Summer Party Moshing Mischief

Before I make my point I would first off like to say that the Warwick Summer Party was excellent. It was a real achievement for the SU. I do not regret going early in the day to make sure I got my fill of fun-fair frolics and Curiositea cocktails. If you could brave the temperamental showers and the increasingly muddy grass then you were in for a treat. The variety of the acts at both the secret and main stage was very much welcome. It is just a pity that the excitement surrounding the main acts was marred by select individuals in the crowd.

Moshing. I don’t pretend to be an expert on the subject; in fact, my friends had to chastise me for calling it ‘mosh-pitting’ at one point. However, Wikipedia (unreliably) informs me that moshing, also known as slam dancing “is a style of dance where participants push or slam into each other”. Wikipedia also goes onto say that moshing is most associated with “aggressive” music genres. Now correct me if I’m wrong but the likes of Rudimental and Katy B hardly fall into the generic categories of aggressive. Slipknot? More than probably. Machine Head? Certainly! The only thing aggravating about Rudimental was Leon’s (DJ Locksmith) decision to flaunt off his bare chest for reasons that still mystify me. Ladies and gentlemen shield your eyes indeed.

The point is that headliners like Rudimental and Katy B are popularised names that are playing at universities all around the country. They do not require physical violence from the crowd to be enjoyed. In fact I don’t see when moshing can ever be equated with enjoyment. Isn’t it bordering on a subdued form of sadism? Where is the enjoyment in vigorously banging into each other? Participants of moshing seem to knock each other so hard that they end up pushing the rest of the crowd this way and that. I can’t speak for everyone else but I just wanted to enjoy the music. I actually like Rudimental’s ‘Waiting all night’ but by the end of the song, I’d been tossed about so much, that I was contemplating leaving.

I might be able to predict some of the reactions to my complaints. ‘What do you expect at a gig?’ ‘Why didn’t you just leave then?’ Well I guess I feel I shouldn’t have to expect something like that at a University event. I, like everyone else, paid for my ticket so I, like everyone else, deserve to enjoy and get out of the experience as much as I can. Personally I feel it discredits the artists to partake in moshing rather than actually dance to, and appreciate the music. Perhaps the moshers were trying to ‘liven up’ the music, the artists not being up to their standards. That’s fine but go somewhere else and don’t infringe others enjoyment. To my knowledge no one was notably injured during the event but this isn’t the point. People could have been.

I have always been noted for my lack of a ‘devil may care’ attitude and it certainly must be why I am against moshing. I just feel that it says a lot about certain individuals can’t have a good time unless alcohol and aggressive behaviour is added into the mix. Granted everyone should be allowed to ‘let their hair down’ but perhaps there are some forms of ‘enjoyment’ that should be reconsidered.