MOSHPITIQUETTE
Harm To Ongoing Matter has the 411
August 9, 2019
With buzz-band-of-the-moment Harm To Ongoing Matter about to go on tour, the group thought it would be a good idea to give their fans a reminder/primer on proper mosh pit etiquette. The band has kindly provided 10 keys to having a kickass time in 'the pit':
1. LEAVE NO MOSHER BEHIND
This is Rule #1: If someone falls, the pit stops to help them back up. Otherwise that someone gets trampled. After they're back on their feet, get them out of the pit if they're hurt or pat them on the back and get back to moshing. Sure, the pit can get a little rough, but everyone's there to mosh, not to kill. Battle scars from moshing shouldn't be anything more than a few bruises and perhaps an actual scar.
2. LOST AND FOUND PROTOCOL REMAINS IN EFFECT
A mosh pit is essentially an adrenaline-laced cyclone of humanity that sucks up anything in its path. So if you see an item sans owner, hold it over your head until it's claimed. Don't worry - it's still quite possible to remain aggro while protecting someone's shoes, pair of glasses, wallet, hat... You'd be surprised how quickly a solid community can develop in a thrashing maelstrom like the pit.
3. PLAYING THE SIDELINE COMES WITH RESPONSIBILITY
Occupying the very edge of the pit means you're either about to jump back in or you're keeping the line where it is. This spot is for people who want somebody to shove but are interested in playing defense for the moment. Don't instigate in this position; you're keeping the action confined. If you'd like to be the one pushing people, hop back in, otherwise it's your place to keep the pit from impeding too much on those outside who simply want to catch the show.
4. KNOW THE BASICS
Mosh pits are like snowflakes and fingerprints - no two are alike. So don't even try to adhere to one certain style. But it does help to know a little bit about what movements are associated with what styles of music. Punk and metal pits used to be a bit more distinct from one another, the former stemming from skanking and circle pits, the latter from slamdance and showy fist flails. Depending on the show you're likely to see a hybrid of all of these, but sometimes the band will literally dictate the format. If someone calls for a wall of death, know ahead of time how to prepare:
1) Slam dancing is the forerunner to modern moshing and is often a synonym for moshing. Slam dancing involves thrashing around in mosh pits -- circular clearings, typically on the dance floors of concert venues. Slam dancers swing their arms and kick their feet to the music. While slam dancing technically does not involve hitting other people, it often happens anyway, due to accidents or aggressive mosh pit participants.
2) Circle moshing involves running or marching around in circles. A group of audience members will all start moving in a circular motion together. There is sometimes pushing involved, but this type of moshing does not involve thrashing or hitting.
3) The Wall of Death is a relatively new form of moshing. Participants move to either side of the dance floor -- typically at the request of the band -- and then run at each other from either side. Once the group meets in the middle, there may be pushing, hitting, thrashing, slam dancing or any form of moshing. Walls of Death get their name from their sheer violence and size.
4) Hardcore Pit Dancing is an combination of three types of moshing and hardcore dancing. There is head banging, which is jerking your head up and down to the rhythm of the music and pogoing, which is rapidly jumping up and down. There is also slam dancing in hardcore moshing.
5) Ninja moshing is a form of moshing generally disliked by participants of other kinds of mosh. It involves frenzied mimicry of martial arts, such as kicking, punching and karate chopping. It also involves a move known as windmilling -- moving both arms in vertical circles. The goal is not necessarily to hit other moshers. However, the nature of ninja moshing often leads to accidents and often causes fights when other moshers are injured.
6) Push moshing is moshing that does not involve hitting or thrashing. Moshers in these pits jump around and bump into each other. The pushing can be more like shoving and may be violent, but most of the danger in these mosh pits lies in falling down. It is common etiquette to stop moshing and help up any person that falls in a push pit.
5. WHERE THE PIT BEGINS AND ENDS
There's no clear-cut point at which the pit is going to start off, and the initial moments in the center of the floor during the opening bands can be tense with potential energy. Some riff or blastbeat will just seem the appropriate time to set things in motion, and everyone will just know it's time. If you've taken upon yourself to be the one that lights the fuse, recognize who else around you seems like they're similarly prepared. Simply leaping into someone else ought to be enough to signal to others it's time, but especially in a smaller crowd, make sure you know who that person should be. Don't be the one to miscalculate and fling an elbow during a band's slower droning section.
6. THROWING THINGS IS GENERALLY FROWNED UPON
Tossing water or beer into the air is a pretty common practice, but don't throw a full water bottle or anything heavy. I once got clocked in the teeth with an open but full can of Surly Furious, which both made a hefty impact and splashed all over my face and clothes. Getting splashed is somewhat of an inevitability, but a full can of beer is like a couple of pounds and that shit can cause some damage. Remember: Houdini died taking a punch he wasn't ready for. Any blows you'll sustain should be fine if you're prepared for them, and an airborne assault can easily catch you off-guard.
