Flatspot Records + Sound and Fury Tore Up LA at 1720

Posted by Corinne Westbrook in Culture on July 27, 2023

The raucous pre-party and hardcore label showcase featured wild sets from ZULU, Regulate, Section H8, END IT, Raw Brigade and more.

Feet and fists flew at the Flatspot Wold LA show at 1720 in Los Angeles last night. Featuring Los Angeles hardcore heavy hitters Zulu, Regulate, Section H8, END IT, Raw Brigade, and A.N.T.I, the Flatspot Records showcase was the perfect leadup to spin-kick city otherwise known as Sound & Fury. Within the realm of hardcore, there’s an inescapable energy that is permeating throughout the entire heavy scene. At the show band shirts from Hatebreed to Entombed AD to Public Enemy and everything in between. Hardcore’s inclusive yet pissed off attitude brings people together from all walks.

From the very beginning, the middle of the floor was wide open, a harbinger of the ass kicking that was about to take place. Kicking things off was A.N.T.I, or All Negative Thoughts Inside. After the split of Law of Power, 4 of the 5 members formed A.N.T.I to depict the darker side of LA, call out the endless stream of propaganda and how it impacts our society. The band made the most of their 15 minutes on stage, with the crowd immediately throwing hands in the pit.

Raw Brigade out of Bogota, Colombia is exactly as their name sounds, raw and nasty. Heavily influenced by the NYHC scene, the stage diving was non-stop during their set. Despite the overall violence, the crowd was quick to pick everyone up. Members of Raw Brigade could be seen in the crowd after their set, stage diving along with the rest of us.

Baltimore’s End It, are flying the flag of in-your-face hardcore music that is fast, abrasive, danceable and heavy as fuck. But it is mainly their authenticity that makes them stand out from the pack. The band brings endless energy to their live set and it is infectious and, naturally, bodies continued to fly.

Section H8, known for absolutely ballsy guerilla punk shows in Los Angeles, are the embodiment of what LAHC is all about. No rules, no laws, no bullshit. Just embrace the chaos and get wrecked in the process. Section H8 brought their unwavering authenticity, rawness, and passion to the stage, while making sure everyone had a blast.

NYHC affront Regulate are a fiery band, with lyrics that are not only chantable, but so chantable because of how relatable they are. Regulate have been around for awhile, but as hardcore rises and becomes ever more encompassing, so do all the bands in the genre. They combine the two sides of hardcore to perfection: spitting messages about political and cultural topics, and simply having fun and diving off the stage.

Headliners Zulu wrapped the evening with a simply utopian performance. This band, upon first listen may seem angry, but the overall messages of fun and positivity are inescapable. Zulu was the perfect band to round off this evening as the whole night that is what it was all about, expressing our anger and frustration while also lifting each other up and making sure everyone had a blast. Aggressive blast beats abruptly switch to slower, sludgy grooves, hip-hop is embraced fully, and the guttural vocals would make even the most die hard death metaller proud. Zulu is the perfect convergence of all of the elements of “heavy” and whoever comes into this scene will have a home at a Zulu show.

Sound & Fury and Flatspot Records clearly know what they are doing when it comes to putting on a show. Once the show began, we were no longer in the real world, but in a world of controlled chaos, catharsis, and, quite honestly, healing. And that’s what hardcore is, a place for the misfits, the angry, the ones who feel misunderstood who need to scream and be heard. Whether they were screaming into the mic with the bands, or screaming with their neighbor, flying through the air, or kicking in the pit, they were all doing it together.

Sound & Fury kicks off this weekend, July 29th and 30th, at Exposition Park in Los Angeles.

Passes are available – HERE

See the comprehensive gallery of photos below from Alex Yllescas.