It’s been all quiet on the Bane front for some time now. To be fair, they did release their final record in 2014, and played their final show in 2016, but little did we know, the Worcester, Massachusetts hardcore kings have been quietly whittling away at a passion project, the official documentary Holding These Moments, which has been released worldwide today.
Unlike many of our favourite band documentaries, Holding These Moments wasn’t some cold, calculated promotional move schemed by label heads. Instead, this was a labour of love for Bane devotee and talented filmmaker Dan Elswick and editor Ricardo Cozzolino. Much to Elswick’s surprise, the project soon outgrew the confounds of a tip-of-the-hat to the iconic hardcore troupe, exploding into a homage that highlights the “challenges of living and creating art on your own terms,” tapping into a universal heartbeat of community, the slings and arrows of creative culture, and ultimately “questioning relevance and living a life of meaning amidst one’s art.”
Holding These Moments was pieced together using footage captured by Elswick, who followed Bane on their farewell tour between 2015 and 2016, talking heads and deeply personal and engaging interviews with the band members.
“Holding These Moments, the feature-length documentary film tells the story of the Massachusetts hardcore band BANE’s formation as it follows them through their final tour,” production company The Queen City Pictures states. “It’s an emotional love letter to the band, their fans, and their legacy. It is about loving a community so much that you never want to let it go. The film explores how friendships can transform into a family.”
If the below trailer isn’t enough to get your palms sweaty, perhaps the band’s commentary is. “We are so so excited for everyone to see it,” they posted to socials. “Everyone in the band has watched it and were originally pretty nervous that it was going to come out as some cheesy story about our band, but it is anything but that and we loved it so much. It’s fun, it’s sad, and all about the life we loved in this amazing scene for 20+ years.”
After spending two decades as the undisputed lords of hardcore, the legacy of Bane simply cannot be understated. Many of the current wave of hardcore acts will proudly wear their Bane influences for all to see. With their 1998 debut album Holding This Moment, the film’s namesake, Bane essentially kicked in the doors of the hardcore punk community, sending a stern and clear message that this was their house now. Each subsequent record, whether it be 1999’s It All Comes Down To This, 2001’s Give Blood, 2005’s The Note, or their final, 2014’s Don’t Wait Up, instantly become talismanic not just to fans, but the culture at large.
Bane had a special place in the hearts of Australian fans, and indeed Australian fans in the heart of Bane. Our far-flung island was included in their 2015 final tour, one of the many times they braved that awful flight for our entertainment.
Eventually, the pressures of family life and reality led to Bane making the tough decision to pack up their gear, but the home truths and hard-learned lessons in their music continue to resonate.
