Mandate is Hardcore Man

Words by Sibel Atalay (they/she)

Mandate’s Instagram handle tells us all we need to know: @mandate_otepoti_hardcore. 

I can confirm that the self proclaimed “fastcore punk” band from Ōtepoti plays fast, and are punks! I lost both my Newtown Sports Bar and Mandate virginity the night of Friday 21 April . 

Walking into Newtown Sports Bar felt like going back in time. Old punks with mohawks played pool against blokes wearing Huffer t-shirts. There were the eclectic dressed women, and the artsy queers in the back. A scene of unity. 

After a solid game of darts and a guy offering me a sip of his beer, I put my earplugs in, readying myself to swim in pure noise.

I was drowned by a wave of energy, even from the back where I sat on a barstool. The crowd swarmed to the front of the stage as the noise began. From the height I was at, the mosh pit looked like a whirlpool, with bodies being sucked into the eye of the storm and spat out the other side. It was a well-oiled professional mosh pit, I must say. 

Lead singer/screamer/mouth noise maker and manager of AS Colour Dunedin, Simon Oswald, has been in the Ōtepoti scene a wee while. His old band, Parents, were a mainstay of the New Zealand hardcore scene, and were always a crowd favourite. Though they haven’t released any music since 2014, their influence is obvious. It is no surprise that Mandate’s somewhat tighter approach to hardcore feels true to its roots.

Oswald has been an inspiration to many Ōtepoti noise bands such as Night Lunch, Crime Hospital, Dale Kerrigan, and new on the scene, Fairuza. It is important to acknowledge his history, as this scene is so rooted in community. But back to the gig.

I’d heard the gig would be finished at 10 p.m. But it was 9:45 p.m. when the noise began. True to the hardcore genre, every song was short and punched you in the face. The drummer was a force to be reckoned with. There were songs ranging from 300-400 BPM pretty much non-stop, with some half times thrown in there to bring the crowd back to earth again. I couldn’t overlook the bassist driving the songs through my chest. The guitarist played hard and fast whilst remaining synchronised with the other musicians. And of course, Mr Ffrontman was there to balance everything out. I was taken to another dimension, one fueled by energy, community, and eternal rage (in the best way possible). 

What I was most surprised about was the diversity of the crowd. Yes, it was predominantly male dominated. But it’s interesting that a scene so rooted in macho culture has bloomed into a pretty inclusive community. Punk is not dead, but sparking a new conversation. One performed by those who do not conform. Isn’t that what punk is about anyway?