Growing up in the punk and hardcore scene in the 1990s, I was lucky to see a lot of amazing bands and meet incredibly passionate and talented people playing music, putting on shows, publishing zines, etc. Those experiences exposed me to foundational ideas in my life (like straight edge) and gave me a place of belonging. It taught me that in many ways, culture is something that we can co-create, rather than something handed down from corporations.
Reflecting on that time, every once in a while, a memory will pop into my head and I’ll recall a band I had the privilege of seeing before they became huge. One such band was The Locust. I remember seeing them at Michigan Fest and it was one of my more memorable experiences in punk. There was a lot of hype around The Locust and the crowd went wild: people had placards, there were some costumes, and everything erupted. I remember the chandelier getting smashed by garbage (captured on video). It was one
I saw The Locust at least a couple more times in this era, but they weren’t a band I listened to or really sought out. Some years later I remember being surprised to learn from a friend outside of hardcore that The Locust was well-known. I’m sure at the time I probably had some pithy response about how they were better when I saw them. Now, I just cherish the memory.
