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From the reviews of 'A Hardcore Heart'... David is a 'lifer' - he's been around the block and earnt his stripes - and 'A Hardcore Heart' is not only a fascinating insight into the reality of touring with an underground hardcore band, but an invigorating time capsule of a punk scene before Instagram, Facebook and MySpace, even before mobile phones, sat navs and Google Maps. It's a veritable ode to being in the wrong place at the wrong time, an underdog story with (spoiler alert!) no happy ending, yet that won't stop its bittersweet narrative from putting a wry smile on your face. Ian Glasper- Down For Life Want to know what it was really like to submerge yourself in the nineties Hardcore scene? To live, eat, breathe, and be consumed by punk rock? Or what the reality of being in a touring band that lived hand to mouth and played more shows than the author cares to, or probably can remember, for the sheer joy of playing and not a whole lot else? Then you need to read 'A Hardcore Heart', a book that's a love letter to the intoxicating joy of music, the enduring power of friendship, loyalty, and the overwhelming desire to create something from nothing and forge a better tomorrow. Thoroughly recommended. Tim Cundle - Mass Movement The key to the success of this weighty tome is in the title: heart. Intelligently written, Gamage avoids the alienating aspects of much academic work, while not succumbing to the flat prose of so many punk memoirs. Every facet of DIY punk scene involvement is here and, that it takes place mostly in the nineties, is frankly irrelevant. Every word imbued with an excitable fervour; this is timeless, essential storytelling that will speak to anyone - from any era - who has spent time immersed in the DIY punk scene. Steve Midwinter - Personal Punk Stories like these are much more interesting than biographies of multi-millionaire rock stars who became famous playing safe, lowest common denominator pap. A book like this tells the story of people finding their own voice and doing something because they believe in it. Andy Pearson - Fear and Loathing There have been hundreds of books, films and documentaries about punk rock, it's initial explosion and the impact it had. They all have their merits, but all seem to think it all stopped in 1979. While a lot of the old guard moved on, punk didn't die, it moved underground and became more pure, more political and much more relevant to a new generation. While those early bands talked the talk, these new kids were walking the walk, punk was now a lifestyle. Like a lot of us, David found himself immersed in this and spells out how he got involved, how it all worked and why it was so intoxicating. A lot of fun was had, and a lot of long- standing friendships were forged. This book is important as it documents our history. It was an exciting time that deserves to be remembered and celebrated as it was just as important as the initial explosion of punk rock in the late 1970s. Tony Whatley - Suspect Device Gamage's accounts of a life in the UK punk and hardcore scene are incredibly readable. His enthusiasm for things that happened some 30-odd years ago is described with fondness and humour, rather than being reliant upon nostalgia. Where Henry Rollins' classic tour diaries collected in 'Get in the Van' read like epistles of misery and persecution complexes, Gamage is all about gratitude at being involved at all, and a seemingly boundless enthusiasm for building and maintaining a punk scene. Tony Maher - Apathy and Exhaustion

From the reviews of 'A Hardcore Heart'... David is a 'lifer' - he's been around the block and earnt his stripes - and 'A Hardcore Heart' is not only a fascinating insight into the reality of touring with an underground hardcore band, but an invigorating time capsule of a punk scene before Instagram, Facebook and MySpace, even before mobile phones, sat navs and Google Maps. It's a veritable ode to being in the wrong place at the wrong time, an underdog story with (spoiler alert!) no happy ending, yet that won't stop its bittersweet narrative from putting a wry smile on your face. Ian Glasper- Down For Life Want to know what it was really like to submerge yourself in the nineties Hardcore scene? To live, eat, breathe, and be consumed by punk rock? Or what the reality of being in a touring band that lived hand to mouth and played more shows than the author cares to, or probably can remember, for the sheer joy of playing and not a whole lot else? Then you need to read 'A Hardcore Heart', a book that's a love letter to the intoxicating joy of music, the enduring power of friendship, loyalty, and the overwhelming desire to create something from nothing and forge a better tomorrow. Thoroughly recommended. Tim Cundle - Mass Movement The key to the success of this weighty tome is in the title: heart. Intelligently written, Gamage avoids the alienating aspects of much academic work, while not succumbing to the flat prose of so many punk memoirs. Every facet of DIY punk scene involvement is here and, that it takes place mostly in the nineties, is frankly irrelevant. Every word imbued with an excitable fervour; this is timeless, essential storytelling that will speak to anyone - from any era - who has spent time immersed in the DIY punk scene. Steve Midwinter - Personal Punk Stories like these are much more interesting than biographies of multi-millionaire rock stars who became famous playing safe, lowest common denominator pap. A book like this tells the story of people finding their own voice and doing something because they believe in it. Andy Pearson - Fear and Loathing There have been hundreds of books, films and documentaries about punk rock, it's initial explosion and the impact it had. They all have their merits, but all seem to think it all stopped in 1979. While a lot of the old guard moved on, punk didn't die, it moved underground and became more pure, more political and much more relevant to a new generation. While those early bands talked the talk, these new kids were walking the walk, punk was now a lifestyle. Like a lot of us, David found himself immersed in this and spells out how he got involved, how it all worked and why it was so intoxicating. A lot of fun was had, and a lot of long- standing friendships were forged. This book is important as it documents our history. It was an exciting time that deserves to be remembered and celebrated as it was just as important as the initial explosion of punk rock in the late 1970s. Tony Whatley - Suspect Device Gamage's accounts of a life in the UK punk and hardcore scene are incredibly readable. His enthusiasm for things that happened some 30-odd years ago is described with fondness and humour, rather than being reliant upon nostalgia. Where Henry Rollins' classic tour diaries collected in 'Get in the Van' read like epistles of misery and persecution complexes, Gamage is all about gratitude at being involved at all, and a seemingly boundless enthusiasm for building and maintaining a punk scene. Tony Maher - Apathy and Exhaustion

Author Information

David Gamage is a musician and author. He's played in bands since his teens, including Couch Potatoes, Joeyfat, Rydell, Come The Spring and The Atlantic Union Project, and is an active part of the alternative music scene, having promoted gigs, edited a fanzine, and run a record label.​He established his current label, Engineer Records, back in 1999 and continues releasing great records to this day, with well over 350 releases and counting. His first book was 'Punk Faction: BHP '91 to '95', a collection of fanzine interviews and articles. His mammoth new book is 'A Hardcore Heart', a 666-page monster of a love-letter to the alternative music scene. He is currently working on his third book.​David lives with his wife and two sons in East Sussex, and when he's not playing with his family and their five cats, or writing, he enjoys travelling, strangling his guitar and introducing others to obscure rock bands.

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