by Fred Pessaro

Mike Judge and Porcell with Judge at Webster Hall last night (via xfaceupx)

Twenty-three years after breaking up, legendary New York hardcore crew Judge took to the stage to a packed house at Webster Hall last night. The show was their second of two dates at the venue (May 18 & 19), both as part of Black & Blue Bowl with support coming from Breakdown on one night and Madball on the other, with other names like Kill Your Idols, Bane, Black Train Jack, Crown of Thornz and more across the two days. Check out some video of Judge from Webster Hall below, including almost all of their 5/18 set and a rendition of "New York Crew" featuring CIV and Toby Morse of H20.

If you missed Judge, Kill Your Idols, Bane or Black Train Jack, you're in luck. All three, as well as names like Cold World, Trapped Under Ice (last show), Sick of it All, Modern Life is War, Paint it Black, Kid Dynamite and Suburban Scum will play This is Hardcore 2013 in Philadelphia in August. Updated lineup is below and tickets are on sale in different incarnations.

In other NYHC news, in addition to his ongoing Lower East Side walking tours, John Joseph of Cro-Mags will lead a pair of appearances titled "Evolution of a Cro-Magnon - an evening of Reflection, Tragedy and Triumph" to discuss his his life and book. Tickets for both July 10 and 11 at the Krain Theater (85 East 4th St in Manhattan), are still available. Cro-Mags also have a whopper of a show set for Chicago.

Judge videos and This is Hardcore Lineup are below.

Continue reading "Judge reunited at Black & Blue Bowl (video), added to This is Hardcore in Philly with Kill Your Idols & more (line-up)"

Paul of Kill Your Idols/Deathcycle/Black Anvil at Acheron (more by Rebecca Reed)

After releasing the full lineup for Black & Blue Bowl with Judge and immediately selling out, a second Judge show was announced for May 19th that featured many bands in the TBA column. Now those holes have been filled via a video trailer for the fest. Look for appearances from Kill Your Idols (!), Crown of Thornz, Indecision, Overthrow (LIHC), Bitter End, Strength Approach, Blind Justice and Coldside. Tickets are on sale online, or in person at Generation Records, NYHC Tattoo and Lotus Tattoo.

Check out the video trailer below.

Continue reading "Kill Your Idols announced as part of Black & Blue 2013"

After selling out immediately and hearing the roar of outrage at not being able to get tickets, thankfully there will be quiet. Reunited NYHC greats Judge have added a second show at Webster Hall on May 19, this time with Madball, Crown of Thornz, Strength Approach, Coldside and more TBA. Tickets go on sale Friday (3/1) at 10 AM at Webster Hall or Pitchfork NY, with additional tickets available at NYHC Tattoos, Generation and Lotus Tattoo.

As discussed, Judge's first show is now sold-out but includes names like Breakdown, Bane, Altercation and more.

Put the rumors and gossiping to rest, the BNB Takeover proudly announced the complete line-up for this year's Black N Blue Bowl which will feature a highly anticipated reunion from JUDGE. A complete list of announced bands and details are as follows;

Check out the full lineup below...

Continue reading "Full Black N Blue Ball 2013 hardcore lineup announced (JUDGE included)"

Judge back in the day

Hardcore fest Black and Blue Bowl is returning to NYC this year on May 18 on Webster Hall. Today East Village Radio announced the lineup on the live stream of their mobile/web-cast, and the headlining set will be a reunion from NYHC legends Judge (!), who were formed by members of Youth of Today in 1987 and broke up in 1991. Stay tuned for the rest of the lineup and ticket information. UPDATE: Full lineup announced.

A classic live video below..

Continue reading "NYHC vets Judge reuniting to headline Black and Blue Bowl!"

Luke Abbey

Attention hardcore nerds and completists:

Hi Folks,
My name is Luke Abbey and I'm the drummer for the band Gorilla Biscuits. Recently, while we were playing in Chicago at the Revelation Records 25th anniversary show, I tore my biceps tendon. I'd already had a number of shoulder and arm injuries I'd been trying to manage on my own, but during our second song it finally gave out and completely snapped, forcing me to go in for surgery the following week. I underwent several repairs and am now embarking on a lengthy rehabilitation process while also facing considerable expenses.

Luke Abbey (Warzone, Judge, Gorilla Biscuits & more) is auctioning some impressive classic New York Hardcore from his collection, including 7"s by Side by Side, Slapshot, Underdog, Warzone, much sought-after compilations, rare shirts by Judge, Uniform Choice, and more. Head to Double Cross XX for more details and to his eBay account to place bids.

Best of luck and godspeed to Luke Abbey, though I'm guessing he won't need too much of it judging by his bounty.

photos by Helena Van Leirsberghe & Jeff "STRESS" Davis

Gorilla Biscuits needs little in the way of introduction for fans of hardcore. When they were ready, a pair of horn players came out and played the intro to "New Direction." This was an awesome touch, definitely better than playing a sample. After the intro, as the first few guitar notes to the song rang out, pandemonium exploded on the dance floor. In addition to "New Direction," the Biscuits played a wide selection of their most popular songs including "Standstill," "Good Intentions," "Sitting Round At Home," "High Hopes," and "Cats and Dogs," among others. They also managed to find time for two covers: "Do Something" by CIV and "New York Crew" by Judge. Anthony Civarelli partly dedicated the song to Mike Judge, who was in the audience, but Mike declined to perform the song with the band, much to everyone's disappointment.

Watching Gorilla Biscuits play, you'd swear it was 1991, not 2011. Every song sounded great, and the whole band was full of energy. For their last song, "Start Today," Civ invited the audience on stage to sing along: "There is no barricade here. There are no bouncers here. Trying to control something that should not be controlled is impossible. That is what this is about. You cannot control a tiger in the jungle. You cannot control gorillas in the jungle. We are the animals here. This is our jungle, so for the next two minutes, the stage is yours, the floor is yours, act like the fuckin' animals you are."

The audience took his words to heart, and quickly swarmed the stage, nearly overwhelming the band. They played on, as people crowded around them and flew over their heads. Surrounded on all sides, Civ relinquished the mic to the audience. Walter, who abandoned his guitar, climbed on top of the drum set with his microphone to play the harmonica part, and sing the final chorus with the audience." [Verbicide]

Gorilla Biscuits headlined the Black & Blue Bowl back on May 28th at Webster Hall. We'll have more pictures of the whole show coming soon, but for now check out more pictures, videos and the setlist from the reunited hardcore band's set (confirming much of what is written above), below...

Continue reading "Gorilla Biscuits @ the Black & Blue Bowl (pics, video & setlist)"