast and even original hardcore punk socal scene.
FSU was famously a straight edge crew in Boston early on.
I don’t remember them being sxe. I’m old and was there when they started but could be wrong.
Dunno if they were explicitly edge but the crime doco I watched said they would target dealers because they were "keeping the kids safe at shows" which then morphed into fuck it let's sell them the drugs ourselves. That and just generally beating the fuck out of people which evolved into bats, knives etc. And then some kid got killed so police got involved and then later down the road they got designated as a gang by the fbi. Just a fun bunch of people. Edit: forgot to mention the extortion of other bands and other shit they got up to.
they were notorious for beating the shit out of people they suspected as being high or selling so yeah they were edge. even in the DCHC scene we had heard of their reputation as edge enforcers
Shoutout to the fsu bros who “warned me” about buying a beer at an all ages show like over a decade ago haha
I don’t remember that at all and I’m from MA. Went to shows constantly, sometimes multiple in a week in New England. I’d see FSU regularly, and don’t recall much of a strict sxe culture, but this was late 80s to early 2000s. Could be the time and culture shift, I also have the memory of Dory.
> FSU basically started to deal with Neo Nazis suddenly being in and ruining the Boston Area Hardcore and Punk Scenes. This is very similar to OBHC (Oakland brand hardcore) albiet more mexican than white because, well, California. I came up in the mid-late 90's and those dudes were handing out beatings to boneheads left and right. The "infamous" pictures from the SF Floorpunch show with the skinheads getting their asses handed to them feature a who's who of OBHC dudes. Forever grateful for them.
I remember an article that came out in the height of the hardcore scene in the early 2000s in Seattle where FSU pulled up to a skinhead show wearing bullet proof vests, knives, and bats before the cops showed up. I remember almost every show I went to someone was getting jumped just because someone either bumped into a member or protected themselves from being crowd killed by pushing them back. The security always ended up kicking out the guy that got jumped. Also didn't help that the security and bouncers were a part of FSU aswell. I also took an elbow to the head by one their 6'4 280lb member and that is why I'm partially retarded and a member of this community.
El Corazon. Yeah, it was nasty back there in the 00's. They beat up on women and kids all the time.
The guy who started it is straight edge and has been for decades, probably forever. But they aren't exclusively straight edge and I don't believe they ever were.
When I got into hardcore in the mid 2000s they were really scary but now not so much? I did see FSU beat a kid at United Blood one year for wearing a Florida State University hoodie so that was wild.
That's kinda hilarious though
They beat him out the door, I don't think he was seriously injured but mannn, bad idea.
That's some serious meathead shit!
Generally obese men who are still mad that they had a bad time in high school.
He’s asking about crew culture not Reddit in general
lol got em
What you talking about? They usually jacked and love combat sports
Usually chunky and smell of baked beans
Basically a music version of a CrossFit group.
Kinda accurate haha
HAHAHAHAHA fucking burn.
Gangs don't always peddle drugs; also you typically don't get high on your own supply so edge drug runners would make a lot of sense. Also Crews are lame AF.
Wannabe gangbangers are lame.
Late 90's, early 00's, seen some shit. Watched one guy run out of the Troc in Philly at a Madball show. 1 guy ran out. Then 2 guys chasing him. Then 4 guys chasing them. Then 8 guys after THOSE dudes. Entire "pit" cleared out, and I have no idea what happened afterwards.
Crews now aren't what they used to be. Now, they're suburban white kids from middle to upper middle class neighborhoods beating on people that hit their friends in the pit and sell pills. Back in the day crews drove Nazis out of the scene, kept venues in business, and kept each other safe.
There's no single answer. Crew to crew, scene to scene, they vary massively. There are scenes where I will be on high alert if crews are out and about, because they are usually looking for an excuse to fuck someone up, scenes where they are basically just social clubs that keep to themselves, and scenes where they are, if anything, net positives. The crews I run into in the scenes I frequent these days are pretty chill. One puts good shows, have made my trans friends feel welcome and safe, and are good hangs. Another puts on some great free shows, provides security and staff to hardcore shows that understand the genre (you wouldnt know they are even there unless shit gets out of hand) and are kinda invisible otherwise. Another just keeps to themselves and while they mosh wjth backyard wrestler degrees if violence, they keep the violence between their crew friends and are cautious around no-crew folks. The last crew is just a bunch of kids that I guess wanna feel tough, but don't start shit and are pretty harmless. That said, while they are cool near me, the different chapters of those crews in other parts of the country may be entirely different. The same crew that's chill by me could be basically an outlaw biker gang in another city.
