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Black N Blue Bowl 2010 review

posted by: David on 2 June 2010

Howie Abrams wrote a review about the Black N Blue Bowl 2010 (formerly known as Superbowl of Hardcore). The line-up of this edition was absolutely amazing, so check out the review!

BLACK N BLUE BOWL
MAY 15, 2010 – WEBSTER HALL NYC

Cro-Mags, Madball, Yuppicide, H2O, Skarhead, Super Touch, Trapped Under Ice, Wisdom in Chains, Cruel Hand, Sand, H8 Inc., Incendiary

It may have been re-named Webster Hall in 1992, but to many of the elder statespeople in the NYC Hardcore army, it’s still The Ritz. The historic venue that hosted all of our favorite shows, from the Bad Brains to G.B.H., Suicidal Tendencies and the Dead Kennedys, to Agnostic Front and Murphy’s Law… Shit - even Madonna, Prince and KISS graced its stage (not all together of course). Well, on May 15th, for 9 sweat-drenched hours, this revered locale in the East Village hosted the 6th annual Black N Blue Bowl.

Picking up where the old Superbowl of Hardcore events left off, the BNB Bowl, put together by Madball front-man Freddy Cricien and man-about-the-scene Cuzn Joe, made its first appearance in New York City proper since planting itself in Brooklyn for the last few. The 2000 or so ragers who passed through the doors brought their A-game, equally so for those entering Webster’s hallowed halls for the first time, as well as the NYHC veterans who brought their sense of nostalgia along to re-live the days of yore.

The soundtrack for those who arrived early (2:00 PM doors) featured spirited sets by Long Island’s Incendiary, Detroit’s H8 Inc., Maine’s Cruel Hand and the exceptionally strong Japanese outfit Sand, who traveled across the Pacific to slay the place as part of their brief East Coast tour. Things definitely started to heat up as 2 of the movement’s brightest new(er) jacks, Trapped Under Ice and Wisdom in Chains, attacked the kids with their unique flavors of modern-day hardcore. WIC’s Mad Joe dominates your attention with his massive presence and the band kept the floor stirring with their interesting blend of crushing hardcore and pub-soaked Oi, especially during the crowd favorite “Back to the Ocean.” Damn – that song is catchy!

Around 6:00, the old guard began to let ‘em know how things were supposed to go down. “Surprise special guests” Super Touch took to the spacious stage and wasted no time in bringing it back to the time when Revelation Records ruled the planet with their classic “Searchin’ for the Light.” ST’s hard, yet melodic vibrations have stood the test of time better than many of their supposed peers and Mark Ryan’s subtle aura kept the room engaged throughout their powerful albeit brief comeback performance.

Next up was NY’s favorite thug-core menace Skarhead with the show’s first truly BIG set. Lord Ezec’s longtime sidekick and former District 9 focal point Puerto Rican Myke returned to his side and together they simply murdered. The heavily tattooed, bandana flagging segment of the throng ate it up. Bassist Mike the Gook is easily one of the most entertaining people to watch on stage, ex-Madball skinsman Riggs held down his end of the rhythm section in true TCOB fashion and the guest vocal from Leeway’s Eddie Sutton was an unexpected (get it?) highlight.

If Skarhead’s set was BIG, H2O’s was HUGE! It’s hard to believe how long they’ve actually been doing their thing. Seems like only yesterday I was watching them for the umpteenth time, kicking a one-song set of “My Love is Real” in whatever show slot they could get, but that was a loooong time ago. H20 has earned their position as one of NYHC’s elite bands. Today, every song in their arsenal, from “Family Tree,” to “Faster Than the World” to “Thicker Than Water” was accompanied by the voice of nearly every person in the room and a swirling pit. Without sounding too cornball, the manner in which crowds react to “5 Year Plan” gives me chills every time.

Yuppicide, playing their first show in nearly 13 years, had the nearly impossible task of following the whirlwind energy of H20 and unfortunately Jesse and co. struggled to capture the attention of the large contingent of new schoolers in the building. Their set was solid, but they just seemed a bit out of place on this bill.

Shortly after 9:00, it was the mighty Madball’s time to own the joint and own it they did. There’s a violence to Madball that’s difficult to put into words…and I mean that in the best possible way. For me, hardcore is truly HARDCORE when it’s dangerous and relentless and even painful. Madball have been the undisputed kings of street-level realness since they became a “real band” with their debut Set it Off in 1994 and have yet to let go. They showed and proved once again why they are not only one of the most brutal bands on the planet, but one of the finest international ambassadors the hardcore scene has ever known. Can’t stop, won’t stop!

And finally (cue the A Clockwork Orange music), without question one of the greatest bands in the storied history of the greatest city in the world, the Cro-Mags! I know, I know… Long gone are Harley, Parris and Doug, but John Joseph and Mackie clearly deserve to represent the Mags’ name and to say Craig Setari and A.J. Novello haven’t at the very least earned the NYHC blessing to wear the badge for a while is ludicrous. Well into his 40’s, the tornado that is John Joseph simply owns his domain and little else matters. Oh yeah – every classic Cro-Mags anthem exploded from the Ritz…I mean Webster Hall stage. The kids patrolled the dance floor and invaded the stage like ants on a ½ eaten chocolate (carob?) bar, completely oblivious to the fact that they’d been there for longer than most people’s work day. “World Peace,” “Malfunction,” “Survival of the Streets,” “Don’t Tread on Me…” With each classic came a classic NYC reaction. That said, as with most Cro-Mags throwdowns, it seems like the crowd showed up for the sole purpose of screaming 3 things at the top of their lungs so that the entire world would take notice… ”Cro-Mags!” “Skinhead!” “Breakout!”

Much respect to the Black N Blue massive for another action-packed, well-run, schism-free event. Till next year…

Review by Howie Abrams.
Pictures by Helena BxL.