Black Flag

Formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California, Black Flag quickly established itself in the West Coast punk scene with a fast, abrasive and minimalist hardcore sound driven by Greg Ginn’s guitar. Originally active under the name Panic, the band coalesced around Ginn with a succession of vocalists — from Keith Morris to Henry Rollins — and a rhythm section shaped by contributions from Chuck Dukowski, Dez Cadena, Kira Roessler and Bill Stevenson. Operating within a DIY ethic, they undertook extensive U.S. touring and relied on Ginn’s SST Records label, helping to build a network of independent venues and to define a broader American hardcore aesthetic. On record, Damaged (1981) and My War (1984) mark a shift toward heavier tempos, metal influences and more drawn-out structures, a trend continued on Family Man, Slip It In and In My Head, which also feature instrumentals and forays near free-rock territory. After an initial breakup in 1986, Black Flag reformed several times — notably in the early 2010s around Greg Ginn, yielding the album What The... in 2013 — and remains tied to international punk, hardcore and alternative scenes through a tense, dissonant sound and a straightforward stage approach.