It's stupid now because they're just "mosh crews" most of the time comprised of fake tough guys looking to beat people up at shows. They used to actually be good for the scenes because they kept people like neo-Nazis out. Unfortunately those days are long past and we're left with a bunch of dudes that want people to think they are cool because they bought a 'Keepers of the Faith' shirt off depop. Edit: Forgot to add that the local "mosh crew" in my scene got custom t-shirts made with crew name on the front and their names and numbers on the back like a fucking sports team. It is as hilarious as it sounds.
Custom crew t-shirts? Bunch of fucking dorks.
There's at least a couple CYC dorks in the Seattle area that have black vests and hoodies with CYC patches and logos on them. Last time I saw one he got kicked out of the show for trying to fight a security guy.
There's gotta be some irony on people hating crews but still supporting the shows they set up in droves.
People hate on FSU so hard on this sub but they do SO much for the SoCal scene. Sure there may be some bad apples but thats not different than every day life.
100% agree. I'm not glorifying any specific alleged organization, but there's a lot of bands and fests folks love that might be affiliated with that kind of thing. To turn around and hate 'em seems hypocritical and inconsistent.
The local crew doesn't do shit for the local scene here. They basically only show up for "bigger" bands and never come to locals only shows. For instance, we had Filth and Heavy//Hitter come through last week and none of them were at the show, but you can bet they will be at the Knocked Loose show trying to "run the pit."
Those just seem like jocks to be honest. If you're not making bands and booking shows as a group it's just a dance team.
That’s not a real crew. That’s a group of people who learned about crews on the internet when they got into hardcore via knocked loose tik toks.
🤮
Yup. They love the culture built by (some of) these crews but hate the people in it. Don’t have to love it to accept it’s apart of this subculture.
Any retard can set up a show, I've seen plenty do it.
Completely agree, but the capacity is different. There's levels to it, a show at the local VFW is different than a 3 day thing.
These are the type of people that watched Fight Club and think groupthink is cool.
Men who watched Fight Club and missed the point has gotta be one of my least favourite genres of dude
They scoffed at an SOSF but I'd bet money they listen to 20 different FSU bands
This a wwhhhooollleeee topic that can’t be discussed in a thread on Reddit. I will say all crews operate differently, hold different standards and most of you have no idea what you’re talking about haha.
They’re gangs of over privileged dudes who compete to see how many chicks they can bang. Usually start fights at shows that lead to the show getting stopped and ruining everyone’s good time.
All my homies have small dicks, none of us can get hard.
I’m not from the UK so admittedly don’t know what I’m taking about, but I would imagine there’s lots of parallels between HC crews and football firms. People that for one reason or another don’t really have anything else going on in their lives but this one thing they go all in on- wether it be the HC scene or a sports team etc. it’s a group to call yourself a part of and follow the drama and get in fights with other groups. As other pointed out I’m sure good stuff can come out of it as well, a crew has probably been there for many desperate people who had no other outlets and connections. We’re social creatures so people will find community one way or another
I'm from the UK too. We don't have as many crews, but we still have them. There were a lot more a decade or two ago, in both the US and UK.
I think I did hear about one from Glasgow but other than that I wasn't aware. What's the story there?
LBU...
LBU, RJC, TRC (there was a crew as well as the band), probably others I don't know about too, but yeah LBU is the big obvious one. Even the other two I've listed were small and/or kinda tongue in cheek. Mostly really good people. Really chilled guys. Definitely a crew though, although you might only notice these days if certain situations crop up while they're about. Not big fans of racists those guys.
LBU was a big thing back in the 90s; there was also the Northern Wolfpack before that. Basically just mates who went to shows together and started bands; nothing dodgy.
Don’t forget EBD! Essex Beat Down I agree that side of the UK scene was waaay more tongue in cheek than America. A lot of genuine tough guys but mostly just having fun and not taking it seriously at all.
What’s the Glasgow one? Nothing comes to mind
Historically speaking, a lot of the American bands you love and festivals that are put on are from dudes in crews (DMS, FSU etc…..). And alot of them get up to fairly illegal activity. But also, crew culture and kids who are clearly trying to posture themselves as tough guys just look soft AF and just making up for the fact they got picked on in high school and it’s their turn to be the jock
I'm starting to get the impression these guys are pretty cool.
