James wrote:Saying Metallica had "no image" is not particularly accurate, as their every-day attire clearly defined them as early 80s metal fanatics; it's hardly like they just got on stage and were not recognizable as adherents to the metal fashions of the time.

nicely put James.


I don't think you should need to dress in any particular way, but i also don't think there is anything wrong with it. If you enjoy dressing up to go on stage then why is that a problem, so many great artists and bands through-out musical history have used dressing up (to different extents) as a way of expressing themselves and enhancing their on-stage persona. Of course there is one thing dressing a certain way to reinforce what you do, but if you dress a certain way to try and give off the impressoion you are something you are not... then you are poseur scum.


every band has its own image, whether or not its a concious descision.[/code]

I dress up on stage, it's just my idea of dressing up is usually a nice polo shirt.

People can do whatever the hell they want, but I've always hated the way image is associated with music. I know it is and that's the way it is and blah blah blah the bloody music industry blah blah blah but I hate everything, I just want amazing music. Basically what jamie said, people can dress the way they want if it makes them happy, but the image should never be a focal point over the music. The moment thrash becomes more famous for white trainers and skinny fit clothing rather then for being good music is the moment I get really upset. There shouldn't be a uniform for thrash, there shouldn't be a uniform for any genre. But if people want to have fun, fine.

I do love it though when people automatically assume I'm rubbish because I don't wear anything ridiculous and don't have long hair and I look like a ten year old and sometimes wear a t-shirt with The Incredibles on it (it's a good film!), then they can't believe it when they finally see that I'm amazing. And they go, "Oh yeah... you are the best."

I have started a thread which is still on topic by its second page!!!!

Do i get a christmas present???

Image is really important. I'm much more likely to look favourably on a band wearing leather, spikes, t-shirts of underground bands, etc. If they don't, it lessens the chances of them being dedicated to metal and the underground, and of playing music I like (see Heretic).

Basically, all thrash bands should look like Possessed!

Yes! The IDEAL moment to launch my second hand wheelchair business!




I'm going to hell.

zykloned wrote:Yes! The IDEAL moment to launch my second hand wheelchair business!




I'm going to hell.

Dammit you got there first.

Of course it doesn't matter what a band wears on stage, as long as the music's good they can wear whatever they want.
We've played with the old dressing-up in the past, when we started out, but it's kind of petered out these days. We're always talking about bringing it back, so we'll see. We do put a little thought into what we wear on stage, but it's normally nothing more than picking an appropriately cool t-shirt from our intimidatingly awesome collection.
We're pretty much wearing our day-to-day clothes up there, but there's no harm in getting theatrical either - it's a big part of rock 'n' roll isn't it?

It's cool for a band to be wearing their day to day gear onstage but the day to day clothes worn by a lot of people on here is a far cry from what a lot of other people wear...

I don't think a band needs to look like Lordi but if they don't look very metal I think they're off to a bad start when it comes to winning people over, me included.

jonny_boy34 wrote:I look like a ten year old and sometimes wear a t-shirt with The Incredibles on it (it's a good film!)

*scoff*

Can you blame them for judging you for that?




Personally, image means very little to me. I usually listen to a band before I actually see who they are anyway, and if I see a band I've never heard before live, I usually watch the guitar player's fingers rather than look at what he's wearing. In fact, I'm actually kinda put off by bands like Lordi that wear loads of crap because I immediately think that they're more about style than music.

FaceTheSlayer wrote:

jonny_boy34 wrote:I look like a ten year old and sometimes wear a t-shirt with The Incredibles on it (it's a good film!)

*scoff*

Can you blame them for judging you for that?




Personally, image means very little to me. I usually listen to a band before I actually see who they are anyway, and if I see a band I've never heard before live, I usually watch the guitar player's fingers rather than look at what he's wearing. In fact, I'm actually kinda put off by bands like Lordi that wear loads of crap because I immediately think that they're more about style than music.

Indeed. I honestly don't give a shit at all what a band is wearing, and if they're all dressed up like retards it puts me off instantly (if I haven't heard the music beforehand). I'd much rather see a band looking like normal people playing great music. Again, on the other hand as someone else said, theatricality is a big part of rock, so if it suits the music then I'll accept it. But in the case of thrash, I don't think it's quite necessary, unless the band genuinely just has fun from wearing humorous clothing, rather than thinking they have to because 'that's thrash'.

Resilience Records wrote:I don't think you should need to dress in any particular way, but i also don't think there is anything wrong with it. If you enjoy dressing up to go on stage then why is that a problem, so many great artists and bands through-out musical history have used dressing up (to different extents) as a way of expressing themselves and enhancing their on-stage persona. Of course there is one thing dressing a certain way to reinforce what you do, but if you dress a certain way to try and give off the impressoion you are something you are not... then you are poseur scum.

This sums it up really well for me.

All great bands in rock and metal history have had a certain 'look' - it doesn't have to be anything over the top, but it nonetheless makes them look like a serious and unified project.

I don't think dressing outlandishly is necessary, but I don't think it is necessarily a bad thing either. The early Slayer image is AMAZING, and NOT FOR COMEDY VALUE you bastards!!!

But even regarding more minor issues, I think subtlties are important. If I was in a band and had a say in the "image" for example, I would ban three-quarter-length cut off trousers, as well as blue jeans (too casual), and probably normal looking (non- high top) trainers. But it depends on the music style - I'm thinking more of a classic heavy metal outfit (pardon the pun), which I think would just look like a pub covers band if they got on to the stage dressed in jeans and trainers - it would just reinforce an amateurish part-timer image.

Choice of band shirt would probably have to be quite subtle as well - I'd rather the whole band wore plain non-band shirts than exhibited really predictable shirts or both wore a shirt of the same band.

My influence image wise comes from Napalm Death. They're the perfect example of down to earth, normal guys playing really heavy and genuine music. I try to take this approach and so do most of the others in Heretic, but whether or not we achieve it on both ends is arguable. I'm just a big advocate of music first, image second.

MartinC wrote: I'm just a big advocate of music first, image second.

Probably an entertainer third.