Hardcore in the Garden of England





Long gone are the days of Hardcore legends such as the Gallows, Bane and Have Heart gracing the sweaty stage of the Stripes Club in Folkestone. Or perhaps you were there when Bracewar visited the Chantry Club in Canterbury in 2011. Remember when Hevy Fest came to Kent each year? Bringing the likes of Madball, H20 and Stick To Your Guns to our yard. Great memories, but ultimately, no one cares anymore. What is happening now in Kent? Is Hardcore alive and well? What about the local scene, local bands and people cultivating a movement at the grassroots level?

For years, I've heard extensive chat from folk stating the need to re-ignite a 'scene' in Kent and how they plan to start putting on shows in their town. The reality is it's very often all talk, no action. As usual, nothing ever came to fruition. However, since the world opened back up after the shit storm that was the coronavirus —there seemed to be a stirring in Southeast England. Local bands have emerged from the abyss, and local Hardcore shows are popping up more regularly in the long-forgotten garden of England. Maidstone appears to be a fertile breeding ground for Hardcore in 2023. A highly active scene in Kent's capital city run by Blood-Soaked Style has emerged. Bands like Freeze, Mindless, Convulsion, Recoil and Wolfs Blood are but a few noteworthy local bands.

The place to be is the Style and Winch pub. An unassuming old school boozer a stone's throw from Maidstone town centre. Recently, the pub's back room has hosted heavyweights from the UK punk and hardcore scene like Clobber and Chubby and The Gang, to name a few. The holy city of Canterbury also hosts a developing landscape of live bands. A collective of local heads who go under Savage Wolf Records has brought bands such as Ill Vision, Electric Cowboy Club and Sentience to the city. Likewise, Folkestone is a town that has played host to many legendary Hardcore bands over the years. Growing up in the town 15/20 years ago, I remember attending weekly shows. At least, that's what it felt like. Possibly, I am guilty of looking at my teenage years through rose-tinted glasses. Between The Stripes Club, Lanterns, The Harp Club and The Leas Cliff Hall, we had plenty to quench our teenage thirst for heavy, aggressive music. However, that seemed to die out as we entered the twenty-tens for the longest time. Venues shut down, kids grew up and started going to raves or listening to indie bands, Hardcore wasn't cool anymore, and no one wanted to put on shows cause no one was going. Change is in the air. Folkestone seems to be back on board, hosting an increasing number of Hardcore shows recently. Now that Folkestone boasts the biggest skatepark in Europe, a space that can host live music, a skatepark is a natural environment for Hardcore music to thrive. Courtesy of Pitcam Promotions, the skatepark has already hosted LDN heavyweights Tempers Fray and Brighton's up-and-coming bruisers No Relief.

Pitcam will bring a lineup of primarily local Hardcore to the skatepark soon. Headliners Sentience will be joined by Maidstone's Convulsion and Wolfs Blood and Canterbury Wastemen, The Half-Wits. It's only seven quid, what you saying? See you there! Maybe. If you can tear yourself away from Netflix for the evening.

Long live Kent Hardcore. Unfortunately, various ugly things thrive and grow in the Garden of England. Nevertheless, we're here to focus on positive shit happening. Who would have thought that a band from Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States, called Turnstile could impact little old Kent? One could certainly argue that the impact of their rise to the top has filtered down to many grassroots Hardcore scenes worldwide. Now is the time that the weirdos, outcasts and headbangers of the Arse of England have a place to thrive and multiply. Get on board and support your scene.

Recent Kent Hardcore releases to check out:

Convulsion (Maidstone)- You Falter. You Fail. You Fall

Mindless (Maidstone)- Cast Your Vote

Freeze (Maidstone)- Bitter Cold

Wolfsblood (Maidstone)- Demo

The Half-Wits (Canterbury)- Wolfpack

Sentience (Folkestone)- It's All Turned To Ash