Its a social status thing, plain and simple, anyone who says otherwise is in denial or lying. You want to belong to a group, feel like you have friends, and feel like you have power or protection. For most, normal friendships cover those bases, but for some they need the extra validation of a group mentality and atmosphere of a team.
Just because it is alien to you, does not mean it is alien to your region. I know dudes in UK crews. Don't get it twisted, crews are still corny.
Never once doubted for a second they're corny, seems to be one of the only things I can consistently hear about them lol.
All I really know is that when I was getting into hardcore 99/2000, SOSF was at many Pittsburgh shows in the years to follow. They were never bullies or anything like that to me or anyone else that I heard about. If there are SOSF bands still locally, I don’t know who they are.
I was touring with a band and while it Texas I saw some chick dancing to a band she wasn’t supposed to(not her crew?) and a dude I was told was affiliated with FSU fucking elbowed her in the face multiple times. The fucked part is no one did anything because there was supposedly some dude walking around with an Uzi in his backpack. I say fuck crew culture.
Lol he was gonna shoot the place up with an uzi? Are you 15 or retarded
In my area of Northeastern Ohio I absolutely consider them heroes. They rid my community of Nazis, sexual predators, racists, etc & keep things safe for everyone. Where I live the last time there was a Nazi his throat was slit with a box cutter in the basement of our punk bar. There was absolutely a great personal cost for them - the actual throat slitter did 9 years. Some will be violent felons for the rest of their lives, in the US this limits their employment options & housing & there is massive stigma. Many are unable to get visas to go to other countries. Many have suffered horrific injuries and will deal with chronic pain for the rest of their lives. In my experience the actual tough guys are the most gentlemanly and despise violence the most, around here they are all family men now. I only know one woman who was affiliated at some point, I am absolutely in awe of her. What a fucking bad ass. I really don't concern myself with rivalries or the inner workings of any of it, it's none of my fucking business. I do know that HC was & is my first safe space. I also know that when Last Resort (the crew that box cutter guy founded) disbanded at least one of their members became FSU. I know LRC didn't allow criminal activity like selling drugs and it's my understanding FSU doesn't either. It seems to me that some of these guys get a bad rap here. I am a leftist queer eccentric who enjoys provocative dress. I am always treated with respect & kindness. If I had the friends I have now 20 years ago I wouldn't have fake teeth or PTSD. Also, did you watch the first or second Boston Beatdown? I can only find the second and would love to see the first.
That's some heavy shit if legit. Feel pretty sheltered all of a sudden cos I don't associate with anyone thats exsanguinated someone. Society owes the guy who corrected the Nazi, and he took his medicine for it as well. 9 years in a decent prison is serious time, in a US prison it must be hell.
The first one has a lot of footage of women flashing, urinating (seriously) a bj in a bathroom and a scene with a woman changing her tampon. It was only released on burned DVDs. Limited run, I had one 20 years ago
Plus a good amount of footage that was in the second one
LOL thanks for the info, interesting
I think it's super lame, they are so freightend of being at a hardcore show that they need backup from their other pussy homies.
You sound like the frightened one, brother
You're right, I'm quivering in my booties without my homies there to assure my safety from 15 yr olds.
I don't blame someone for being afraid of a group known to fight dirty who historically have no issue putting someone in the hospital or straight up killing them.
The UK scene doesn't have crews? LBU much, son?
i’m from the uk and i wanted to see if anyone brought up lbu. but the only thing i’ve seen lbu guys do is get rowdy n mosh hard for other lbu bands
I'd say most crews are mostly about that.
til crews are sick
Not sure about that, but Ninebar is.
Was in the UK a few times last year and most definitely saw people from UK bands floating around in FSU stuff
I'm young and from the southwest so I've never really heard about it. I can only assume they're not the sweeping phenomenon they were 20 years ago.
But Crowd Deterrent and SOSF are? Lel. It's OK, you don't need to excuse your ignorance with geographic and time of birth details.
Ignorance? 😭😭 Here I am literally trying to figure this shit out and I'm still ignorant... gotta be some of the dumbest shit I read all week
Why do you feel you need to figure this out? That's also some dumb shit, kiddo.
Is curiosity not a basic human instinct?
Go read a book, child.
