American punk rock band, formed in 1982 in Sunnymead, an unincorporated area of California’s Inland Empire now called Moreno Valley. They played their first shows that year (the second and third of which were later included on their ‘S Is For Space – 25th Anniversary De Luxe Edition’). The band’s name is itself a play on the name of iconic hardcore band Black Flag and is meant as a parody on punk rock elitism. Similarly, the punk rock names of band members were chosen to resemble those of Jello Biafra, Mike Ness, and Pat Smear, each an icon of the California punk scene in their own right.
The band recorded two albums in 1982, ‘R is for Rocket’ and ‘S is for Space’, the latter being released in 1983. After playing numerous shows around California, the band toured Europe for their first time in 1986, and released a live EP from that tour titled ‘Bleedin’ in Sweden’. They went on to release more than a dozen albums between 1983 and 2013. In 1992, they contributed a cover version of Wuthering Heights to the album ‘Freedom of Choice’, which featured many punk/rock covers of wellknown Eighties hits.
The band’s current lineup consists of frontman Mike Mess (guitar), Jello B. Afro (bass), and Trace Element (drums). All of these members have been in the band since 1982, though many have rotated in and out. Original member Pat Fear died on 24 September 2013.
