Are you tired of standing around with your hands in your pockets, trying to like that new band Pitchfork told you to? Do you miss having fun seeing live bands? Go to a punk show.
Title Fight recently released its second full album, “Floral Green,” and at their record release show in an old fire hall in Warrior’s Run, Pa., people were definitely not standing around with their hands in their pockets. Based out of Kingston, Pa., part of the greater Scranton area, the Jawbreaker-inspired Title Fight members are hometown heroes to punk and hardcore fans of the region. Needless to say, people went insane.
Joined by other local bands gaining traction like indie pop-punk outfit Tigers Jaw (reminiscent of early Brand New), punk rock group The Menzingers, and all the way from Atlanta, hardcore favorites Foundation, Title Fight put on a show that the audience will be talking about for years. The scene may scare away uptight folks, with fans jumping off of PA speakers into the pit, crowd surfing, moshing and belting out their favorite lyrics, but there’s more to the concert goers than meets the eye. Covered in tattoos, piercings and sweat, fans of this scene are the nicest, most genuine people you’ll meet. One minute some guy might be climbing on your shoulders, jumping into the crowd, and the next minute he’ll be helping you up after knocking you down. Everyone is here to have a good time and, more importantly, to help each other have a good time. The craziest part is most of these kids didn’t have a drop of drugs in their system.
The show was organized by a bunch of kids, who sold limited edition records to diehard fans. Bands signed fliers and personally thanked everyone for coming out and supporting the beloved band. Title Fight front man Ned Russin thanked everyone for making the event possible and explained that tickets were only $14 because the band wasn’t looking to rip off the 650 attendees. The other bands even stuck around and hung out on stage to see Title Fight close the show and be a part of the moment.
There was something for those even remotely interested in the genre. Everyone came for Title Fight’s big release, but Russin interjected between songs, “Maybe you’re a metal head and came for Foundation, maybe you have a soft spot and came for Tigers Jaw.” That’s not to say the bands were confined to a single genre. Title Fight front man surprised everyone when he yelled, “Here’s a Halloween present,” and went on to cover the Misfits’ “Some Kinda Hate.”
Look out for these bands because they’ve been getting bigger and bigger since the scene started growing a few years ago. Scranton is only an hour south of Binghamton, so go out and support these local artists. Watch them grow, because you’ll love telling your kids you saw some of these guys up close and personal while they were starting up, especially if you read Pitchfork.
And if you’ve never even heard of Title Fight before, watch their comically and insanely violent video for “Secret Society,” where a little girl is let down by her crush and then murders him and wears his face, a la Leatherface.