Last week I traveled with my good friend and fellow photographer, Audie, to the Canal Club in Richmond to see Defeater and La Dispute. It was my first hardcore show in quite a while because it's not a genre I normally keep up with.
It was my first time at the Canal Club and I want to go back often. It has a very historic feel to it. If you've never been before, you feel like you're going to a secret location. The space is pretty big looking to hold a couple hundred people tightly. The speaker stacks flank the stage looking large and menacing, no fancy ceiling fly mount JBL rigs here. Don't get my wrong, they still sound great.
The show was a nonstop melt your face rock out force. The breakout act of the night for me was Native http://native.bandcamp.com/. They came on and really commanded the stage with their custom stage lights that flooded them in a bright white light in time with the guitar swells. The screaming that normally goes with hardcore music was set against really complex guitar harmonies which I was not expecting. You should really check them out.
I didn't get that many great photos because I was too busy bouncing around the crowd and enjoying the music. Bringing the camera to my eye was hard because I just wanted to thrash about. There were also 4 or 5 other photographers there, so I'm confident that the night was well documented. I love meeting other photographers at shows because each person has such a unique view on the same event. Check out http://www.jennharringtonphotography.com and http://www.brandonhambright.com two regulars in the RVA music scene.
When I did shoot, I tried to focus on the kids. Their energy was the real show. Each chorus would be met with a surge of people rushing the stage to contribute their part into the microphone. These kids know the music, they love the lyrics, and they believe in the message of the song. It's such a great thing to see happen, and I suspect that's why these bands perform and work their ass off night after night.
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