FOREWORD I have a terrible memory. It’s pretty frustrating at times. Like when my brother is talking about things we did when we were young and I have no recollection at all. Sometimes I start watching a movie and a half hour in I am like, “aw man, I’ve seen this already.” Strangely though, all the records and shows I have experienced in my youth are stuck deep in my mind. You can put on a record I haven’t heard in 25 years and instinctually I sing along to every word. I can tell you that the drummer of Chain of Strength has a Georgetown Hoyas t-shirt on their “True Till Death” 7-inch. I clearly recall that live photo on the inside of Murphy’s Law “Back With The Bong” - the whole band jumping on stage, including the drummer and Todd Youth with that crazy white double guitar. Take the record jacket of the Where The Wild Things Are compilation, on the front Killing Time’s on stage with the singer jumping in the crowd, and Pete and Lou from Sick Of It All up front in the pit singing along. Turn it over and find what may be the coolest and realest hc photo I’ve ever seen. Paul Bearer laying on his back on stage. Dirt, scars, tattoos and sweat all captured in a single photo in a way that makes you understand Sheer Terror without any words or sounds. These photos make you feel, inject energy and life into you, and they shows us exactly what hardcore is and will forever be. The photos, lyrics, thank you lists, and cover art of the records that raised me are etched inside me forever. They have shaped me and molded me. They are the blueprint for the thing that has taken me around the world, and given me amazing friends and experiences I am so thankful for. The first tattoo I ever got of course was hardcore related. I bet anyone that knows me could have easily guessed that. Four simple words across my arm: ALONE IN A CROWD, words that will be with me for the rest of my life and describe how I feel almost everywhere I am, no matter who I am around - unless I am at a hardcore show.
Scott Vogel
It is too much to say hardcore saved my life: without it I would probably just have a normal 9 to 5 job in a dull town in The Netherlands living a “normal” life. But that is not what the hardcore gods decided for me. 1994 was the year I first got in contact with hardcore punk. My brother started listening to loud music and I liked what i heard. For my birthday he gave me Biohazard “State Of The World Address” and Madball “Set It Off” and it did Set It Off for me. While listening I was looking at the artwork and the pictures and saw how crazy and full of energy the live shows were (there was no YouTube back then) and all I wanted was to see that for myself and be part of it. After seeing Downset as my first hardcore band at the Willem II, the CBGB’s of The Netherlands, I was hooked for life. Passion, power and energy from the band and the crowd; all I wanted was more and more. Since then I have been to every show I could, and started a band as soon as possible. That choice changed and deranged my life in ways I couldn’t imagine back then, but for me there was and still is No Turning Back. More than 20 years after hearing my first hardcore punk songs I’m part of the history of this underground movement, traveling the world to spread the hardcore gospel. Playing for people whose life really got saved by hardcore and inspiring them to Never Give Up and to grow Stronger and not letting troubles keep you down. Now my band is the one shown on the artwork and on the pictures of crazy live shows full of passion for hardcore and an almost limitless energy. Pictures made by many who dedicate their time and effort to capture the perfect moment that shows that power and energy of a band that made me curious about hardcore punk in 1994. Michelle Olaya has been making pictures since 2007 and she shot a lot of No Turning Back shows. I’m proud to be part of this book and I hope the story she tells in her pictures will inspire others to take the same path as I took.
