Oceano was headlining a show at The Webster Underground- also on the bill was Adestria, Sworn In, and Reflections- and , I decided to stay and watch. Which was a good decision because now I know to never go and see them again.
First off, I understand you’re trying to be “cool” when you’re in a band, but using the f-word as many times as possible in a sentence, surprisingly, does not make you seem like anything more than a pathetic man with a poor vocabulary. It was probably a power thing, but it was also annoying. I was disappointed by their generic cookie-cutter “metal” sound and the crowd didn’t even make up for it. They weren’t captivating or interesting, and nothing about their sound was unique or showed a hint of effort. Also, I couldn’t pay much attention to Oceano because there was a bigger issue at hand.
There were people that were legitimately hate-moshing. For those unfamiliar with the term, it’s pretty much the most violent form of hardcore dancing. However, it’s not only directed towards those also in the pit with you, it’s directed towards innocent bystanders. That being said, I stood towards the back because I certainly didn’t feel like getting hit.
The most stunning part of the evening was one of extreme violence. A man who was getting kicked out (presumably for hate moshing) by the Webster staff came stumbling out, fists swinging and slurs flying. It took three or four staff members to all pitch in their strength against this man, and on his way out he ended up hitting other people following the events up close. It was scary and pretty much everyone in attendance followed this event outside, when the man was kicked out.
And what did the band do? Not a damn thing. Pretty sure they stopped playing just to wait for the crowd to come back. However, I think that if you’re going to make music like that, you have to be considerate of your fans. It was scary and dangerous, putting pretty much everyone in the venue at risk of getting hurt.
Needless to say, I didn’t focus much on the band. That whole outburst happened during the second or third song. It was uncomfortable and now violence was in the air, so I got out of there. Oceano should maybe stop swearing on their soapbox and do what the hardcore community is supposed to- protect each other and have fun, not stand there and wait. At least pretend to care.
Interestingly enough, the show was shut down before the band could even finish that song. I’m not quite sure how to feel about this, but it was for the best because no one else needed to get hurt. Geez. And hey what is up with the band name anyway? Riding on the coat tales of Oceana? Pathetic.