Every December, Los Angeles’s SOS Booking unites the hardcore community to make the holiday season a whole lot happier with For The Children, their annual holiday toy drive that brings together the holy trinity of hardcore – music, community, and service to others. Last year, 2024, marked over fifteen years that SOS has been giving back to the Los Angeles community and beyond.
For those who don’t know, not only does For The Children put on one of the most anticipated two day hardcore lineups of the year, but, along with paid admission, attendees are asked to donate what they can to make the holidays brighter for children in need. Every year, donations collected as a part of the toy drive reach countless children and families throughout Southern California and beyond, bringing holiday happiness to those who might otherwise go without. Even though the Grinch tried to steal Christmas on night one this year, when thieves targeted one of the vans holding donated toys, the hardcore holiday spirit proved unbreakable and members of the community came together and stepped up to not only replace what was taken, but donate even more to those in need. Proof, once again, that when the hardcore community comes together, incredible things are possible, and that giving back to the community is truly what LA hardcore is about.
Both days of For the Children 2024 boasted spectacular line ups of talent, the fest presenting a seamless audience experience by operating two stages within the venue, one in the main theater and the other in an upstairs ballroom that allowed for a more intimate setting, in alternating set times.
Saturday (day one) saw sixteen bands perform, with upstairs highlights including SoCal’s first glimpse of Hudson Valley’s Fatal Realm, an impressive victory lap performance from COA, and hometown legends-in-the-making Desmadre turning the upstairs room into a wall to wall pit. On the main stage, Clique brought the energy in their opening set, and it was beautiful to see Year of the Knife return to Los Angeles in fighting form after the 2023 accident that nearly cost them their lives. LAHC legends Alpha & Omega brought pure chaotic energy to the night in a set that set the entire theater in motion, and Torture packed the room as bodies clashed and surged the stage in one of the most anticipated sets of the night. The night descended into beautiful chaos as Comeback Kid, 100 Demons, and Mindforce rounded out the evening, wild energy filling the theater as each of these legends left it all on the stage and in the pit for a great cause.
With an incredible first day of the fest in the books, Sunday saw another seventeen bands take to the stages of the Belasco, and, as news of the late night break-in to one of the trucks holding toy donations spread quickly between the bands and fest goers, there was a renewed sense of community and urgency surging throughout the day. In an incredible moment during the Minority Unit set, vocalist Walter Delgado addressed the news and urged everyone in attendance to support the bands and amazing cause in whatever way they were able, noting the profound impact For The Children has on families and children in need every year. “It’s really beautiful to see my friends be part of something much bigger than themselves…Everybody does their best to contribute, and everybody does their best for this scene. LA is very, very fucking special.” From the screams and applause that filled the theater, it was clear every single person in The Belasco that night agreed.
More highlights from Sunday included New York legends One King Down making a triumphant return to the stage in front of a packed upstairs audience, Big Ass Truck putting on one of the most fun sets of the night, the entire theater singing along with The Beautiful Ones, and On Broken Wings turning the pit into a war zone. Big Boy, as always, brought the party, but it was Minority Unit who called the entire sold out house to attention with a beautiful nod to their heritage by opening the set with a traditional rendition of the Mexican ranchera song “Volver, Volver,” and then continuing to burn through song after song in a relentless set that left the entire room screaming for more. NYHC luminaries Gorilla Biscuits brought the night home with a set that truly brought out the hardcore pride in every single person in attendance, and by the time the night was over everyone in the sold out theater was left exhausted but elated. SOS Booking and over three dozen bands had put on another incredible weekend of music, community, and holiday spirit that would continue paying joy forward for the rest of the holiday season to come.
Galleries
All photos by Ray Camacho – https://raymondecamacho.myportfolio.com – IG: @punk_monk_ray
100 Demons
Alpha and Omega
Big Ass Truck
Big Boy
Clique
COA
Comeback Kid
Desmadre
Ends of Sanity
Exit Strategy
Extinguish
Fatal Realm
Final Resting Place
God Awful
Gorilla Biscuits
Hereditary
Hold My Own
Human Garbage
Leave No Doubt
Lie
Mindforce
Minority Unit
Mizery
Never Ending Game
No Way Out
On Broken Wings
One King Down
Peace of Mind
Skourge
The Beautiful Ones
The Killer
Torture
Year Of The Knife
