Thoughts about the Ink And Dagger 2010 reunion with Geoff Rickly
I am realising now that this title makes it seem like I have written this with the help of Geoff Rickly. Suprise! JOKE. Anyway, he is not here, so don't get too crazy. This piece of writing is about the reunion in 2010 of the incredibly influential hardcore punk band, Ink and Dagger. This reunion was particularly special because it was ten years after Ink and Dagger's front man, Sean McCabe, passed away. Geoff Rickly was already close with the members of the band, and has a similar singing voice to Sean and so I can only assume he was the only replacement they had in mind. I love Ink and Dagger, but I love Thursday and Geoff Rickly even more, so I will mainly talk about his involvement in the reunion shows.The scenes answer to the straight-edge macho bands which had dominated hardcore in the early 90s, Ink and Dagger were something completely different. Sporting vampire makeup before Stephanie Meyer had beautified them, Ink and Dagger became cult icons - the world's first non-corny horror hardcore-punk band. Front-man Sean was particularly controversial in the scene, spotted at incidents like the time vegan straight-edge band, Earth Crisis, got pelted with yoghurt, was carried into an Ink and Dagger show in a coffin. Ink and Dagger shows were notoriously insane, complete with monologues and an overenthusiastic crowd. There is something so magical about seeing a hardcore band play- getting pushed around to your favourite songs, the whole room screaming. I can imagine an Ink and Dagger show was like the best hardcore band you've ever seen, but even better. For Geoff Rickly and Tom Keeley, seeing Ink and Dagger live was so good, it made them want to start a band.
2010, the Ink and Dagger reunion. One year before Thursday would break up. The reaction to the shows was mixed, with many fans happy they would be able to see the band play, but also understandably missing Sean from the band. The pressure for Geoff must have been unimaginable. In all black and in the quintessential Ink and Dagger vampire makeup, the band would step on stage each night, paying tribute to a friend they lost and to a scene long since changed. In Geoff's career alone, the scene had changed dramatically from basement shows and DIY ethics to performing alongside bands like Bring Me The Horizon on The Vans Warped Tour. One could even say that the popularity of Thursday's Understanding In A Car Crash helped to move the scene into this mainstream direction. As if Sean's shoes weren't big enough already to fill, the reunion shows were also tinged with the ironic notion that the current Ink and Dagger front-man had at one point inadvertently altered the scene so much, it was unrecognisable. With the mounting pressure, as Geoff would mention in his book - Someone Who Isn't Me, he was unable to perform the shows sober, and could only assume the disappointment of fellow Ink and Dagger bandmates. This conversation with Don from Ink and Dagger, like most of the book, is presented as fiction but leaves readers with the very real notion that it could have happened. I watch myself swaying on the stage, barely able to stand.
"I was so fucking scared. Sean was my idol. I didn't want to disgrace his memory by being too timid. So I tried to channel some of his chaos. "
"He was your idol, but he was my best friend. Did you think following him down that same path to an early death wouldn't affect me? Did you think I wouldn't blame myself?"
(Someone Who Isn't Me, Geoff Rickly)
The reunion shows were well received. There were nine in total and the band have not played since.
Still not sure why I wrote this/ what the point of it was, but if you watch at least a clip of the shows, hopefully you can see why I wanted to write about the context. The videos are incredible, but also eerie as fuck knowing that Geoff is like out of his mind, at least he is sober now.
Ink and Dagger shows 2010 (in order of my favourite)
- Ink and Dagger Los Angeles 2010 MUSIC VIDEO- Ink and Dagger live at Party Expo on August 12, 2010
- [hate5six] Ink & Dagger - August 15, 2010
