The Energy Is Still There: An Interview With NYC’s Blackout Shoppers
By Staff | February 22, 2026
Defying the "burn fast and fade" trajectory of the underground, Blackout Shoppers have maintained their momentum for over two decades by leaning into a genuine, brotherly bond and a refusal to overthink their genre boundaries. Their sound is a deliberate collision of West Coast speed and East Coast grit, blending the velocity of skate-punk with the heavy stomp of New York Hardcore—all while peppering their set lists with a unique mix of socio-political commentary and the occasional absurdist conspiracy theory. Led by founder and Sergeant-at-Arms Blackout Matt and vocalist Seth Amphetamines, the band prioritizes a raw, DIY ethos that favors the analog warmth of vinyl and the chaotic energy of live, guerilla-style performances over studio polish. Even as the NYC scene evolves around them, the group remains anchored by their work ethic and a shared love for the retro sounds that first sparked their passion as teens, proving that authenticity and a sense of humor are the ultimate tools for longevity in hardcore.
You’ve been active for over 22 years. In a scene where bands often burn out after a single 7-inch, what is the secret sauce that has kept the original fire of Blackout Shoppers burning since the early 2000s?
Seth Amphetamines: I'd say our "sauce' is simple: We're actually friends and almost brotherly, especially after all this time. Getting along, genuinely liking each other (on most days) helps tremendously. All the guys are in other bands too, but we're like a magnet. It also helps that we love the music we're playing, however retro it may be. We all just know "our sound," which while it's come before, we just know when things are "us". Life also feeds in. Nearly all of us are in our 50s, some of us have families of our own too, so this is the something else that gives it all meaning.
Photo credit: Steven J. Messina, Hardcore Shutterbug
You describe your sound as a bridge between old-school West Coast speed and East Coast metal-influenced hardcore. How do you balance that skate-punk velocity with the heavy NYHC stomp without one overshadowing the other?
Blackout Matt: We approach the songs with only the song in mind, and aren’t trying to stick to a particular style at any one time, so some songs will end up with some speedy, garage-punk style and have a more traditional NYHC breakdown. We’ll go with what fits the song without caring how it would be characterized. We draw on a lot of different influences, including thrash metal, crossover hardcore, old-school punk and more. We let the songs happen the way they do and let others debate how to characterize them.
Seth Amphetamines: We figured out early on what we wanted to sound like. We have our influences in our ears at all times, so when we're writing anything new, digging up old material, or even choosing a cover tune, it's all connected. We know what "our sound" is and it has clear connections to those styles. For me, I'm old enough to have seen a lot of the bands we emulate from back when I was a punk teen. I remember that feeling I got, and that those bands gave off, so we've bottled that and put it into everything we do.
Matt, you hold the title of Sergeant-at-Arms for the band. In the context of a hardcore unit, what does that role entail? Is it about keeping the peace, or making sure the chaos stays on track?
Blackout Matt: A former drummer, Joey Bones, began calling me “The Sarge” because I’m the founder and principal cat herder of the band. I want to me more of a Steve Harris than a Johnny Ramone if that makes sense.
"Taking the Fifth" tackles Constitutional Rights. Do you feel that hardcore has a responsibility to act as a form of street-level education for the listeners?
Blackout Matt: I think hardcore bands, as well as all bands and all artists, have a responsibility to be true to themselves and express what they honestly believe. Ultimately, you have to speak for yourself and if you are honest with people they will respect that and be willing to listen to what you have to say.
Seth Amphetamines: In my view, end of the day, you're a band and you're also there to entertain and sure maybe educate or make people feel something. I think our songs run the gamut of a lot of similar bands from "the day". They bridge those socio-political and obnoxious or even humorous lines. I always thought Black Flag did that extremely well, for example. For us, I guess topically and lyrically, we often write about what we see, what we know, and also experiences we've had as a band and in life.
On the flip side, you have tracks like "Danzig Killed Kennedy." How important is it to balance the serious political/social commentary with that specific brand of absurd, dark humor?
Seth Amphetamines: In my view, end of the day, you're a band and you're also there to entertain and sure maybe educate or make people feel something. I think our songs run the gamut of a lot of similar bands from "the day". They bridge those socio-political and obnoxious or even humorous lines. I always thought Black Flag did that extremely well, for example. For us, I guess topically and lyrically, we often write about what we see, what we know, and also experiences we've had as a band and in life.
Blackout Matt: One of the reasons we have kept going after so many years is that while we are serious about making music, we don’t take ourselves too seriously. If you don’t have a sense of humor, the world will drive you insane (in a bad way).
Where did the "Danzig Killed Kennedy" theory originate? Are there any other Blackout Shoppers-verified conspiracies we should be worried about?
