KARISHMA D'MELLO
Caught in a mosh :
The evolution of a ritual
A
long with the rock fists, the head banging and the crowd
surfing, another ritualistic and more aggressive tendency
that prevails at live concerts is “moshing” or slam
dancing. While this has become almost inevitable at live metal
concerts and continues to find its way into a lot of genres, it
owes its roots to the hardcore punk of the late 70s in California.
Starting off as mindless dances, it soon found its way to a
much more aggressive version of itself, thriving in the electric
atmospheres created by bands like Minor Threat and Black Flag.
However, over time, while punk evolved into a less hardcore
version of itself, metal continued to find its way into extremism
– creating the widespread rise of trash and increasingly heavier
metal. This in turn brought with it the infectious spread of
active physical expression that would ultimately take form
as mosh pits. The release of Anthrax’s “caught in a mosh” is
popularly regarded as the tipping point for setting the practice
into full swing.
Of course, no one expected crowds to sit cross legged, eating
tuna sandwiches at a Slayer concert, but the ritualistic
demonstrations of moshing have often taken things to the other
end of the spectrum, becoming a breeding ground of violent,
physical aggression that gave rise to brutal repercussions.
In 1996, in the very first instance of its kind, a girl lost her
life at a Smashing Pumpkins concert, after being “pushed too
hard” into the pit, triggering what was a fatal heart attack. The
band, have since then taken a strong stance, advocating against
the practice, along with several other musicians. This was by
no means the last of tragic incidences, and soon other artists
began to follow suit, and ban mosh pits at their own shows. The
animalistic frenzy within the crowd, often likened to demonic
possession, has often pushed its own limits and caused a number
of fatalities at live concerts.
Triggering a curiosity within “non-moshers” (for lack of a better
word) and their counterparts alike, the psychology behind this
hardcore ritual has been studied for a long time. One of the most
notable (and oddest) of discoveries owing to a study conducted
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by scientists at the Cornell University in the United States of
America, where they concluded that individuals within the
mosh pit behave an awful lot like gas molecules – moving and
coming in contact with each other in the way that particles do.
Another analysis inferred that the crowds were mimicking
tribes of Papua New Guinea, where communities would divide
themselves into groups and behave in some sort of “controlled
chaotic” fashion.
Ultimately, most of these studies seem to fixate on the presence
or desire to foster a sort of internal spirit of community and
camaraderie within fellow fans of a specific genre of music.
This is especially prevalent in genres that tend to attract a more
alternative audience, that perhaps find themselves alienated
from the public in more conventional situations. The freedom
to exhibit uncontrolled, pent up emotions in a (non-literal) “safe
space” can also be extremely cathartic and is often regarded as
a “mentally healthy” practice, for a lot of people. Now of course,
this isn’t always the case and sometimes, it can also be a result
of “peer pressure” or an accidental shove.
With the increase of injuries, legal allegations and the growing
lack of space at concert venues, this practice seems to be dying
out. Some countries along with a few organizations and concert
venues have sought to ban mosh pits completely. However,
much like any questionable ritual, the world hasn’t witnessed
its last pit, yet. While the practice might be restricted to a
few select, underground venues, they exist nevertheless, and
probably always will – in some nook or cranny of the world, for
those looking to find them.