On the first day of Pre-Fest last year, Sarah and I were sat in The Bricks Bar reading the schedule and trying to decide what we should go watch next. At first we were drawing blanks, but something about the name United Nations sounded familiar. I had the faintest memory of seeing Geoff Rickly from Thursday talking about them on Twitter and the more I thought about it, the more I vaguely remembered. Somehow members of Glassjaw were involved? This seemed possible, but at the same time like something I should have remembered more than just vaguely. The description of the band in the schedule was intentionally vague but we decided to chance it and so headed back over to Crow Bar at the other end of Ybor City.
My vague memories were right, but any preconceptions I had about the music were instantly blown miles away. The set was the most brutal and shocking hardcore I've seen in ages. The room wasn't full, but everyone who was there was throwing themselves around the pit. I've seen Pianos Become the Teeth and Thursday but I had no idea this combination of those guys could make such a noise. I certainly didn't think Geoff had it in him, but that short set renewed my faith in his music (he also played an acoustic solo set at the end of the night in place of Metz, which was a totally different but awesome experience). The set was one of the highlights of Fest and made it into my Top Ten Gigs of 2013.
I picked up this copy of Never Mind the Bombings after their set on the Saturday of actual-Fest (which was an even sweatier and moshier affair). At $10 it was double the going rate of most 7"s at Fest (and the usual price for an LP) but I didn't want to leave without a copy (this yellow vinyl is the most numerous colour from the first pressing). What I'd seen (twice) that week was so exciting that I had to have some of their music to take home with me. The record is as brutal as I'd come to expect, which is excellent. Twice in the four songs Geoff's bark almost resembles his singing voice from Thursday but that's it. It's not an easy listen, but I'd have been disappointed if it was.
I feel pretty lucky that the right connections fired in my mind whilst we were sat there eating dinner because otherwise we might have easily missed United Nations. If Twitter has given me nothing else, it's given me United Nations and for that I'm thankful.
Format: 7", insert
Tracks: 4
Cost: £6.30 new
Bought: Fest, Gainesville
When: 02/11/13
Colour: Yellow
Etching: none
mp3s: Download code
