Fucked Up - Hillside 2013 (Sunday Aft)

It was an intense, riled up pit of Fucked Up fans kicking up dust on a Sunday afternoon in the Island Tent. With the sound up the band seemed to be in fine form as they blasted through their melodic, hard punk rock gems like The Other Shoe and Son the Father. It is their frontman, Damian Abraham, who really represents them and acts as the most visible member at least partly due to his unique appearance, nearly always sweaty and topless. Only a song or two passed until he fit that description, as he handed out high fives and dipped the mic into the crowd to let the fans scream along. This interaction definitely steps up the intimacy of the shows and it worked real well here as nostrils filled with floating dirt but few were seen exiting the scene. There was an inordinate amount of children in attendance - and I don't mean the teenagers moshing. Even the band had their kids backstage and later in the set Damian's son was used in a call and response as he was hoisted onto papa bear's shoulders. Nearing the end Damian became a man of the people by entering the fracas, coming face to face with me and after a tiny pause threw his meaty arm around my neck and began an epic group hug as people from all around piled in. Yes, a sweaty hug from a bare-chested man was my Hillside moment.