In case anyone doubted how hardcore Toronto hardcores Fucked Up were: they apparently played an impromtu show in the middle of a riot, on a bridge, at SXSW on the weekend. The NME puts it this way:
A riot occurred in the early hours of this morning (March 15) on Lemar Pedestrian Bridge in the midst of the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, during an impromptu party gig by hardcore rockers Fucked Up.
Fucked Up were playing an unofficial gig at around 4AM (CMT), when fans who had attended SXSW gigs earlier in the night began congregating. Soon around 1,000 fans were on the bridge.
Fired up by the music, the fans began to mosh, creating a mosh-pit 30-people wide. The bridge began to buckle and bounce under the weight of the crowd, which prompted many fans to jump into the river to escape.
Police soon arrived at the scene, but realised that they were powerless to halt the riot and could do nothing but wait until it quelled.
It’s hardcore. It’s Fucked Up. One in the same.
Also: Watch the official Fucked Up show here.
Above: Fucked Up. Photo by Shawn Scallen.
UPDATE: Conflicting reports! The whole episode appears to have been exaggerated. Video of the concert further demonstrates it was a mosh rather than a riot.
