Last night I witnessed this for the first time. I guess this is because I don’t usually go anywhere near the sort of band that attracts this sort of audience, but we were at a gig last night headlined by Ferocious Dog as we like and support Sam Green, who was supporting. We had seen FD at a festival and really like their stuff – fiddle led, sort of like the Pogues, quite political, with a dash of punk and reggae. I actually had a word with the lead singer at a festival, and he is the nicest bloke you can imagine. They even had people bring donations last night for the local food bank, so they are pretty right on.
But…thank the Lord we were in the balcony seats as the smallish standing area at the Exeter Phoenix became a seething mass of blokes with their shirts off throwing themselves at each other. Clearly this was expected behaviour and was all part of their evening’s entertainment, but from above it was just about the most frightening thing I’ve ever witnessed, with guys frequently disappearing to the floor under a mass of bodies.
I’ve obviously led a very sheltered gig going experience, and in a way I was interested to see something I’d only read about, but has anyone here seen this, or even been part of it?
I’ll never complain about people talking at a gig again…
Douglas says
This is pretty much standard expected behaviour at any metal gig, certainly within about 10 yards of the band.
Interestingly, practically nobody ever gets hurt, quite the contrary the slam dancers generally have a strong protective element towards anyone who falls over, making sure they can get up before they’re injured. I even saw a guy get help finding his glasses in the middle of this sort of scrum.
File under: nothing like as dangerous as it seems.
Kid Dynamite says
Exactly. I am no stranger to a moshpit (I’ve seen New Model Army almost a hundred times!), and I’ve never been hurt* , or seen anyone else injured. It’s mostly just boisterous fun. There’s an argument to be made that it can be exclusionary, as per Gatz’ post below, but as long as young men go to watch bands playing loud and fast music, it isn’t going away.
*(apart from the obvious brain injury that caused me to go and see the same band almost a hundred times)
retropath2 says
An innocent like Nigel, I had never experienced this until my forays to Bearded Theory: a lot of the bands who play are attractive to folk who enjoy this form of “dancing”, from Public Image Ltd, the Levellers, Ferocious Dog, Killing Joke. As someone who tends to migrate toward the front, I had to watch my feet to avoid the melee. However, fortified by Thornbridge’s finest, I eventually joined in. I am still uncertain whether I can commend.
Gatz says
I saw The Levellers at Folk by the Oak last year. We were puzzled by a steady stream of clearly unhappy people pushing past us and heading for a further spot until a group front and centre were told off from the stage. A couple had been trying to get a mosh pit going but had to be told, ‘You’re at a folk festival surrounded by kids and people are scared of you! Chill the fuck out!’
Barry Blue says
Way back when, I used to believe that if I hadn’t been in the midst of the mayhem, centre near the front, then the gig can’t have been worthwhile. This resulted in a fair few unpleasant moments: I inadvertently broke a fellow chicken dancer’s nose at a Meteors performance at the 100 Club; I was terrified at a Bad Manners show; the less said about The Ruts, Cockney Rejects and Secret Affair the better. I was young, male – and that’s probably all that needs to be said. Here’s the thing, though. If it’s a standing venue, I do still like to be there or thereabouts when the headliners are on. Given that my headliners tend to be Stiff Little Fingers and The Skids rather than The Unthanks, this means there’s a fair old degree of ary-bargy, and I’ve noticed that younger mosh-pit frequenters are far better mannered than in the old days. The St John’s Ambulance people were always in attendance in the late 70s/early 80s, but there’s simply no call for them now. Sometimes I’d appreciate their presence if only to apply some ralgex to my knee or to clear the way to the toilet, what with prostates not being what they were.
That said, I draw the line at crowd surfing. Any f***** does that near me, and I’m not best pleased.
johnw says
That Bad Manners show wasn’t at the Electric Ballroom by any chance was it? Certainly the scariest gig I’ve ever been to.
Barry Blue says
Nope – it was in Durham, with an audience of skinheads from nearby pit villages. The songs with tempo changes were catnip to their violent tendencies.
Moose the Mooche says
There is, actually, nothing like a moshpit to justify your faith in humanity.
The hairiest, hardest, lairiest-looking tattooed motherfuckers turn out to be gentle, solicitous… almost tender. They know a brother when one lands on their head.
It’s JOYOUS.
