UNITED BLOOD FEST 2011: RE-RUN LINEUP LACKING IN SURPRISES

Though the year has only just begun, it’s never too early to start speculating about and dissecting this year’s hardcore festivals. The organizers behind the Black N Blue Bowl have already announced a date–May 28th–and are boasting of a lineup worthy of pants-shitting. Given last year’s Supertouch and Yuppicide reunions as well as co-headliners Cro-Mags and Madball, that’s a mighty boast. (Agnostic Front has a new album coming out this year–just saying!)

United Blood, the two-day Richmond Virginia fest, has not only revealed its 2011 dates and location, but a chunk of the roster of artists scheduled to play. And while the initial band list is certainly representative of hardcore today, as it lacks the punch of a cult reunion or surprise headliner. By contrast, last summer’s This Is Hardcore fest included sets from the rebooted Kid Dynamite, Ink and Dagger, and Sheer Terror–and it sold out in less than two days. Furthermore, an overwhelming majority of these bands lready performed at last year’s United Blood, begging the question as to why others aren’t being subbed in. I’d love to see bands with profiles like First Blood and Most Precious Blood on the bill, or artists like Hivemind or Incendiary that could surely benefit from the exposure given by a prominent fest like this.

Still, it’s a solid lineup with a few engaging stars (Terror, H20) and several scrappy scene upstarts. Peep the initial list below and watch for updates at the United Blood 2011 site. Tickets are $30 per day or $55 for the weekend pass.

United Blood 2011:
Terror
Piece By Piece
Down To Nothing
H20
Bracewar
Backtrack
Foundation
Cruel Hand
Rival Mob
Swamp Thing
Death Threat
No Values
Dry Spell
Stick Together
Bitter End
Mother of Mercy
Alpha and Omega
Fire and Ice
Naysayer

-GS