Packed with first-hand stories and unpolished nuggets; ‘A Hardcore Heart: Adventures in a D.I.Y. scene’ by David Gamage (Earth Island Books) plots a path through UKHC in the ‘90s as it developed into an underground scene. Focusing on the people; artists, promoters, venues, record labels and fanzines, and following the evolution of the author’s bands, it looks at the intricacies of the post-punk genre and bursts with ‘straight from the horse’s mouth’ hardcore anecdotes that’ll keep you turning the pages. With hopes of getting to know David better, we (Idioteq) asked him some questions about the book, his creative process, and UK hardcore scene, both back in the 90s and its modern state.
Check out the interview here: https://idioteq.com/a-hardcore-heart-adventures-in-a-d-i-y-scene-behind-the-scenes-of-the-new-book-by-david-gamage/
In the book, you’ll read about touring and gigs with hundreds of bands, including Green Day, NOFX, Alice Donut, Jailcell Recipes, The BBMFs, Majority of One, Spermbirds, The Babies Three, Understand, Samiam, Down By Law, Alloy, Hot Water Music, Bob Tilton, Tribute, Discount, Blue Tip, Leiah, Leatherface, Spy Versus Spy, Hunter Gatherer, Dismemberment Plan, Burning Airlines, Piebald and many more.
If you were ever in a band, then you’ll recognise and empathise with much of the narrative. And if you’ve wondered what it would be like to tour and release records at the underdog end of the alternative music scene, then this book will take you on an invigorating and enlightening roller-coaster ride.
Ian Glasper, author of ‘The Scene That Would Not Die’ says: “‘A Hardcore Heart’ is an invigorating time capsule, of a period before Instagram, Facebook and MySpace, even before mobile phones, sat navs and Google Maps. It wasn’t easy (nothing worth doing ever is) but we somehow made things happen; we stubbornly battered our dreams into reality and bullishly ignored anyone that told us it couldn’t be done. It was a truly inspirational time, when it seemed anything was possible, and a two-bit hardcore band (and I use that term endearingly, because that’s what we all were, in the grand scheme of things) from a leafy town in Kent could share stages and records with the best the world’s hardcore punk scene had to offer.”
"Although there are a few books about punk in the UK there is actually very little about the later hardcore scene and how it developed. I wanted to help rectify that. Although this was a project that started out for me and my friends it has developed much more broadly now and has hopefully become quite a readable document. The book looks at the minutae of the scene and the truth of it. It is a rare first-hand account. I would hope there is some obvious benefit from that. I would also be very glad to help shed some light on some of the lesser-known bands too."
You can pick up a copy of 'A Hardcore Heart' now from Earth Island Books. The first edition limited printing is 662 pages with colour images and ships with CDs too.