Thirty Seconds Until Armageddon Interview

So its twelve years since you originally got together and seven years since you broke up; why in 2009 have you decided to get back together?

Pete: There has always been talk between members that the way the band split up, and for me we had some unfinished goals to achieve and I guess this is one way to finally get closure on the whole thing. The gig came about as it would be a good way to promote the discography and also just to finally nail the coffin shut on TSUA.

Dave: We’ve pretty much all stayed in contact since TSUA finished so there’s been idle chat about the idea before. With the discography coming out though, this seemed the only sensible time to actually do it.

What can we expect from the new cd?

Pete: There is eighteen tracks on the cd and to be fair some good and some bad, probably more bad I guess but a lot of these tracks were recorded years ago and unlike bands these days we had no money to record or pay for producers etc…

Dave: When we first talked about doing the discog we had the idea of recording some of the later TSUA tracks we wrote and putting them on there but unfortunately we all grew up (sort of) and got jobs/real lives and we just didn’t find the time.

You’re releasing the new cd on thirty days of night records, why have you chosen tdon rather than other labels you appear to be closer associated with?

Pete: The reason it happened on TDON is purely because our friend Martin Ives and TDON owner Jamie Farrell (who are close friends, see their ex-bands for details) simply loved the band years ago and were so excited to be part of it. Its not like we actually looked for anyone to put it out but we are more than happy for TDON to do it as Jamie and Martin are awesome dude’s and that’s enough for me anyway.

Dave: Originally Pete was gonna put it out and just press a few hundred if that. We’ve known Martin and Farrell for years and they just asked nicely if they could be a part of it. We were more than happy to go with them, TDON is a solid label.

How do you think the scene has changed since you were around?

Pete: The scene has always been a progressive thing and I guess what I have always done is just what I feel like doing and tried to ignore all the bullshit that happens in every scene. If you’re a good person then that’s all I could ask for, however there are so many people who believe themselves to be so important and think themselves as some kind of role model/figure in the scene who deserves some sort of respect, and to me that’s not what hardcore is about.

Dave: Although my involvement in the hardcore ‘scene’ these days is limited to say the least I’m not entirely sure what to make of it these days. But thats just the voice of an ‘older’ bloke losing touch I’m sure. As far as the scene around the style of music which is slightly comparable to what TSUA were doing I dont really see much of a connection at all. Thats turned into part of the metal thing entirely and left the hardcore behind, but I’m not saying thats a bad thing. Im sure there’s still a vital, vocal and productive hardcore punk scene out there, I’m just not sure where to find it and too scared of looking like the ‘old dude at the show’ if i did find it.

Do you think the whole ‘metalcore’ outburst as a good or bad thing? now that it has pretty much no relation with hardcore punk or anything particularly diy associated at all these days?

Dave: I don’t look at ‘metalcore’ in anyway at all really. it doesn’t have much of anything to do with what was going on in the 90′s and early 2000′s and it just doesn’t float my boat anymore. I was never into metal at all anyways, but bands like Botch, Coalesce and the like really grabbed hold of me at that time. I don’t think there’s bands out there like that right now. From what i can tell, its been reduced, in the large part, to dudes trying to out-do each other with hand and and neck tattoos and getting their online T-shirt store up and running asap.

post-TSUA, what have you all been up to?

Pete: Since TSUA and during I played for a band called JINN who played fast grind/hardcore and did some records with them which is always fun but we split this year as the guitarist moved to Belgium and we felt we didn’t want to continue without him. Other than that band wise I was the original bass player for Break It Up and have played in a few other bands that never really got going but the older you get the less time you can spend to do this as a job and mortgage are more important at the end of the day.

Dave: everyone went on to do other bands after TSUA. Lins did break it up, sid did spitfire down and black wolves, adam was in Jinn as well and I did The Last Chance and played in the versus project for a little bit as well. Mostly we had to get proper jobs. Pete and Sid work in the design industry, Adam works on the government IT system, Lins does something but who knows what and I work in the coffee industry as a trainer and consultant. I REALLY like coffee.

Break It Up and The Last Chance were both pretty important bands in the UK hardcore punk scene, do you think you would do a similar type of reunion with those bands?

Dave: In all honesty, i can’t see either of those bands playing shows again but you never know. The Last Chance, even though they did somehow squeeze out some sort of reunion show once, would be highly unlikely. The singer has a kid now, the drummer lives in the US and that band was a straight edge band…not all those guys are still straight edge. All the guys in Break It Up have other bands to be doing as well, so i’d be surprised to see them back together

Are you looking forward to playing shows again and how do you think you’ll go down considering a lot of the kids who go to those sort of shows these days are too young to have heard you?

Pete: Well I expect the crowd to be 50/50 with people who remember us and those who never have. Either way if we play are hardest then that’s all we can do. If people don’t like us then boo hoo, its not life or death and if people like us then sweet. For me it’s going to be fun if 3 or 250 people show up, either way we would do the same thing and have fun.

Dave: if there’s 40 people there that were there 8 years ago then we’ll be made up. If there’s another 50 odd who come down just to check us out and dig it then we’ll be even happier.

How many shows do you think you will be playing and how long do you think the new era of TSUA will last?

Pete: One show and one show only, that should be enough for the band to have closure.

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