We've got another prime slice of 70s punk heaven for you this week, with the full show from January 1978's Avengers performance opening for the Sex Pistols at Winterland. As one of the highest-profile bands on the Dangerhouse Records roster, The Avengers along with The Nuns and Negative Trend were recruited for the opening acts to what would be the historic final Sex Pistols show on their only US tour. Bill Graham ended up nixing Negative Trend due to their unruly behavior, but this A+ prime quality footage of The Avengers cranking up as high as they can go, right at their peak of power, is something to behold.
Penelope Houston, Danny Furious, Jimmy Wilsey and Greg Ingraham burst into the world in in late 1977 with their debut 7" EP and haven't let up since, churning out gritty, searing and undeniably raw punk as one of the West Coast's most beloved rebellious archetypes. If their sole LP collecting the meat of their classic recordings (CD Records, 1983) had been releases amid the late 70s backdrop of momentum, there's a chance the Avengers would be even more revered as they already are, but the concentration of LPs on West Coast punk bands at the time was miniscule compared to their East Coast contemporaries.
But next month in Chicago, on May 15th-16th you've got the chance to see The Avengers live in the flesh at The Empty Bottle as they headline the 10th Anniversary of the HoZac Blackout Fest, along with Boston punk/powerpop legends The Real Kids for a weekend of insane inanities you won't soon forget. Tickets won't last long, so jump on them right HERE, and kick this video into full-screen mode, it's Friday and you deserve it!
