Butthole Surfers Peter & The Test Tube Babies Phoenix Punk Flyer 1983

Description

Original punk flyers were never intended to survive. They were stapled to telephone poles, taped to record store windows, and handed out at clubs. I picked this flyer up in a record store sometime in the late 1980s or early 1990s, and it’s been part of my collection ever since.

This is a terrific snapshot of the early-’80s underground, bringing together England’s Peter & The Test Tube Babies and The Adicts with Texas’ Butthole Surfers and Phoenix’s Hell Fire. The all-ages bill at Madison Square Gardens captures a moment when international punk acts and local bands shared the same stage, helping build Arizona’s thriving hardcore scene one show at a time. Not to mention all in a steel-caged professional wrestling ring. (Phoenix folks know.)

Whether you’re a Butthole Surfers collector, a fan of classic UK punk, or someone who appreciates authentic underground music ephemera, original flyers like this have become increasingly difficult to find.