Unsane Dedicate Song to Dying Pet at One-Off Show

A song or two after noise rock monsters Unsane started played, vocalist Chris Spencer wanted to make sure everyone in the audience heard the most important statement of the night. "We just wanted to play this show to hang with each other," Spencer said after he got the attention of the crowd at New York City's Union Pool on Feb. 12.

Spencer and the gang were having so much fun and goofing around on stage that it was hard not to smile throughout their set. They headlined a show that started with Dark Vibe, United Nations and Made Out of Babies.

"So you guys know this isn't really a rock show. It's just us hanging out," Spencer once again assured us.

In the band's 22-year career, they've distinctively combined the attitude of hardcore with sludge metal (in a similar vein as Helmet). Unsane hasn't put anything out in the last three years -- making it very unlikely that the band would tour anytime soon. So to the delight of many lucky New Yorkers, Unsane played a show that was more of an exclusive hang-out party than it was your typical show in the area. That doesn't mean that Unsane didn't rock the hell out, but that the band provided some extra entertainment that New Yorkers aren't used to -- with curfew constraints and all.

"I want to dedicate this song to my dog Jake," Spencer said towards the end of the show. I almost assumed that Jake was a human friend of his. Then he said his next sentence, "He's going to die soon." After telling the packed Union Pool crowd that his 8-year-old dog's back legs barely work anymore, Spencer was cut off by Unsane bassist Dave Curran. "Hey Chris! Keep it light!" After apologizing, Spencer wrapped up his dedication speech, and the band played two more songs.

Unsane's last release, 'Visqueen,' came out in 2007 and is available from Ipecac Recordings.