MARTIJN VAN DEN HEUVEL
INTRO, BUST! I have been taking pictures of bands since 1998 when I started to attend shows in my hometown Guayaquil, Ecuador. I always used to take with me a compact camera and a couple of film rolls. With one hand doing ponting-fingers and with the other hand shooting photos of those local punk bands, trying to catch the moment of euphoria while singing-along the songs that made me feel alive with every word of their lyrics. This book you have now in your hands, it’s a project which I have worked during the last 5 years. I decided to start this project as way to show my love for hc and punk music, tattoos and photography. What you are going to see is the SIDE A - THE BLOOD, a compilation of photos of several hc and punk kids and their tattoos related with bands. Having in our skin some lyrics of our favourite songs, the logo of that band which made us fall in love of this scene, whatever that make us feel something with that band and the music, we want to keep it forever reflected on our skin. SIDE B - THE SWEAT gathers some of my favorite photographs from thousand I have shot since 2007 as ‘XMDMXHCX PHOTOS’ at almost every concert that I have attended in several European cities. I love to capture and spread all that emotion and energy that blast at shows through all my photographs. I am so glad and grateful for what I have achieved as a hc-punk kid and as photographer in this scene. When you see something that you do being printed in any format, it is an amazing feeling, and mainly if it’s thanks to something you love like hc-punk music, and this book is a proof of that. Once I read that the Native Indians from the American Continent used to refuse being photographed by the foreigners because they used to think that “the camera can steal your soul” and it gets trapped on the photograph, and in some way I agree and I like to think that too: the soul, as well as, the blood and the sweat we give at every show can be trapped in every photo taken, and making them to last forever. Michelle Olaya
Wether it was Raybeez and Roger or Jacob and Toby, many of us associated the hardcore scene with tattoos. The image of hardcore made art a message and brought an association that says I’m different, I am not part of normal society. When in the normal world we had tattoos to recognize our sisters and brothers. Tattoos carried the lyrics of hardcore to the mainstream. You can’t help but read Justin Brennan lyrics “For Those I love I will Sacrifice” in just about any environment. We carried our mottos in our hearts and on our skin. The tradition of tattoos was carried around the world through the photographs of hardcore shows and kids hanging out at venues and practice spaces. New York Hardcore was spread throughout the world through the image of tattoos, photography and lyrics. As photographers we sit by the stage patiently waiting and watching, in order to scream the images of Hardcore to everyone who sees them.
GREG STRAIGHTEDGE
STAFFAN SNITTING, SECTARIAN VIOLENCE - LAW & ORDER FANZINE
David Wood, DOWN TO NOTHING / TERROR.
This page and next: Scott Vogel, TERROR.
This page and next: RON, RISK IT!
GREGOR, RISK IT!
PATRICK, EISBERG. MARTIJN, no turning back
john joseph, cro-mags.
TOM PIMLOTT, VIOLENT REACTION.
SEB, DOGCHAINS.
TODD JONES - NAILS.
riz farooqi, king ly chee.
CHRIS - EMPOWERMENT JOGGES - EMPOWERMENT
BRIAN - NIGHT BIRDS
BANE, BARCELONA, 2007
CONFRONTO, BARCELONA, 2007
CEREMONY, BARCELONA, 2007
pREVIOUS PAGE AND THIS PAGE: HAVE HEART, BARCELONA, 2007 / 2008
DEATH IS NOT GLAMOROUS. BARCELONA, 2007
LEEWAY. ANACRUSA FEST, OCATA - BARCELONA, 2007
WHAT IF GOD LIES. BARCELONA, 2007
RISE AND FALL. IEPER FEST 2008, BELGIUM.
AFGHANISTAN YE-YES BARCELONA, 2007
THESE PAGES AND NEXT: WALLS OF JERICHO. BARCELONA, 2007
OUT COME THE WOLVES. BARCELONA, 2007
WISDOM IN CHAINS. IEPER FEST 2008, BELGIUM
H2O. BARCELONA, 2008.
BETRAYED. IEPER FEST 2008, BELGIUM
JELLO BIAFRA AND THE GUANTANAMO MEDICINE SCHOOL. BARCELONA, 2008.
boom boom kid, BARCELONA 2008.
TERROR. GERMANY, 2014.
BACKTRACK. BARCELONA, 2011.
THESE PAGES: TERROR. GERMANY, 2013.
TERROR. GERMANY, 2014.
terror. barcelona, 2011.
GAVE E W T A E W S THE “THE BLOOD, PAINS D N A S Y O J MY L L A H G U O R H T NY E D ’T N A C U O Y ” H T I A F E H T F O THE KEEPERS
HOT WATER MUSIC. BARCELONA, 2010.
GO! POPITAS. BARCELONA, 2009.
AGNOSTIC FRONT. BARCELONA, 2010.
TRUTH THROUGH FIgHt. BARCELONA, 2012.
-->YOUTH OF TODAY. BARCELONA, 2011.
LIMP WRIST. BARCELONA, 2011.
