Boston Hardcore Lives On In Fleshwater

Boston, Massachusetts, has given way over the years to a plethora of Punk bands. In the 1980s, Boston gave birth to the early straight-edge movement and, in turn, led to the creation of bands such as Society System Decontrol, Negative FX, and DYS. By the 1990s, Boston’s hardcore scene would metamorphose into a heavier, more uncontrolled sound. Metalcore would lead the charge for a few years with the influence of bands such as Converge, Cave In, and Shadowfall. 

 

 

Even with this sudden change in sound, Hardcore was still very much kept alive in the undercarriage of Boston. The continued heartbeat of hardcore would take slightly from the metalcore shift, and later reconstruct itself into the bands of the Youth-Crew revival. From there, it would transform further into bands that carried the same sentiment as bands from Boston’s birth of hardcore, with acts such as Have Heart, The Hope Conspiracy, and American Nightmare. 

 

 

Essentially, Boston has had a long history of the city’s genres and influences collapsing on themselves, only to rebirth into a remolded version of their former selves, with whatever the newest band is – being something that both honors its roots, while being simultaneously completely unthought of. 

 

 

In the ashes of the late Boston Metalcore band Vein.fm came a band so far from the origin of their predecessors that it almost reached a full circle: Fleshwater. Formed in 2017 by ex-members of Vein.FM, Fleshwater was different. Instead of deriving their sound solely from the scene’s hard-hitting metalcore roots, Fleshwater aimed to take the stage in a blanket of hazy shoegaze influence with a grunge garnish, and specific control of moments where metalcore brushed each song’s surface, rather than being the main ingredient. Now on their 3rd EP/Album, Fleshwater took their fanbase by storm with their newest entry: 2000: In Search Of Endless Sky.

 

On September 24th, Fleshwater, accompanied by Baltimore’s self-proclaimed “Very Aggressive” punk band Angel Dust, and Idaho’s Ingrown took St. Andrews Hall by storm on a tour supporting their latest release. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This show would see fans being stunned by Ingrown’s very formidable stage presence and Angel Dust’s commanding performance in preparation for Fleshwater’s grandiose display of dark and moody hour-long set. While the band mainly displayed their newest album, there was also a prevalence of their past works, with 5 songs from their freshman album, ‘We’re Not Here To Be Loved,’ and a couple of others from various works. 

 

 

Fleshwater is menacing on stage. It was clear from start to finish that they still have the spirit and intensity of their earlier metalcore influences, while sonically, they play out like a shoegaze powerhouse with intense reverb vibrating the balcony of Saint Andrew’s Hall, vibrating unequivocally just as much as the floor of the venue. The stage was only lit by the appearance of fog lights aimed at a large windmill placed at the rear of the stage and by the backlighting that mimicked the flash of lightning. While their performance was electric and involved, the real area of the show that stole the limelight was indeed the set design. It felt fitting, in place, and gave the appearance of watching these performers playing on the set of a twisted dollhouse. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The crowd reciprocated the energy with a constant mosh pit that, while starting out as a push-pit, led to a crowd full of hardcore dancing and crowd surfing that made for a fun but legitimate threat for anyone with a camera or phone held in the air.

 

 

It’s clear to see that Detroit has a lot of love for Fleshwater. This show was reinvigorating, and honestly, the only downside was the addition of a barricade in front of a band that most would stage dive to if given the chance. Fleshwater is 100% worth seeing the next time they make a Midwest run. It’s clear that while they may have ditched some of their previous DIY aesthetic, Fleshwater knows their aesthetic and can put on a hell of a production. 

 

 

Support Fleshwater by streaming their September release ‘2000: In Search Of Endless Sky,’ on streaming services everywhere and by paying attention to future tours on fleshwater.fm.