Blackout Matt: Wild conspiracy theories are a fun subject for us and we felt like we could combine our love of the Misfits with our love of conspiracy theories with “Danzig Killed Kennedy.” It both satirizes and celebrates these wild theories. Our second full-length album, “More Abuse” is book-ended with two songs about the same conspiracy theory, which is that a species of Bigfoot called “The Alma” was used by ancient aliens called “The Anunnaki” to create human life. We didn’t invent this alien and Bigfoot conspiracy theory but I am confident we are the first punk rock band to write songs about it.
Seth Amphetamines: Matt I think has the Danzig story down, but that one started simply enough; it was something Beast said at rehearsal one day. As much as Danzig and Misfits are fodder for our own amusement, we are also big fans (Matt and I have Crimson Ghost tattoos). We do like to dabble with the idea that things aren't always what they seem. That's fun to write about.
Photo credit: Steven J. Messina, Hardcore Shutterbug
You have a new record hitting vinyl soon. In the era of digital streaming, why was it important for the band to get these specific tracks pressed onto wax?
Seth Amphetamines: Vinyl, to me, has always been something that was part of the underground music scene. Every punk band I ever got into had vinyl, and since we're deeply rooted in that style, it made sense that our newest album should also be available in that format. If you think about it, vinyl is the last musical format that could be played well into the future because it is analog, and the physical nature of the vinyl allows the sound to be reproduced. I mean, you can hear music that was carved into stone back in 1400 BCE (see Hurrian Hymn No. 6). Anything digital will ultimately vanish; technology will advance to the point that there won't likely be a way to play anything that was created digitally. But I digress. We've had a couple of 7"s but not a full album. Everything else we've done has been on CD or these days on Bandcamp/downloadable.
You’re looking to shoot music videos for the new material. How do you plan to translate your high-energy, Blackout live experience into a cinematic format?
Blackout Matt: We plan to shoot our videos guerilla-style because we don’t have much of a budget, and we plan to enlist as many friends as we can to embrace the chaos on camera. We are fortunate enough to be friends with talented people who are crazy enough to want to be part of our videos.
After 22 years, has your approach to the studio changed? Do you still try to capture that raw, first-take energy, or have you become more surgical with the new record?
Seth Amphetamines: We're an in-your-face, gritty hardcore punk band. If when we record it doesn't have that sound, we did it wrong. All of our stuff does, I think. It may not be the best/highest quality or whatever, but neither are we. I love some of those early 80s, low-fi recordings; by today's standards, they may even be considered "crappy," but I respectfully disagree. It's that sound that makes it.
Blackout Matt: We still aim to capture the raw, live experience of our shows in our recordings. Almost all the songs that are on our records have been played live regularly before we record them, so we don’t do a lot of studio magic.
Having been around for two decades, how has the New York City scene changed from your perspective? Is the energy in the venues different now than it was when you first started shopping?
Blackout Matt: While the venues have changed, the DIY punk rock ethos is alive and well, and young people are still coming to hardcore punk. The genre has broadened to include different sub-genres and scenes and it’s good to see new bands making headway and drawing crowds. The scene is always changing but the energy is still there.
Seth Amphetamines: I'll pull the age card again, been seeing shows here since the mid-80s and yeah, change is constant. Scenes such as they are often get attributed to a club or a set of clubs in a specific area. Just in our time as a band we've seen so many come and go, but as long as people want to keep seeking out this music and bands want to play it, they'll find places to have shows, hang out, etc.
Photo credit: Steven J. Messina, Hardcore Shutterbug
You’ve mentioned plans to tour more. What are the must-play venues for the band, and what can a crowd who has never seen Blackout Shoppers expect from your set?
Blackout Matt: We definitely want to play more all-ages DIY shows. Some of our best shows were in record stores, bike shops, and basements. Some venues I most want to play are The Middle East in Boston and the 40 Watt Club in Athens, Georgia.
Seth Amphetamines: My personal dream would be to go out west, where a lot of what we do started, and play a place like Alex's Bar in Long Beach or something like that or even 924 Gilman St.
What’s the ultimate goal for this new record cycle? When the dust settles on this release, what do you want the legacy of this specific album to be?
Seth Amphetamines: World domination, of course. Or just that people physically have our sound in their homes. There's always something special about opening up your turntable and slapping on an album cranked at whatever volume makes you feel something.
Blackout Matt: We want this to help us attract new people to our music and open the door for us to play in new places.
Anyone you'd like to thank?
Blackout Matt: I would like to thank our families and friends, Johnny Waste of Urban Waste, for recording us and helping us sound so good. Also Drew Stone of the A7 New York Hardcore Chronicles scene, Otto’s Shrunken Head for putting up with so much of our nonsense, and anyone who has come to a show.
Seth Amphetamines: Families, fans, everyone I knocked over, spat on, spilled their drinks, and didn't take a swing at me for it, and basically every band that came before us that we are happily ripping off. Thank you!
Links
https://blackoutshoppers.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/blackoutshoppers/