Various Artists – “Cancer Sucks, Hardcore Doesn’t” [Album Review]

In recent years the emphasis on DIY has waxed and waned – for most, it’s the difference between the ease for people to consume versus the extra value their time and ability can actually create. However, it is becoming more and more apparent that DIY has a place in not just personal space (like cooking, maintaining property) but also in the wider political and charitable sphere. Take the latter for instance: while it is widely accepted that charities remain tax-free organisations, there is comparatively little oversight on these organisations, and more troubling still is the fact they can often run amok according to how their culture and governance framework operates.

And it’s exactly a result of this stuffy, inefficient and ineffective framework that drove Peter Beswick to create his own compilation and manage donations to Cancer Research himself. He said so himself to us, stating, “There is nothing to say beyond, worked with Macmillan previously. They were a nightmare. I didn’t want to do it again.”

This is the stage that people usually give up. As Beswick says though, “I still wanted to help fight Cancer.”

DIY isn’t just YouTube tutorials and reality shows. Nor is it the often static view of punk’s favourite pastimes like zines or dumpster diving. It’s about utilising what you know, what you love, how it can be remunerative, and how it can help the world (the recent emergence of the Japanese word ikigai being a popular example of this concept). And it’s clear that this is precisely what Beswick did, albeit more organically, as he says in his own words:

“Cancer Research seems better as it gets to the route of the problem – stopping the disease. And, I used to be in a hardcore metal band in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. I have always loved Hardcore and wanted to work with some of the exciting bands out there – so I did.”

Play and enjoy, but also pay and help out! Stream the album here:

The result is a compilation that isn’t just a fundraiser for a noble cause. Like all really good compilations, it manages to cut across a wealth of bands, artists, musicians, and soundscapes that are currently active in hardcore punk in all its myriad forms today. It would be disappointing if the focus was solely on fundraising – Fortunately, that couldn’t be further from the case, and the result is a fascinating study of hardcore across the globe. It’s a storm in a bottle, and the fact that it helps support a cause on its own terms doesn’t hurt either.

Half of all proceeds are contributed to Cancer Research every month. Go to their Bandcamp and pay what you can – even if it’s just a buck or pound or euro or whatever – and help support humans doing their best, on their own terms, to help other humans.

Cancer Sucks, Hardcore Doesn’t Track Listing:

01. LIFT – “Pressure
02. Infinite Crisis – “Cosmo The Destroyer”
03. Time And Pressure – “Annhilation”
04. Swing Low – “Death Tax”
05. Hold The Crown – “Out Of Strength”
06. Taylor Mountain – “The Lovers, The Graves”
07. Violent By Design – “7 Trumpets”
08. Empire – “The Beast”
09. Primitive Rage – “My Hell Is Here”
10. Capital Enemy – “Bred Into Conflict”
11. Kabal – “Last Sun”
12. Gloves Off – “Roanoke”

Run Time: 35:37
Release Date: August 28, 2019
Record Label: Self-Released