GLHC

Sam, known as Samosa to friends, isn’t the first to want to promote heavy music in the sleepy town of Cheltenham, but they’re the first to make a wave in the local scene to start cultivating a different kind of scene.  If you were the lucky few who got tickets on the door, the Frog and Fiddle was rammed with bodies, throwing themselves side to side and off the speakers.

With the additions of Bristol's finest Perp Walk headlining, Southampton's heavy hitters Not Without Punishment, Demeanour from the North West and Black Mould from the Midlands, this show was crafted perfectly. 

I’m grateful and honoured to chat with Samosa about GLHC, their plans, and their motivations for creating something out of nothing. 

Introduce yourself!

I’m Sam, and a lot of friends and people call me Samosa. I'm a lover of HC and have loved music for most of my life—I'm from Gloucester. Recently, I've started a promotion to put on HC shows in the county.  The reason is that HC used to have a great scene here pre-COVID, with its own local bands playing. Lots of UKHC came here, bands like Madball as well.                                                                                                   After COVID, however, the scene died; bands stopped playing, and Hardcore in this area died.  The alternative music scene here, however, especially in Cheltenham, is still full of emos and metalheads roaming the streets between the Frog and Fiddle and 2pigs.  What are the main alternative bars/clubs in the town?    

Why the frog and fiddle?

I chose the frog and fiddle because it is kind of the heart of the alternative music scene in Cheltenham & probably Gloucestershire as a whole.  It offers a wide variety of genres, attracting a very diverse group of music lovers.  The heavy music scene here is big, with big shows like the Bloodstock events, so I knew the taste for hardcore hadn't faded.  I thought it would be the perfect place for a first show because 1) it's a great venue, 2) the community and how receptive they are to most music genres, and 3) how helpful the staff are.  When I approached them wanting to put on hardcore shows again, they were, to say the least, ecstatic that I had come along with some knowledge to do it, since they are kinda out of the loop in that regard, but still wanted to put on hardcore shows.

Did you expect the turnout?

Completely didn't expect the turnout.  My absolute goal was to break even, pay the bands fairly, and have a dance with my mates.  It turned out to be a sold-out event from the first band that opened.  When I opened the doors, there was a line stretching out into the smoking area, which I had never seen at that venue before.  As the first band began, I had to close the doors because we had effectively sold out for that band.  When the first band was on, I remember seeing how crazy everything looked with this many people.  The second the music started, people moshed, and I could see fists flying overhead.  It was surreal, as it was my first show and first really special one that people would give that much energy from start to finish.

Why did you pick these bands?

I picked these bands because a lot of the people in them are 1. huge fans of their sound and have been repping them for a long time.  2. A lot of them are my friends, so it was quite easy to convince them to play.  Paul Collier of Perp Walk also has a really close connection to the old Gloucester music scene, so he was really excited to play the show and showed strong support for it.

Favourite part of the night?

Hard to name one, but to list a few.

1. Selling outdoors and watching people go mental from the first band.

2. Watching all my mates and new faces go wild for the bands

3. The amount of love and support I'd been given after the show, it really seemed like to everyone there, that it was a special show, even to the newcomers (who were a lot of them), and that is so nice to think about.

What can we expect from you going forward?

1. More shows in Gloucestershire, big and small, more bands coming to play here, as people are dying for this music here again.  

2. More people getting involved, starting bands, investing themselves in the community and a new scene.  This is just something I hope for.

Honestly, I want to spread the good messages I've received through this genre and show others how special they are.  Solidarity, especially at this time in the world, is so important.  There are terrors around every corner, governments and the elite looking to exploit us for everything we have.  If I can provide a safe place for even one person to feel more comfortable in this world and give them a sense of community, then I'm happy.

Hardcore start locally and Sam is living proof of this. Support your local scene, support your local bands and give back however you can. Hardcore is for everyone.