Fans of 4BPM moshing during a LIbertine show at The Slice on Nov. 5, 2023.
Lethbridge is experiencing a cultural revival of hardcore rock music motivated by inclusivity and community. Hardcore is a gritty sub-genre of rock music that has been present in the Lethbridge underground music scene since the early ‘90s. Just 10 years ago hardcore was a prominent sound in the city, but in 2015 the promotions disappeared and the shows stopped, leaving many local fans of the genre feeling left out.
At the time, most of these shows were being thrown together by a group of high school students. Eventually, they all graduated and moved away for college, leaving nobody left to organize or attend the shows.
At the same time, the scene was becoming increasingly toxic. The gatekeeper mentality is a common fatal flaw in many subcultures and has always been an issue in the hardcore scene. The idea that people must earn their place within a culture isn’t unheard of, but the way it is often policed in the hardcore scene is by bullying those new to the genre out of it. Exclusivity may give these people a sense of identity, but it is ultimately unsustainable.
Since shows were becoming an unfriendly environment, there was a halt in new fans and with the large group of young adults that had just moved away, tickets weren’t selling. This led to bands not wanting to play in Lethbridge because they could no longer fill a venue.
According to local promoter Selena Osborne, after the collapse of Lethbridge hardcore in 2015, the genre took an eight-year hiatus within the city. Some hardcore bands played here, but there wasn’t a show with a full hardcore bill for almost a decade.
That was until last year when Lethbridge locals Selena Osborne and Gillian Matthews decided they were done waiting. The duo started Libertine promotions out of Libertine Tattoo Shop in April of 2023 and haven’t looked back since. The decision to start Libertine didn’t come from the lens of a business opportunity for the two, but rather a desire to bring back something they both loved and missed.
“I grew up in the hardcore scene in Lethbridge and it like shaped who I am and my identity and what I cared about. It put me in the realm of making good choices for myself,” Osborne stated.
Osborne believes the niche punk music’s culture is often misunderstood by the public due to its rough exterior. For her and many others, the music was a stepping stone to finding a community. The culture around the music also promotes a straight edge lifestyle, which means sobriety. The environment it creates helps a lot of youth stay out of alcohol and substance abuse, while still possessing a rebellious outlet that keeps them connected.
Due to the impact the music had on Osborne as an adolescent, she makes a point of finding ways to throw all ages shows to keep the youth involved. The last all-ages show was held at Moose Hall on Nov. 11. Osborne described the event as a huge success and said the show’s impact on the kids was evident.
“You can see that for the kids that came, it’s like an outlet for them.” Osborne shared.
Matthews and Osborne have stated they are committed to making hardcore a more inclusive space for both fans and bands. Many promoters only fill bills with bands that strictly fit the genres image. This is because fans of the music often discourage venturing outside of the norm, and once again the gatekeeping mentality pushes fringe groups out of the scene. While some see these fringe bands as a threat, the scene in Lethbridge has embraced them.
Almost every Libertine show has included a non-hardcore band on the bill, this draws more people in and gives these bands that don’t sonically fit in anywhere else a chance to play and be appreciated. One of these bands is 4BPM, a fringe hardcore band based in Lethbridge that blends hardcore with screamo and has a sonic influence from many other genres.
The bands drummer Jeremy Collier stated his appreciation for Libertine for including bands like his.
“It makes it a lot more fun, it’s something I wish a lot more promoters got into. It’s something that gets lost within other showbills, there’s a little too much emphasis on everything sounding the same.”
One topic both Osborne and the members of 4BPM talked about was how hardcore is designed for the live experience. Most bands these days put a lot of emphasis on getting streams, however 4BPM shared that they don’t care about how good they sound on a record and that they would rather focus on performing great shows.
“We don’t make music to play on Spotify, we make music to play it live,” said Owen Meyer, lead vocalist of 4BPM. “We haven’t written a song where we were like, oh this is going to get recorded well.”
Selena Osborne also shared how she values the unique live experience that hardcore shows offer.
“I like the energy, everybody there is excited to be there. It’s the energy of the room I care about.”
It seems that because of the emphasis put on the live show, promotion companies are necessary to keep the culture alive. Selena Osborne and Gill Matthews have plans to continue growing Libertine Promotions and Lethbridge hardcore culture along with it. Their next show will be held on March 1 at Moose Hall the show is open to all ages. More information can be found on their Instagram @libertinetattoo.