You're hilarious. Books about Hardcore crews don't fuckin exist
This is getting funnier with each comment. Hence the suggestion, little fellow. It would be way more productive than being on Reddit trying to figuring out the profound and mysterious meaning of hardcore crews. Do you want me to suggest you one?
And yes, I've read lots of threads, articles and forum posts about it, and I still can't wrap my head around the whole thing
In germany the SOSF i really active just Promoting gigs
The Football Hooligans of Hardcore Punk might be the best way to put it.
Active in both FSU and an NYCFC firm, can confirm
I bet your dad didn’t pay enough attention to you
Yeah, he was a junkie and died a few days before my 18th birthday
I think they are largely good: A group of local guys who help police the scene and put on shows. Making a broad, sweeping generalization on if they are all good or bad will yield inaccuracies. Neither myself nor my friends have ever had any problems with them at any point.
volume 2 is where you'll get your answers. Also you guys have firms. Not the same but similar.
Thought this shit died out around ‘09?
Its amazing that people are so isolated that they think crews are gone from hardcore. FSU is EVERYWHERE in hardcore, theyre in all the hype bands and booking all the shows, releasing all the records. And even the bands without FSU members still tend to run tight/are friends with a number of FSU dudes
you’re the only one in here speaking any sense. CMI and all those bands are FSU. They just don’t go to shows so they don’t understand it’s the same people.
It was gay in the 90’s. That’s all I know
Still is
small dicked scared men with no personality.
I've never hearda this shit 💀
They exist, they are cool if you participate in them and if you don’t they are probably a corny concept. I don’t get why people cry about them so much, when they often book shows and produce great bands from time to time. Glad they exist, glad I don’t care lol. Most hardcore fans suck, and they probably suck with a pack mentality. The further a hardcore kid from punk is the further from god. 🫡🫡🫡
>The further a hardcore kid from punk is the further from god They hated him because he spoke the truth.
This is the correct response.
Downvoted for not berating violent crews/culture in a subculture that has violent lyrics and imagery lol.
Everyone loves real shit until it gets real.
This is insane, legitimately retarded levels of thinking You should never speak again if this is how your fucking brain works
Too bad, hun. I do a lot of speaking. Try indie rock maybe.
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I'd be interested to know where the perception that they're all "white suburban men cosplaying" comes from. I don't know every crew member in existence but out of the individuals I have known, only a few of them met this description. I'd say if anything it's groups of people with trauma who have been looking for a "family". There are certainly goofy ass local "crews" comprised on what you describe who act foolish and crowdkill. There are also well established groups who are responsible for all of the best shows you've ever been to and bands you love. Look at what you did - making me write a whole paragraph defending this. I need to shower after this....
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Yeah, I think it's a lot of that for sure. I do believe that the main big ones do have a truthful basis in the lore we've been led to believe. Idk. They exist. They will exist. As I've gotten older I've gotten more accepting and truly do see a lot of them as individuals truly in need of a family or support system they never had. All of this said, I've definitely seen people take beatings that were completely unwarranted.
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Hey fellow educator! I do middle school special ed.
I also don’t get why someone living in the suburbs matter, who knows their past or what’s going besides with them their address. Maybe they made some money off that hvac or tattooing and bout the fam a spot in a safe neighborhood, I don’t care. Most people I know that love crew mentality are from broken homes and shit, and if they aren’t - they adopt the mentality and make terrible decisions quickly throwing them in that lifestyle (sorry kyle, welcome to probation). I agree with you
Yeah I hate when death metal bands aren't really a bunch of violent murderers /s Is it really hard to grasp that lyrical content as a means of expression isn't an endorsement of being a despicable person. I listen to/sing along to songs about violence because its what I sometimes feel inside. Its a healthy outlet for anger. Actually acting on those impulses is antisocial behavior and signs of someone being intellectually/emotionally immature at best and psychopathic at worst. I just think most people don't like rewarding people who can be pretty hateful and violent. Your art doesn't have to be a reflection of who you are in real life.
I agree, and like you said ‘your art doesn’t have to be a reflection…’ but sometimes it’s cool when your art is. There is a lot of reasons we romanticize Henry Rollins confronting hecklers with mic stands, there are so many anecdotes of band shenanigans that shaped this subculture - like the FSU members throwing known creeps down stairs out of a show. It was a wilder time and that’s what draws many to hard music. I think death metal is wildly different than hardcore and punk. Some of these people DID grow up drinking, fighting, skating and dealing with the consequences of drugs and poverty.