---> THE MONGOLOIDS. BARCELONA, 2011.
silla electrica. valencia, 2010.
THE PIT DURING HAVE HEART show, BARCELONA, 2008.
fiFIRED UP. BARCELONA, 2009.
UNRESTRAINED. BARCELONA, 2010.
LAS OTRAS. BARCELONA, 2010.
ABSURDO. GERMANY, 2013.
TRAGEDY. BARCELONA, 2010.
RVIVR. GERMANY, 2013.
UNITED AND STRONG. GERMANY, 2010.
PESSIMISTIC LINES. GERMANY, 2013.
SECTARIAN VIOLENCE. FLUFF FEST 2013, CZECH REPUBLIC
--> CODE ORANGE. FLUFF FEST 2013, CZECH REPUBLIC
THESE PAGES FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: HOUNDS OF HATE - SECTARIAN VIOLENCE - EN MI DEFENSA, FLUFF FEST 2013. CZECH
REPUBLIC
WOLFXDOWN. FLUFF FEST 2013, CZECH REPUBLIC.
HARMS WAY. FLUFF FEST 2013. CZECH REPUBLIC
VITAMIN X, FLUFF FEST 2013. CZECH REPUBLIC
COLD STARE. GERMANY, 2014.
NO TURNING BACK. sCHLEIZ - GERMANY, 2012
--> no turning back. sulzbach-rosenberg, germany 2014.
these pages: suicidas. barcelona, 2014.
these pages: sick of it all. germany, 2013.
H2O, Ieper fest - Belgium. 2008
H2O, Leipzig - Germany, 2013.
TERROR. Germany, 2014. -->MADBALL. Germany, 2014.
STRIFE, Germany. 2013.
CRO-MAGS, Schweinfurt - Germany. 2014-->
JUDGE, Germany. 2014
THESE PAGES: TAKE OFFENSE, GERMANY. 2014
THESE PAGES: NIGHT BIRDS. GERMANY, 2014.
this page and next pages: BEYOND PINK. Germany, 2014
VIOLENT REACTION. Barcelona, 2013.
FORESEEN. Germany, 2014
This page and next: EMPOWERMENT, Leipzig Germany. 2013
RISK IT!, Germany. 2014
RISK IT! Germany, 2014
DOWN TO NOTHING. GERMANY, 2014
give more give everything give blooD Bane
BANE. Barcelona, 2007.
NO TURNING BACK. FLUFF FEST 2012, CZECH REPUBLIC.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First at all thanks to my husband Julian and my daughter Sophie for their understanding and love. Big and eternal gratitude to all the people (see the list below) who have supported this book financially, without your contributions this book wouldn’t have been possible! Joan - Cruzade Records and Chester - G3 RECORDS, for their trust and support to this project. Muchas gracias hermanos, HC 4 HC! Also shout-outs to every hc and punk kid who allowed me to take a photo of their tattoos. To Staffan Snitting for his work designing the cover of this book, as well as his mate Jacob for his helping hand. And last but not least thanks to Scott, Martijn and Greg for their cooperation writing those words for this project. FUNDRAISING SUPPORTERS: Frank Botmann Gregor Lesky Christian Georgi Niclas Geyer Edwin Heijmen Markus Felix Kim Hirschinger Kole Todd Polock Fabian Steinecke Laureline Arnaud Marco Abularach Ellen Kollmar Agnetha Gunesch
Daniel Molina Daniel Eberts EMPOWERMENT Mattias Lindkvist Bastian Ramburger David de Haan Florian Wedel Stefan Timmler Carlos Osejo Jan Drescher Paco Weekenstroo Ursula Herrmann Lena Kuchinka Dennis Bruns Kenneth Ramsey
POWERED BY
CR B-001 www.cruzaderecords.com
G3R B-001 www.gtresrecords.com
This book is dedicated to my family, the HC-PUNK and the STRAIGHT EDGE. DFTS/DFTS/DFYR/DON’T SELL OUT! All photographs by Michelle Olaya. © 2007- 2014. website: music.michelleolaya.com www.facebook.com/xmdmxhcxphotos Cover Design by Staffan Snitting & Jacob Bondesson. Book design by Michelle Olaya. Limited Edition
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copies.