Posted the vid clip above for "Stick Stickley" by the musical group Attack Attack! a few days ago (which is now gone from You Tube and replaced by an alternate version), which led to some sleuthery as to what exactly is going on with this band. Whitey Sterling checks in, pointing to an explanation Glorious Noise discovered on (and now has been wiped from) Wikipedia. Even fleeting tremors in cultural development do not get by here, ladies and gentlemen:
Crabcore is a contemporary offshoot from the emocore/screamo sub-genre
of hard rock music.
Unlike almost all other genres and sub-genres of music, crabcore is
defined not by aural motifs, tones, lyrical content, or specific
instrument ensembles; but rather by physical gesticulations and
contortions of the arms and legs of individual band members during live
performances of their music.
Crabcore moves
Chiefly among the crabcore
musician's repertoire of stylistic gestures is the crabwalk itself,
from which the genre's title is derived. The crabwalk is identified by
the player's extremely low stance, wherein both feet are set apart from
one another as far as possible, while still allowing the player to
maintain at least a 90 degree bend in his knees. While in the crab
stance, the player then purposefully transfers the weight of his upper
body between each leg, achieving a swaying motion intended to have a
hypnotic effect among audience members.
Other moves available to crabcore players include;
The 'Richardson Richardson'.
'Krinking'
The 'Beaver Bounce'
The 'Dirty Hamper'
The 'Pestal Press'
Another, somewhat controversial move has gained a foothold in
crabcore circles recently, which sees the player simply standing in one
spot and running in place. No one understands this move. No one.
The most instantly recognizable signifier of a band within the
crabcore oeuvre is the presence of an Arch Cancerped (literally
translated; 'chief crabwalker'). The Arch Cancerped (or ACP) is an
individual member of the band whose duty it is to set the speed,
intensity, and depth of the crabwalk in a given piece of music. Much
like the conductor of a symphony orchestra. Typically the ACP wears a
black t-shirt and has a dyed-black sideways haircut.
Crabcore bands
For the moment, only the band Attack Attack! is currently playing crabcore, and is at its origin.
But, whereas this style of music has just appeared, we are discovering
that actually, a lot of famous bands had already used or use some
Crabcore moves. The most known must be Metallica, as you can see it in
some live representations. See the references for an example of
Metallica's Crabcore. This version of Crabcore is known as
"proto-Crabcore".
