Tragic City Hardcore

Tragic City is a nickname for Birmingham, Alabama that originated from newspaper articles in the 1960's describing the infringements of the rights of African Americans in Birmingham during the 1960's civil rights movement. The phrase has now been adopted by the local hardcore scene and is used on flyers, in songs, and in graffiti in the city today.

The Tragic City scene is overlooked nationally, but the small local community has remained relevant by producing as many good bands as their larger contemparies. The music is mostly based on early American hardcore punk, but as a result of being mostly cut off from the national scene, has developed into many different styles within the city itself. Some bands are faster and more aggressive, and some are more melodic, but the main staple of the Tragic City scene is an attitude, not an aesthetic, and the community is stressed over all. The commercial success of some bands within the city (Haste, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, etc) is generally ignored by the participants in the underground due to said bands lack of support to other bands in the city. Many of the bands are featured on the out-of-print compilation "We Did It Our Own Way" (2004) on Victimized Records.

The term "Tragic City" became more prominent in 2005 when it was used by the local roller derby team, the Tragic City Rollers.

Tragic City Hardcore Bands

* The Bastards
* Caustic Outlook
* Subject to Change
* The Dougs
* Grossest National Product
* Lockbody
* Thik Chicken
* Blue Eyed Boy Mister Death
* Korova
* No Price Paid
* The Cleansing Power of Fire
* Skeptic?
* Slag
* Sick of Talk
* Your Loss
* Die Young
* Steel City Crime
* Legion
* The Recluse
* Pariah