Events

[HARDCORE] It’s a phenomenon that continues to impress: bands that exist for very short periods of time or have extremely limited output, but that land with such a resounding thud, their influence is felt for decades. It seems to have something to do with focus, and when we’re talking about New York City’s Judge—a band with a hyper-focused M.O.—maybe there’s just a limit to how much music can be made without compromising the mission. Although Judge reformed in 2013 and has been performing with some regularity since, it’s original run was from 1987 to 1991—barely four years. Youth of Today’s John Porcelly and Mike Ferraro split off to form the four-piece, doing so in part because they didn’t want to compromise the level of straightedge militancy that’d begun draining out of its predecessor. That inherent refusal to yield is both the band’s beauty and curse, as they’ve only managed a pair of 7” EP’s and one full-length which exists in two different versions (the original, with only 110 copies pressed on white vinyl, is apparently one of the most sought after hardcore rarities in existence). But the flipside of all that is consistency. While there may be a limit to what Judge does, fans know they can depend on the band’s metallically-tinged hardcore to pack a wallop with an undiluted message. The buzz for this gig is as loud as the show itself will be, Thursday, February 18 at the Waiting Room with World Be Free, Wreckage, Longest War, and Black X.