GVA HxC: appropriation, adaptation and evolution – a contextual observation of Geneva’s hardcore scene

This chapter concentrates on the early 2000s hardcore scene in Geneva, Switzerland, frequently abbreviated as GVA HxC. We begin by discussing the evolution of the American scene, followed by an overview of ideology and musical conventions, paying specific attention to the Geneva scene. By analysing the roles played by the local alternative network, the ‘squatting movement’ and self-managed venues in the expansion and downfall of Geneva’s scene, we address whether a hardcore scene can prosper in a city such as Geneva. In other words, raising questions over whether it can still be called hardcore if its musical and ideological conventions are challenged, and whether there can be several possible interpretations of these conventions.