by
You are Hardcore aren't you? Dammit, get with the program before someone kicks you ass. Part 2 of the Hardcore festival guide awaits.
What did we have in Part 1 eh? Which Festivals to Attend, Camping and Which Bands To See, now what?
Hardcore Image
The first thing people will see is how you look. You're Hardcore? You have to look the part, clothes, kit, just, y'know, style. The festival is the perfect place to do this, be the Hardcore and look like the Hardcore. You can't fake it, you've got to be it, feel it. Feel it like this.
Head to foot, you've got to look Hardcore. Boots, you need them. This is a festival, mud, rubbish, vomit... Hippies even! Last thing you want is to treat any of those with care... big boots of the black variety, not too Goth, mind. Practicality and style are what makes kick-ass boots Hardcore - think army, Magnum Elite, think special forces. Style is war.
Trousers - you're a soldier, you're tough, you're wearing combats, camouflage, army issue, no logos, lots of pockets. Bootcut black jeans or leather, leather with big patches, oh my... And a belt. No low slung baggy trousers for you, Hardcore one, oh no; big, black, with studs. Make the buckle say who you are, make it say HARDCORE.
Shirt you say? If it must be of a band make it (naturally) a Hardcore one. The issue of selling out comes up here however as the more unknown a band is the better in this case. Remember, the name/picture on your shirt is everything, even if people don't know who the band are, the image they get must be Hardcore. The! Lights! Alive!? Pistol Grip? Most won't have heard of them, never mind heard them, but that doesn't matter, their names are it, they're now, they're Hardcore. Alternativly wear a t-shirt of your favourite Hardcore armed oppression group, think the IDF, think the Spetznatz. If in doubt remember, a t-shirt with a gun, tank or explosion on it is always Hardcore. Always.
Where are we up to? The head, yeah, that works I guess. Sunglasses; the sun is the enemy of all life, we have lightbulbs and cigarette lighters to replace that thing, plus the Hardcore always look better in the dark, face it. Double Hardcore points for wearing sunglasses in the dark or indoors, 4x points if it's both.
A hat: you're going to need one to combat our enemy the sun. Heatstroke turns you into a wuss. Note how the Hippy is docile and dozy; the sun will make you like that. RESIST! For headwear think every war film you've ever seen - although a cap will work if it conforms to the above t-shirt guide. Some kind of desert head/face rag is very useful, especially when the riots kick off and you feel the need for a little Hardcore anonymity or the look of one who knows where it's at.
Jewellery? Again a mixture of style and practicality, wrist cuff spikes are good, useful in a moshpit to clear some space (remember to wash the blood off afterwards). Necklaces and rings are good, avoid gold, we're not about the bling bling here, we're Hardcore. Silver's where it's at. Badges as well, make 'em good. Hardcore bands, confrontational phrases, images of a Hardcore nature, it's all good.. not too many though, you're not a Kerrang Kid now are you? Smoking's also potentially good, only to be used by the experienced however, do it wrong and you look like an idiot, cheap foreign cigarettes are your best bet. Warning: smoking can seriously damage your cool, do it Hardcore or not at all.
Anything else in the style section? Yes, a jacket. If it's going to rain, then what? If you need something to look even more Hardcore in, then what? The jacket, that's what. Think about it, Hardcore isn't about following the trends, Hardcore is eternal. A jacket in denim only if really tattered and worn, not pre-bleatched, not pre-torn, it has to look like it's yours, it has to be as alive as you are. YOU ARE NOT A HIPPY, you're not in it for the dirt, you're in it for the Hardcore leather jacket but only if it's good. Not a crappy 50 quid thing, not a goth wannabe bit of cheap PVC, no, a real coat, one as harsh as you are, get the picture? Cammo/army style also works well, I mean duh.
Style then. This will be a festival full of people. You're not here to fit in, to dress down, to just be about the music, no, you've got to make a statment, you've got to tell everyone you're Hardcore, they have to know (and learn!). You choose your own clothes, you're not a Hippy sheep in crappy 'fair trade' wool and rope clothes, you're not a Kerrang Kid in this month's black hoodie and baggy jeans, you're Hardcore. You're going to be a mixture of greens and blacks, you're going to be kitted up to defend against the stares of others, against the sun of the day, against the cold, rain and riots of the night, you're going to be Hardcore.
And no, the necklace stage times guide thing does not look like a backstage pass to other people, get over it.
Where next? What else Hardcore needs to be placed in this, The Hardcore Festival Guide?
More soon.
