I have a dream. I dream of a venue where people from all different facets of the punk scene can hang out without animosity or clash. A place where people can overlook their grating differences in favour of their common interests, their alliances and their similarities. A haven for all who seek to venture outside the bounds of what they've been told is right, and make their own way. I dream of this, I can imagine it realised, I can almost see it, I can picture it. Then I can picture it being overrun with scenesters that just walked out of the Ski Lodge with a $400 General Pants Co voucher. Let's set the scene.

In the wake of pop-punk and a short-lived settled period of equilibrium, a phantom menace appeared on the horizon. Unseen, unknown, but present nonetheless. None knew it at the time, but hardcore was about to do the unthinkable.. become really really fucking cool. Before anyone realised what was going on, ska, emo, non-indie rock and poppunk were scattered, sent hiding in the cracks for shelter in a hardcore dominated scene. Colour became the enemy of all that was scene and black shirts and cool shoes became the trademarks.

The reign continued unrelenting for months upon months. Some bands tried to change and adapt to this new trend, whereas others, realising they could never be cool in this new socio-economic climate, threw in the towel altogether. Things were looking bleak for anyone that liked melody, and soon, scratching at the edges, the seeds of discontent had been sewn. Bands like Thrice and Strike Anywhere that had the melody to bring in people from everywhere but still retain the cutting edge of hardcore were starting to gain popularity in the fringes and before too long, things were starting to change.. there was something new brewing.. people were humming to a new tune, tapping to a new beat, and as the subcultures slowly emerge from their hiding places, we pick up the story in the lives of 8 young people trying to make their way through the savage world of multi-genre shows and communal P.A.'s, in a scene struggling for identity and definition.