It’s been a while since I’ve been to a hardcore show, so I was pretty excited to see these bands. But because of my naiveté, I neglected to mentally prepare myself for the blazing guitars, copious amounts of screaming and the hyper hardcore kids.

I usually miss the opening band of a show, so in an effort to better myself, I decided to venture into uncharted territory and get there as doors opened. I got to the CCC ridiculously early, only to find myself amongst super keen hardcore fans of all ages, just itching to get in.

Despite my previous efforts, I still managed to miss the first band of the night, The Reason. It was not in vain though, for I had managed to schedule an interview with the guitarist from Comeback Kid as the last minute.

By the time the interview was over, Winnipeg’s Comeback Kid hit the stage. Canada’s hardcore darlings played a high-energy set, doing songs from their previous release, Turn it Around, and their album on Smallman Records, Wake the Dead. The whole band put on a really good show, but by the end, I was convinced that the people controlling the sound were deaf. Or maybe the facilities just really sucked. Either way, the horrendous sound levels disappointed both my ears and me.

Boston’s Bane were the next to take the stage. In the midst of becoming hardcore legends themselves, Bane truly exemplifies a real hardcore band. In between their songs, their lead singer would shout inspirational pearls of wisdom at the audience about deciding their own destiny, being true to themselves, and other well-phrased self-help lines. Be glad if you saw them perform, for the word on the street is that their latest release, The Note, is going to be their last.

Strung Out has been around for over a decade. How are they still making music? After 10 years of hardcore, I assumed that their vocal chords would have been hopelessly mutilated and rendered useless. I was most impressed by their lead singer’s ability to instantaneously switch between singing very well and screaming. I liked how they all wore matching t-shirts with the logo from their album Exile in Oblivion, but I’m pretty sure the crowd didn’t need any reminders of what band they were watching.

By the time it was over, I was happy to have attended this show, for it may very well have been the last time Bane would play in Vancouver. I left that night a little more inspired, and a little less able to hear.