Black Flag concert at Christmas On Earth Punk Festival 1981 in Leeds, UK
Sun, 20 Dec 1981

The truth is I don't remember it too well. Plus it was the first time I ever heard them. I was certainly intrigued at least, but don't really remember how I felt. The only memory of my impressions was that this music was less 'straight ahead', less obviously structured, more offbeat and lurching and pulsating, and more visceral and raging, more emotional, and noisier and louder too. I guess initially I wasn't sure if it wasn't too much, though I'm just guessing. Though maybe the fact that I sought out and bought their records soon enough says a lot. I saw them again just over a year later, when I was 100% determined to attend and equally into it. The only song I recall from this night in Leeds is 'Machine', because it stood out for its almost not being a song at all, it's simplicity, speeding up, Henry shouting that line again and again, and, I guess, that we probably all related to that sentiment. The venue was almost flooded, it was very snowy winter outside (we almost didn't make it, cars sliding all over the road), cold, wet, grim, all of us poor, spotty, mardy, scruffy teenagers sitting about, hanging around, occasionally getting crazy for some band or other, etc. For Black Flag I stood just a little behind the dancers/moshers (we didn't have that word quite yet). The only time I remember getting into the thick of it was for the UK Subs. The Damned headlined. My biggest regret this day is going outside for a while to get booze, and missing the Outcasts in the process.