7. RESPECT THAT NOT EVERYONE IS THERE FOR THE PIT
Recognize who does and does not want to be involved. It should be clear from their proximity to the pit and whether or not it seems to invite them or scare them. There's no shame in not wanting to mosh. Not everyone wants to wake covered in bruises or take multiple heels to the kidneys. Always remember that elbowing someone with and without breasts are entirely different things, height differentials drastically change the individual experience, and some people actually want to watch the show for whatever reason.
8. KEEPING THE BEAT IS KEY TO YOUR SURVIVAL
Mosh pits are living, breathing organisms. If you're not prepared for the quick-footed barrage brought on by a band's driving uptempo sections, wait for the slower, heavier sections where you can draw out the aggression in larger bursts. The pace can rise and fall both with the band's compositions and with the makeup of the pit itself. While sporadic increases in speed and intensity will crop up if an audience knows what's coming, often natural lulls occur as the people catch their breath, slowly realizing getting punched in the lungs while running in circles can be physically tiring. It's best to try to pace yourself according to the flow of the pit as a whole, otherwise it's easy to lose control over your own movement. If you don't know a band too well and want to mosh at their show, it a good idea to (in the words of Grace Jones) become a slave to the rhythm.
9. DON'T MAKE IT OR TAKE IT PERSONAL
Elbows fly everywhere and aren't intended for anyone in particular. Don't get upset if someone accidentally gets you in the breadbasket or whatever. By the same token, don't target anyone explicitly for whatever reason. This is the joy of fighting other human beings without the unnecessary emotions like anger or loathing.
10. RESPECT THE VENUE STAFF
One of the biggest jobs of the bouncers and venue staff is to keep fights out of their club. If a place is being kind enough to allow some contained acts of violence in the context of slam-dancing, the least you can do is show the staff respect. If they're in the pit with you, it's to keep it safe and make sure there are no injuries. Don't agitate or involve them, and if they remove you from the circle, they had a good reason. Getting pissy about being pulled from crowdsurfing and the like is not necessary. Keep it sane and the staff will likely not bother you. They're just trying to keep everything above board.
With buzz-band-of-the-moment Harm To Ongoing Matter about to go on tour, the group thought it would be a good idea to give their fans a reminder/primer on proper mosh pit etiquette. The band has kindly provided 10 keys to having a kickass time in 'the pit':
1. LEAVE NO MOSHER BEHIND
This is Rule #1: If someone falls, the pit stops to help them back up. Otherwise that someone gets trampled. After they're back on their feet, get them out of the pit if they're hurt or pat them on the back and get back to moshing. Sure, the pit can get a little rough, but everyone's there to mosh, not to kill. Battle scars from moshing shouldn't be anything more than a few bruises and perhaps an actual scar.
2. LOST AND FOUND PROTOCOL REMAINS IN EFFECT
A mosh pit is essentially an adrenaline-laced cyclone of humanity that sucks up anything in its path. So if you see an item sans owner, hold it over your head until it's claimed. Don't worry - it's still quite possible to remain aggro while protecting someone's shoes, pair of glasses, wallet, hat... You'd be surprised how quickly a solid community can develop in a thrashing maelstrom like the pit.
3. PLAYING THE SIDELINE COMES WITH RESPONSIBILITY
Occupying the very edge of the pit means you're either about to jump back in or you're keeping the line where it is. This spot is for people who want somebody to shove but are interested in playing defense for the moment. Don't instigate in this position; you're keeping the action confined. If you'd like to be the one pushing people, hop back in, otherwise it's your place to keep the pit from impeding too much on those outside who simply want to catch the show.
4. KNOW THE BASICS
Mosh pits are like snowflakes and fingerprints - no two are alike. So don't even try to adhere to one certain style. But it does help to know a little bit about what movements are associated with what styles of music. Punk and metal pits used to be a bit more distinct from one another, the former stemming from skanking and circle pits, the latter from slamdance and showy fist flails. Depending on the show you're likely to see a hybrid of all of these, but sometimes the band will literally dictate the format. If someone calls for a wall of death, know ahead of time how to prepare:
1) Slam dancing is the forerunner to modern moshing and is often a synonym for moshing. Slam dancing involves thrashing around in mosh pits -- circular clearings, typically on the dance floors of concert venues. Slam dancers swing their arms and kick their feet to the music. While slam dancing technically does not involve hitting other people, it often happens anyway, due to accidents or aggressive mosh pit participants.
