Emo Love

Being a scenester is a bit more than just being someone who styles their hair big and ‘banged’ up, wears tight jeans and has multiply piercings. You have to actually be an active and dedicated member of the ’scene’ which refers of course to the music scene, and this means going to concerts, watching live bands and generally hanging out with other music lovers. This can basically rule out anyone under 18, as they will not have the funds or the wheels to go to lots of concerts, so you can get ’scene’ kids who dress, look and talk the part but they are probably not really true scenesters.

Most scenesters are SERIOUS music lovers who know and love all sorts of random bands and gigging spots. You basically have to be a groupie of the first degree to be properly in the scene, and be able to converse intelligently on a range of cool bands such as Metro Station, Kill Paradise and Breathe Carolina, and you should also have a really good knowledge base on up and coming local bands. It is completely proper to spend most of the gig you are attending at the bar discussing the music…rather than actually listening to it - scenesters are the intellectuals in the groupie world after all!

Scenesters are usually associated with the more intelligent versions of rock/metal/punk music but, and this is important, scenesters are absolutely NOT punks or metal heads. Basically anything that is new, deep or ironically subversive is normally acceptable in the scenester music collection.

In terms of fashion, scenesters can go either way. When attending concerts efforts are normally made to dress it up a bit (but avoid designer labels, this indicates a certain shallow exterior and is not at all deep or subversive enough), but generally once you are immersed in the music scene and can talk for hours on a range of musical issues your clothes and hair become irrelevant anyway.

Remember that if you want to be a scenester you have to be a part of the music scene, and know more about a band than just what their website tells you.