'Bringing the Vibe': Subcultural Capital and 'Hardcore' Masculinity

Abstract

It is no coincidence that dominant representations of hardcore tend to emphasise muscular, foreboding male bodies, and the role of these bodies in the ‘parody of violence’ (Lull, cited in Williams, 2011, p. 58) that takes place in the tough physical space of the ‘mosh pit’ (Tsitsos, 1999; Haenfler, 2006). The mosh pit – usually referred to simply as ‘the pit’ – is a loosely defined space adjacent to the stage at hardcore music concerts where some audience members perform highly stylised extreme forms of dance that appear to closely resemble martial arts manoeuvres. As Williams (2011, p. 58) observes:

Indeed, one of the consequences of this has been the emergence of a ‘hypermasculine “tough guy” image that has irrevocably limited girls’ sense of the possibilities for involvement’ (p. 60).