1981
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Notable Chicago Punk Events in 1981
- January 1981 - Exit opens at 1653 N Wells (it had previously been known as Wizards.
- January 24, 1981 - Naked Raygun, Strike Under, and Silver Abuse play a party at John Lundin's loft at 180 N Wacker. The show is discussed at this CPP thread
- January 31, 1981 - Special Affect plays its final show at Stages; Strike Under and Western Front open
- February 19, 1981 - Naked Raygun plays the Club 950 Lucky Number
- February 20 and 22, 1981 - Oz is raided by Chicago's finest, and owner Dem Hopkins is briefly jailed
- March 1981 - Touch and Go releases their first record, a 7" by The Fix
- March 7, 1981 - Bauhaus plays Space Place with Naked Raygun opening
- March 9-11, 1981 - Busted at Oz is recorded at Oz's North Broadway location. It would be released on Autumn Records later that year.
- March 23, 1981 - Black Flag plays Space Place; Husker Du plays the after party at Oz (the infamous "blue paint" show)
- April 1981 - Wax Trax releases Strike Under's Immediate Action 12"
- April 1981 - during Northwestern's spring break, Steve Albini records Big Black's first EP, Lungs
- April 10, 1981 - Effigies play Oz. A bootleg of this gig exists.
- April 11, 1981 - Strike Under, Naked Raygun and the Effigies play Space Place
- April 15, 1981 - Da releases their first 7", Dark Rooms
- April 17, 1981 - WZRD sponsors a free show at Northeastern Illinois University with Strike Under and the Effigies
- April 18, 1981 - Naked Raygun plays Minneapolis. Marko Pezzati's final gig with the band.
- April 24, 1981 - UXA plays Oz
- April 25-26, 1981 - D.O.A. plays Oz with the Subverts, part of the Hardcore '81 tour
- May 2, 1981 - Strike Under, Naked Raygun, and the Effigies play Space Place
- May 9th, 1981 - Oz closed for good.
- June 24, 1981 - The Subverts play O'Banions with the Fix.
- June 29, 1981 - Naked Raygun plays O'Banions
- July 4, 1981 - Strike Under plays the 4th of July show at O'Banions
- July 15, 1981 - Black Flag plays Tuts with the Effigies and DV8. Flag bassist Chuck Dukowski beats up a bouncer.
- July 16, 1981 - The Fall plays Tuts; Naked Raygun opens. For their encore, Raygun plays "Libido" with all the band members completely naked
- August 3, 1981 - Minor Threat plays O'Banions with Youth Brigade and the Necros
- August 4, 1981 - Navastrau plays their first show at Exit
- August 6, 1981 - Husker Du plays the Club 950 Lucky Number. The show was reviewed in the Coolest Retard
- August 16, 1981 - Space Place sponsors an all-day free show called the "Left Bank Street Fair", featuring (among others) Direct Drive, Epicycle, The Objects, Bohemia, Strike Under, Screamin' Rachael and Remote, and DV8. According to owner Rich Harrington, the show "was supposed to be outdoors, but got moved indoors because we didn't pay off the alderman."
- September 1981 - Minor Threat guitarist Lyle Preslar relocates to Chicago to attend Northwestern. The band temporarily broke up, but would reform less than a year later when Preslar dropped out and returned to DC.
- September 5, 1981 - Strike Under's first anniversary show, at O'Banions
- September 17, 1981 - Coolest Retard party at the Artful Dodger
- September 17-18, 1981 - the Dead Kennedys play C.O.D., with Husker Du, Naked Raygun, the Effigies, and Strike Under
- October 9, 1981 - Strike Under and Naked Raygun play Gaspar's
- October 10, 1981 - The Birthday Party plays C.O.D. with the Effigies opening
- October 16-17, 1981 - Benefit concerts for O'Banions. The Effigies refused to play, claiming the club owners cared more about making money than supporting the punk scene.
- October 31, 1981 - TSOL plays O'Banions with Naked Raygun and the Subverts. There was a costume contest.
- November 1981 - Autumn Records release The Effigies Haunted Town EP
- November 1981 - C.O.D. hosts a "punk weekend" with the Effigies, TSOL, Tom Verlaine, and the Professionals. A review in the Chicago Reader terms the Effigies "the best band in Chicago when it comes to opening the floodgates for manic release."
- November 24, 1981 - Six Feet Under and the Effigies play Exit
- December 1981 - Strike Under breaks up
- December 5, 1981 - Effigies play O'Banions with Six Feet Under. It is the Effigies final local show before leaving on their West Coast tour
- December 12, 1981 - Direct Drive plays O'Banions--probably one of their final shows before changing their name to Articles of Faith
- December 31, 1981 - Naked Raygun and Trial by Fire play O'Banions. Perhaps Trial by Fire's first show.