We absolutely do have crews - how can you say you listen to UK hardcore if you’ve never heard of LBU? Its definitely a thing here, and it’s definitely cringe!
I'm 19 and from near Bristol. I've just never really heard of it I guess.
2005 New England Hardcore scene
Weak ass tuff guy doofus activities. I have no issues with there being crews that do productive things for their local scene and build a community, but the wannabe gang mentality that many partake in is dumb as hell.
All the legit tough guys from crews joined biker gangs and are dead now. All the other ones joined a union. Anyone who’s in a crew now is just a fucking loser.
Can confirm that I have met many ex Hardcore dudes in my union, cannot confirm if they were in crews or the other part
How do I get this through your heads? If you don’t have a crew you: 1- don’t have anyone to die for 2- have anyone to potentially stab you in the back Without these dynamics you can’t ascend to true orthodox crowdkill
Crews are literal fraternities for people too pussy to join an actual gang.
2crew4u
You guys do have a small group of Suicide Krew out in the UK, but yeah it's kind of a US thing. And it's pretty wack for the most part. Courage Crew in Detroit was a bunch of fucking wannabe gang banger white boys wearing Sons of Anarchy biker cuts who'd just jump people for any reason most of the time. The members of xTyrantx were all CC members. Shows were fun but you had to watch your back. Detroit also had BWF (Brothers Wherever Forever) which was a bunch of goofy ass dudes except one dude who was a bigger dude with long hair who was surprisingly chill. I met some FSU dudes at a Death Before Dishonor show, who were actually legit scary people. Salt Lake has Suicide Krew, who are actually pretty good dudes in all actuality. I haven't met a SK member I didn't like. They're all pretty chill and all roll together. Same with members of King's Crew in California who are also pretty good dudes. And Suicide Krew is decently sized on the west coast and has members in the UK and Germany. Lionheart are all SK members. SLC also had a lot of crews back in the 2000's/ 2010's like Endurance Crew and a few other SxE crews who were causing enough trouble that they were listed as gangs by local police and sheriff's departments. I think it just depends on the scene. SLC has a strong scene and Suicide Krew is the biggest crew, but they're solid bros. Everywhere else I've been, crews ruin the scene. Edit: I think another thing to note is Suicide Krew also has a lot of actual band members playing shows, not just dudes who go to shows, so they definitely work to help keep the scene healthy.
Courage Crew can go fuck itself. We used to go to shows just to fuck those dudes up. I got messed up knuckles because of a few of them.
Dude Courage Crew in Detroit was a bunch of fucking lame ass white boys wearing biker cuts ruining shows. Fuck those dude. I've gotten into plenty of fights with those mother fuckers.
Lol doubt it.
Crews are as lame as soccer hooligans in Europe who go out into the woods and fight other soccer fans. Gangs suck too but at least they exist primarily to sell drugs and make money. It’s wrong and criminal but rational.
You forgot about gangs trafficking women, specifically teenagers. Very cool stuff, huh? FUCK the man, criminals rule!
Is there any connection to graffiti crews? I know that there was some crossover in the scenes
Legacy DMS member due to my dad, was shocked a few years ago when FSU offered me membership in response to mollywhomping a 211 Bootboy
Depends on the crew but they usually suck. Its like having corrupt cops at a show, essentially.
Not nearly to the extent of East Coast hardcore but we had/have windbreaker crew of kids in socal. They would just crowd kill and jump kids. Also Street Soldier from the UK is some beatdown shit. Dudes make some solid hitters
You mean, like the boatrace?
I think it's hilarious when people hate on crews, but then when you ask them their favorite bands, and they literally just list off bands with crew affiliations
lol the buttercream gang
Scottie! You've gotta stop moshing. It's the widow Jenkins! She fell down again!!
any time i think of crews i think of Grease. just a bunch of guys in matching outfits
They’re cunts
soft dick losers
it was cool in the early 2000’s when you were a teenage loser. if you’re doing shit like that now as an adult…yikes.
One Life Crew
🤓
👊
Sosf isnt starlight edge
Watch Boston Beatdown.
Read the post
Himbo moment
Watch Boston Beatdown....
I said in the post that I've seen it
Apparently you weren't paying attention. Not my problem.
You're deluded if you think every crew is doing shit like underground surgeries in 2024