For as humorless the DC scene eventually became during the 90’s, I can’t help but think that it must’ve been a great place in the mid to late 80’s. But then again, what do I know? I was living in Fort Collins, Colorado at the time. Hardcore had only begun to rear its ugly head for me with the seminal Rat Music comps and a couple lucky live encounters with bands like Minutemen and Black Flag (who I later found out played with Nig Heist the night I saw them!).
Anyway, what I’m saying is, I think DC was a fun place. And Insurrection was a band that I can’t imagine being taken too seriously, but well, when you know the bands that they went to spawn (Rites of Spring, One Last Wish, Happy Go Licky, Miighty Flashlight, Fugazi) you can’t help but have a morbid curiosity to know what they sounded like.
Rites of Spring was a band I obsessed over just as Fugazi started, and then n-th generation cassettes were my glimpse into One Last Wish and HGL, but recordings by Insurrection never pop up.
Lucky for everybody, I found this recording of them live in ’83. I really don’t have anything to add other than this is a shaky, but decent first step for these guys. So just listen. Oh! And there’s this interview from Touch and Go fanzine from ’83 and these lyrics to check out.
For future reference, is there anything you’d like to see posted to this site? I’ve got a library of illicit recordings that’d make your head swell…..
Feel free to post suggestions in comments……
Insurrection – Live ’83