2) Circle moshing involves running or marching around in circles. A group of audience members will all start moving in a circular motion together. There is sometimes pushing involved, but this type of moshing does not involve thrashing or hitting.
3) The Wall of Death is a relatively new form of moshing. Participants move to either side of the dance floor -- typically at the request of the band -- and then run at each other from either side. Once the group meets in the middle, there may be pushing, hitting, thrashing, slam dancing or any form of moshing. Walls of Death get their name from their sheer violence and size.
4) Hardcore Pit Dancing is an combination of three types of moshing and hardcore dancing. There is head banging, which is jerking your head up and down to the rhythm of the music and pogoing, which is rapidly jumping up and down. There is also slam dancing in hardcore moshing.
5) Ninja moshing is a form of moshing generally disliked by participants of other kinds of mosh. It involves frenzied mimicry of martial arts, such as kicking, punching and karate chopping. It also involves a move known as windmilling -- moving both arms in vertical circles. The goal is not necessarily to hit other moshers. However, the nature of ninja moshing often leads to accidents and often causes fights when other moshers are injured.
6) Push moshing is moshing that does not involve hitting or thrashing. Moshers in these pits jump around and bump into each other. The pushing can be more like shoving and may be violent, but most of the danger in these mosh pits lies in falling down. It is common etiquette to stop moshing and help up any person that falls in a push pit.
5. WHERE THE PIT BEGINS AND ENDS
There's no clear-cut point at which the pit is going to start off, and the initial moments in the center of the floor during the opening bands can be tense with potential energy. Some riff or blastbeat will just seem the appropriate time to set things in motion, and everyone will just know it's time. If you've taken upon yourself to be the one that lights the fuse, recognize who else around you seems like they're similarly prepared. Simply leaping into someone else ought to be enough to signal to others it's time, but especially in a smaller crowd, make sure you know who that person should be. Don't be the one to miscalculate and fling an elbow during a band's slower droning section.
6. THROWING THINGS IS GENERALLY FROWNED UPON
Tossing water or beer into the air is a pretty common practice, but don't throw a full water bottle or anything heavy. I once got clocked in the teeth with an open but full can of Surly Furious, which both made a hefty impact and splashed all over my face and clothes. Getting splashed is somewhat of an inevitability, but a full can of beer is like a couple of pounds and that shit can cause some damage. Remember: Houdini died taking a punch he wasn't ready for. Any blows you'll sustain should be fine if you're prepared for them, and an airborne assault can easily catch you off-guard.
7. RESPECT THAT NOT EVERYONE IS THERE FOR THE PIT
Recognize who does and does not want to be involved. It should be clear from their proximity to the pit and whether or not it seems to invite them or scare them. There's no shame in not wanting to mosh. Not everyone wants to wake covered in bruises or take multiple heels to the kidneys. Always remember that elbowing someone with and without breasts are entirely different things, height differentials drastically change the individual experience, and some people actually want to watch the show for whatever reason.
8. KEEPING THE BEAT IS KEY TO YOUR SURVIVAL
Mosh pits are living, breathing organisms. If you're not prepared for the quick-footed barrage brought on by a band's driving uptempo sections, wait for the slower, heavier sections where you can draw out the aggression in larger bursts. The pace can rise and fall both with the band's compositions and with the makeup of the pit itself. While sporadic increases in speed and intensity will crop up if an audience knows what's coming, often natural lulls occur as the people catch their breath, slowly realizing getting punched in the lungs while running in circles can be physically tiring. It's best to try to pace yourself according to the flow of the pit as a whole, otherwise it's easy to lose control over your own movement. If you don't know a band too well and want to mosh at their show, it a good idea to (in the words of Grace Jones) become a slave to the rhythm.
9. DON'T MAKE IT OR TAKE IT PERSONAL
Elbows fly everywhere and aren't intended for anyone in particular. Don't get upset if someone accidentally gets you in the breadbasket or whatever. By the same token, don't target anyone explicitly for whatever reason. This is the joy of fighting other human beings without the unnecessary emotions like anger or loathing.
10. RESPECT THE VENUE STAFF
One of the biggest jobs of the bouncers and venue staff is to keep fights out of their club. If a place is being kind enough to allow some contained acts of violence in the context of slam-dancing, the least you can do is show the staff respect. If they're in the pit with you, it's to keep it safe and make sure there are no injuries. Don't agitate or involve them, and if they remove you from the circle, they had a good reason. Getting pissy about being pulled from crowdsurfing and the like is not necessary. Keep it sane and the staff will likely not bother you. They're just trying to keep everything above board.