Kaisfatdad says
How beautifully expressed, Moose, and very true too.
There is not much moshing going on at the ambient jazz and early music gigs that I go to here in Stockholm. But I go down to Roskilde with some arrant moshers and get to experience the exhilarating mayhem of which you speak.
Moose the Mooche says
It’s been a very long time, but in my youth I knew and enjoyed the embrace – usually accidental – of my fellow hairies. What a gentle tribe they were.
To have dived from stage- and not broken anything – in the name of ROCK is to have lived. I’m saying.
Black Type says
I was at an actual Pogues gig in 1988, and rather than stand near the back as was my usual practice, I was taken by the euphoria of the moment and went into the stage-front melee. I’m 6’2″ and a reasonably big fella, but I was literally raised off my feet and tossed around like a piece of driftwood until I fell under the sea of flailing legs. Honestly thought I’d be stomped and trampled half to death, but by some miracle of moshpit etiquette, I was almost immediately dragged upright by multiple unknown hands. Scary but exhilarating…although that was my one and only visit to the madness out front.
fentonsteve says
I saw a youngster (student) pass out and collapse to the floor in the moshpit at a Placebo gig in Cambridge. I was in my early 20’s so was old and wise by then. Myself and four other moshers each took a limb and his head, carried him to the bar, sat him upright on a chair. Two pints of ice-cold water – one held in front of his face, the other poured over his head. When he came round, I said “drink this before you go back in”.
The worst which ever happened to me was when a fat bloke stage dived at a Wonderstuff gig at Brixton Academy. I’d been looking elsewhere so didn’t have my arms up, the weight of his belly landed on the top of my head. I couldn’t move my neck the following morning and took myself to A&E. When I told the triage nurse, she went off to get all the other A&E staff. As I repeated “A fat bloke landed on my head”, they all laughed and sent me home with a packet of ibuprofen.
The Good Doctor says
The only moshpit I’ve ever been in was at a Teenage Fanclub gig – Liverpool, early 90s- hard to to imagine now that they’re the musical equivalent of a really pleasant Cream Tea in the Lake District, but back then there was a brief period when they could get a grungy mosh going.
I’m a very frequent gig goer but I’ve no desire to get in amongst a big crowd of (what will inevitably be burly blokes) all bouncing about and rubbing up against each other and exchanging sweat.
The vast majority of gigs you’ll find me near the sound desk at the back away from flailing limbs and huggy bears. You might might find me near the front of some of the more sedate gigs – was at the front when I used to go and see Cocteau Twins but there was no risk of a getting a Dr Marten in your face or getting closer than you’d like to the bare chest of some Bluster Bloodvessel clone at any of those.
johnw says
Good grief! I thought I’d lived a sheltered life but for most gigs from 1977 to about 1990, I was down at the front in the thick of it. That was the only place for pogoing. There was often a nutter around but generally the whole thing was self policing so they got eased out of the joyous fun. Often a load of people ended up in a heap and there was a ceasefire until everyone had been hauled back to their feet.
It was often very very hot in there too. I recall after one Stranglers gig in October (so not the hottest day of the year) we feel into a pub afterwards and someone asked me if it was raining outside because we were all completely drenched.
ganglesprocket says
I have not slam danced or moshed since Ministry at the Barrowlands circa early 90s.
Picture Wile E Cayote after being run over by about 100 cars and you have me after about five seconds in that pit.
Douglas says
“Ministry at the Barrowlands” – a health and safety nightmare!
LesterTheNightfly says
Ah,the pleasures of the mosh pit!
In the late 80s/early 90s,and as a metal fan, I was committed to getting as close to the front as possible.
Got injured a couple of times.
First,in an instance similar to Fenton Steves,a bloke stage dived at an Acid Reign gig, catching me unawares,whacked the side of my head with the result I had an extremely sore neck for a few days.
The second was at a Lawnmower Deth gig. The only time I’ve stage dived and I was manhandled over “the mosh” landindg awkwardly on my ankle and having to go to A and E for a scan (not broken,just badly sprained)
Ah,happy days!!
ganglesprocket says
Lawnmower Deth? Man, that brings back memories…
LesterTheNightfly says
Great band!
Ironically,they were the support when I was injured at the Acid Reign gig.
Obviously was dangerous going to see them!