In the mid-seventies, New York’s rock scene was in a tizzy over a scrappy band of shaggy-haired non-brothers, the Ramones, while, across the pond, a storied group of anarchists by the name of the Sex Pistols were ruffling petticoats with what would be their only record, which is also considered the most influential punk album of all time. In California, however, a storm was brewing under the formation of Black Flag — a contentious, revolving door of aggressive DIY punk.
Bookie’s Bar in Detroit was host to the first performance with then-frontman Henry Rollins, and though the band has waved its collective white flag several times — most notably in 1986 when it played its first final show at Detroit’s former Graystone Hall — after a few reunions (2003 and again in 2013), Black Flag will make a rare appearance at Harpos with troubled founder Greg Ginn at the helm.
Doors open at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 20, at Harpos; 14238 Harper Ave., Detroit; 313-824-1700; harposlive.com. Tickets are $25.
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