Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Washington, D.C. by vocalist Ian MacKaye and drummer Jeff Nelson. MacKaye and Nelson had played in several other bands together, including the Teen Idles, and recruited bassist Brian Baker and guitarist Lyle Preslar to form Minor Threat. They added a fifth member, Steve Hansgen, in 1982, playing bass, while Baker switched to second guitar.
The band was relatively short-lived, disbanding after only four years together, but had a strong influence on the punk scene, both stylistically and in establishing a "do it yourself" ethic for music distribution and concert promotion. Minor Threat's song "Straight Edge" became the eventual basis of the straight edge movement, which emphasized a lifestyle without alcohol or other drugs, or promiscuous sex. AllMusic described Minor Threat's music as "iconic" and noted that their groundbreaking music "has held up better than [that of] most of their contemporaries."
Links to Peel[]
Peel seemed to have discovered the band through the Flex Your Head compilation album, which also featured some of the members old band, The Teen Idles. He would continue play material from the band, especially their Complete Discography compilation in 1990, which consisted of their songs over the years.
Shows Played[]
- 1982
- 27 April 1982: Stand Up (v/a album - Flex Your Head) Dischord № 7
- 29 April 1982: 12XU (v/a album - Flex Your Head) Dischord № 7 (JP: 'That was Minor Threat, making Wire sound like Bardo')
- 02 May 1982 (BFBS): 12XU (v/a album - Flex Your Head) Dischord № 7
- John Peel Shows On Radio 1 In January 1986 - Part 2: Bottled Violence (LP - Minor Threat) Dischord
- 25 January 1986 (BFBS): 'Small Man, Big Mouth (LP-Minor Threat)' (Dischord)
- 28 January 1986: Straight Edge (LP - Minor Threat) Dischord
- 1989
- 15 May 1989: Straight Edge (LP - Filler) Dischord
- 24 May 1989 (BFBS): 'Small Man, Big Mouth (LP-Minor Threat)' (Dischord)
- 20 June 1989: Little Friend (12" - Out Of Step) Dischord
- 1990
- 06 March 1990: Seeing Red (album - Complete Discography) Dischord
- 10 August 1990 (BFBS): 'Small Man, Big Mouth (LP-Minor Threat)' (Dischord)
- 15 August 1990: 'Straight Edge (LP-Minor Threat)' (Dischord)