10 Most Important Acts That Shaped Punk Rock Music
6. Black Flag
If you want to understand what was happening during the emergence of the American West Coast punk scene, then Black Flag is the band you need to study. Forming in 1976 under the name Panic, they quickly became the spear head of the movement. Between '76 to '81 the band went through three different singers before eventually recruiting the straight edge, au naturale madman, Henry Rollins.
The Rollins era from '81 to '85 was perhaps the bands most defining. Rollins had been a dedicated fan of the group for years, driving for hours to catch shows in New York after working in Washington DC.
On one fated night Rollins requested they perform their track, Clocked In, to motivate him for the long drive back to his coming day shift. They agreed, but offered Rollins the opportunity to sing the track himself. Shortly after he was offered a position fronting the band from then on.
The group's sound developed through the '80s, with Rollins' lyrics often exploring themes of alienation, anxiety and anger. Following the usual punk handbook, Rollins would often antagonise or be antagonised by his audience and become embroiled in all manor of fist swinging chaos.