faithfully, usually

Through the swinging of arms and legs you might start to understand. You might set your feet, fold your arms, breathe in sweat, and start to understand. You might sense the vibrations of nihilism and violence, catharsis and celebration, and start to understand. 

Hardcore music will make you understand. The patterns and movements of a community: you can’t learn them unless you attend. And most attend as though it’s religion.  

Faithfully, Usually collects images of hardcore scene devotees in the small city of London, Ontario: young people who submit to the energy that only this music can offer. The subjects are alive with its purpose and at home with its ferocity. 

The project reveals the rules and cues attached to this group: the postures, uniforms and rituals; how everyone flows together and knows what to do.

As much as these movements are a joy to watch, they offer as their insight a lament for me as the photographer. I’m at an age where I can only mimic the ways in which the subjects in these photos respond to this music. Sure, I feel these impulses and urges, but not the way I used to; not like these people, who still call on these instincts to set their inner flames ablaze. 

My blood runs thinner now. The heart beats differently. Sleep and dreams are the more enticing prospects. 

Youth’s full embrace lasts only a limited time, you see.