HardLore – End Of 2025 Q&A: Chain Reaction Closing, Blood For Blood Reunion, Dream Guests for 2026

Date: December 18, 2025
Hosts: Colin Young (Twitching Tongues / God's Hate), Bo Lueders (Harms Way)
Producer: Knotfest
Episode: End of 2025 Q&A

Overview

The HardLore hosts deliver their traditional “end-of-year Q&A”—an unfiltered, energetic conversation about the state of hardcore, touring highlights, legendary venues, music gear, fitness, Christmas memories, band reunions, and outlandish listener questions. The episode stands out as both a reflection on 2025 and a celebration of “Hardcore + Lore,” with Colin and Bo at their most relatable.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. End-of-Year Vibes & "For The Children" Fest (00:45–13:46)

• Christmas Spirit

  • Both comment on how Christmas feels less magical, perhaps due to age or lack of snow in LA, compared to their snowy Midwestern/East Coast childhoods.
  • [01:17] “I remember trick or treating in snow … historic blizzards, like, every year.” – Bo

• Fest Recap: Boston For The Children

  • This year’s Boston ‘For The Children’ was a massive level-up: 2 nights, 1,500 cap each, both sold out.
  • “Unbelievable sets all around. Day one was Fiddlehead Bane. Day two was Haywire, Twitching Tongues, Skinhead, fucking Yellow Stitches... Beautiful thing to see.” – Colin [02:58]
  • Colin shares personal connections, meeting Dickie from Boston backstage, and a comical story about his dad “punishing” Dickie about Twitching Tongues.
  • Haywire opened with "Impression That I Get" with Dickie and played an hourlong, pro set.
  • Blood For Blood Reunion: Taylor and Jimmy’s management, new & old members, “crazy” set; Colin laments playing after them: “after the Beatles, before Oasis. They fucked me. But nevertheless, we persist.” [07:13]
  • Emphasize the impact: toys collected, generosity, and the tradition’s authenticity compared to other charity drives.

2. Venues & Scene Shifts – Chain Reaction Closing (65:41–70:03)

• Chain Reaction (Southern California) closing
  • Both express mixed feelings: legendary venue, “past its prime,” long drives, but countless hardcore milestones.
  • Iconic shows recalled: Cro-Mags, Madball, Gorilla Biscuits, E Town Concrete, and the notorious Tooth Incident.
  • Nostalgia for the venue’s role post-Showcase, and community contributions, “it was so important for Southern California hardcore for so long.” – Colin

3. Blood For Blood Reunion & New Era (06:17–07:46, 12:28)

• Details on the “new era” lineup, including OG members and “Big Justin, the fourth strongest man in America on guitar.”
• The sonic and emotional impact, with the band now “basically a Connecticut hardcore band.”
• “Dude, it was unreal… Playing after them was the worst shit ever because it was so good.” – Colin [06:19]
• Harms Way covered “Paper Gangster” at Burning Fight Fest.

4. Q&A Highlights—Humor, Insights & Tangents

Straight Edge: Floorpunch vs. Earth Crisis? (13:58–15:01)

• Bo: “1000% floortpunch straight edge. Much more interested in stage diving sing along than spin kicking.”
• Colin: “I am scientifically Earth Crisis straight edge. Mainly because Earth Crisis is the reason I'm straight edge.” [14:52]

Dream Guests for 2026 (15:44–16:58)

• Bo: Jerry Cantrell (“realistically possible”).
• Colin: Hints at an “unexpected” director/composer who “nobody would guess”—teased for 2026.

Meals of the Year & Foodie Content (18:25–21:29)

• Tokyo beef tongue, London’s crackling pork sandwich, Boston’s MOO (“bisque with souffle crust,” “smoked beef tartare”).
• Vibrant food descriptions and recall of shared meals.

American Nightmare vs. Cody Rhodes & WWE Lawsuit (21:32–23:06)

• Both enthusiastically support Wes' legal move: “Get that money. They own the name… you think WWE wouldn't do the opposite?” – Bo [21:38]
• General condemnation of WWE’s overreach and defense of hardcore rights.

Fitness on Tour (24:46–25:54)

• Bo credits a tour routine: “Five out of five of us go to the gym… And you're doing crazy cardio every night.”

Musical Gear—Worst & Best (34:37–37:26)

• Bo: Crate “furry head” amp was “dog.” Mental/Justice borrowed it—“sounded like ball sack.”
• Colin: “Did not connect” with the quad cortex, but praises Dunnable custom guitar as “spectacular.”

On Band Breakups & Band Merch (107:13–108:15)

• Both agree that most “breakups are fake—fake-ups” in 2025, unless there’s an outright cancellation.
• It's case by case; breakups no longer mean what they did in previous decades.

5. Scene Trends, Mosh Moves & Pit Culture (89:53–91:22)

• Trends the hosts want to end/continue:

  • Bo celebrates resurgence of floor-punching and stage-diving, vs. spin kicks.
  • Both want to “kill the horseshoe” (empty semicircle at the front of the crowd)— urge people to “just get in the mix.”

