As someone who attempts to capture footage from a lot of the hardcore shows I go to, I know it’s a dangerous space to be in. At any point, a flying fist or foot could hit you or your camera in your quest to archive the scene for future generations. Photographer and artist JESS HUMPHREY was up front and on stage on the Eastern Seaboard and midwest getting amazing shots of some of the greatest hardcore bands doing it in the 90s, and today we’re sharing them, including Agnostic Front, Redemption 87, Killing Time, Unbroken, Fugazi, Shelter, Nerve Agents, and Strife. Humphrey agreed to revisit some of her favorite photos taken during her 1990s hardcore years, and the relentless spirit of this genre is alive in these rad photos! Check out this collection of 10 of her favorite photos:
Agnostic Front at Maxwell’s – Hoboken, NJ 1997
This show was the day after Raybeez from Warzone died. Right before Agnostic Front came on, they played an Italian procession song over the PA, someone was waving an American flag, Roger Meret broke down in tears and the crowd went quiet. They broke right into Victim In Pain and the crowd went nuts.
Redemption 87 at Club 180 – Hagerstown, MD 1997
Redemption 87 played a handful of shows one weekend in 1997 with In My Eyes, Ensign, Bladecrasher, and Uprise. They were some of the funnest shows that I can remember. Redemption 87 took the best of So-Cal Positive Youth Crew and mashed it up with the hard drive of New York City Hardcore. They were the best HC band of their time, in my opinion.
Killing Time at CBGB – 1996
Killing Time was always my #1 favorite hardcore band. I was so stoked to see them play this Sunday matinee at CBGB with Mouthpiece, Ensign and Floorpunch. I love this photo so much mostly because the crowd was going completely apeshit and I remember genuinely being scared for my life. The best part of this photo of Geoff D’Agostino catching air as he’s diving into the crowd.
Sunday Matinee at CBGB – 1996
I snapped this photo after the Killing Time show at CB’s. It was always such a scene on the Bowery after a Sunday Matinee.
Unbroken at Chamber of Sound – DC 1995
I drove my Oldsmobile Cutlass Sierra to every show on Unbroken’s east coast tour that summer with Mouthpiece. I think this was second to the last stop on that tour at Chamber of Sound in DC (aka Safari Club).
Fugazi at Club 180 – Hagerstown, Maryland 1998
I grew up in Norfolk, Va so I was lucky enough to see Fugazi too many times to remember. This is one of the last shows I remember seeing them…what I would give to see them again.
Shelter at Twisters – Richmond, VA 1996
Shelter is the hardest sounding Hare Krishna music I’ve ever heard. Moshing to songs about free-will and reincarnation seemed totally normal at the time. Along with their records and T-shirts, you could always get a free copy of a vegetarian cookbook or the Bagavaghita at their merch table.
Nerve Agents at Melody Bar – New Brunswick, NJ 2000
There was a major shift in the sound and look of hardcore around the turn of the millenium. You could feel the influence of post-punk bands like Joy Division and Christian Death. Nerve Agents brought this element to the raw, high energy, and aggressive attitude of Black Flag era hardcore. Kids traded their hoodies and new balance for white belts and skinny pants. This is around the same time American Nightmare started playing shows.
The Crowd at Dayton More than Music Fest – Dayton, OH 1994
This three day festival was in a warehouse in the middle of nowhere in Dayton, OH, a thirteen hour drive from my hometown of Norfolk, VA. The bands that stuck out the most for this show were Split Lip, Econochrist, Greyhouse, Outspoken and Ashes. It was the middle of summer, hot as sin and dank with humidity mixed with the sweat of a few hundred unshowered teenagers. I’m not sure if that smell ever came out of the clothes I wore from that show.
Strife at City Garden – Trenton, NJ 1994
I swear there were a thousand kids at this show. Everybody from the whole Eastern Seaboard was there to see Strife, Shelter, and Mouthpiece play at City Gardens, a legendary venue in Trenton, NJ that was recently demolished.