• Pit Moves They Wish They Could Do (99:34–100:29)

  • Colin: Standing backflip (“Seb from Regulate can do it. I gotta learn that.”)
  • Bo: Butterfly/spin kick (“I can't even raise my leg above my belt.”)

• Bands Seen Most

  • Both: “Terror. For sure.” (Likely ~100 times for Colin.)

6. Band Reunions & "If You Could Sign Any Band..." (23:08–24:04)

• Colin: Floorpunch (“Give me one more guys.”); Minor Threat rumors (“They get together and play all the time…”)
• Bo: Underdog, “even if it’s just reggae,” would soothe.

7. Notable Listener Questions—Fun Answers & Quotes

• # of Mozzarella Sticks in 10 Minutes (45:34–48:41)

  • Both estimate between 15–20, debating stick sizes and strategies.

• Biggest Laugh of 2025 (29:02–30:17)

  • Reminiscing about persistent hilarious ad-reads and “belly laughs” on and off air.

• Most Chuffed All Year (17:00–18:24)

  • After the Davey Havok episode and “euphoric” post-interview dinner.

• Band You Love That Most of Hardcore Hates (26:19–27:04)

  • Colin: Coheed & Cambria (“Tough sell to a lot of people, but I love them…”)

• Advice for Depression & Motivation (51:23–53:13)

  • Both advocate for either social time (“do stuff with your friends”) or healthy solitude depending on age and mood; “don’t feel bad about not accomplishing something.”

• Spotify Wrapped & Listening Ages (00:00/114:00–116:53)

  • Bo’s “listening age” is 83; Colin, 52.
  • “You decrepit old bastard. 83 is crazy.” – Colin [116:54]
  • Top artists: Stan Getz, Brian Eno, Crowbar (Bo); Post Animal, Lady Gaga, Into Another, Morrissey, Jade (Colin).

• Mount Rushmore of Floorpunch Songs (80:04–80:44)

  • “Intro, Changes, No Exceptions, Wash Up at 18.” Honorable mention: “It Won’t Happen to Us.”

• Favorite Gift Given/Received (71:26–78:38)

  • Bo: GameCube at peak demand; extremely disappointing pair of too-small rollerblades.
  • Colin: Game Boy Color with Pokémons Red & Blue—first “thing that was mine.”

• If you could have unlimited drinks from your fingers, what would they be? (110:21–111:31)

  • Water, Diet Coke, Fairlife Vanilla Protein, Baja Blast Zero, White Monster.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

"Playing after [Blood For Blood] was the worst shit ever because it was so good. ... After the Beatles, before Oasis.”
— Colin (07:13)

“Get that bag, Wes. Fuck the Fed, dude.”
— Colin (22:23)

"You decrepit old bastard. 83 is crazy."
— Colin (116:54)

"I'm much more interested in floor punching and stage diving sing along than I am spin kicking. And I do think that's a difference."
— Bo (14:33)

“Breakups are fake. Fake-ups.”
— Colin (107:40)

“If you have style while you're doing this ridiculous thing we've all done, that's amazing to me. ... There’s really three types of mashers—those who look good, the ones who are just wrecking balls, and the ones who don’t look good.”
— Bo (90:31)

“When we go to shows, and old heads and young heads alike are like, love the show. I listened to this band because of you guys... That's the coolest thing to me.”
— Bo (79:27)

Timeline of Important Segments

| Timestamp | Topic/Segment | |-------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–02:31 | Opening, Christmas vibes, "Spotify rap" joke | | 02:44–13:46 | Boston For The Children recap, Haywire set, Blood For Blood reunion | | 24:46 | Bo's tour fitness routine, healthy choices | | 34:37–37:26 | Worst & best gear owned, Dunnable guitars praise | | 45:34 | Mozzarella stick eating challenge Q&A | | 51:23–53:13 | Motivation & depression Q&A | | 65:41–70:03 | Chain Reaction closing: memories & impact | | 80:04 | Floorpunch song Mt. Rushmore | | 99:34–100:33| Pit moves they wish they could do | | 107:13 | Band breakups: fake or real? | | 114:00–116:53| Spotify Wrapped & listening ages | | 117:35–119:32| Patreon support & guitar giveaway story | | 121:23–122:41| USPS/Post office rant |

Tone & Style

The episode is lively and irreverent, full of inside jokes and affectionate ribbing, peppered with deep nostalgia and sincere gratitude for the hardcore community. Colin and Bo shift seamlessly from goofy banter to poignant insight, making the conversation both lighthearted and meaningful for scene veterans and newcomers alike.

Summary

This episode epitomizes the spirit of HardLore: celebrating hardcore’s past and present, paying homage to the legends (Blood For Blood, Chain Reaction), reminiscing about tour and scene shenanigans, sharing practical wisdom, and never skimping on laughter and community. Essential listening for anyone who wants an honest, entertaining window into the end-of-year mindset of two scene lifers.