Africa Corps Live at The Whisky A Go-Go 30th December 1981

Ever wondered about what seeing a blossoming Savage Republic, formally known as Africa Corps, up close must have felt like? Africa Corps Live at The Whisky A Go Go 30th December 1981, is here to take us right there, fiercely catapulting listeners in front of one of Los Angeles' most iconic stages, back when a young band of UCLA students (Bruce Licher, Mark Erskine, Philip Drucker and Jeff Long), was starting to make its way in the punk underground.

Their extraordinary first time at the Whisky was recorded on cassette, direct from the sound board, on December 30th, 1981. We're lucky enough to witness most of the future 'Tragic Figures' tracks in a process of highly creative gestation, in the middle of being developed. The original tape has now been remastered by Warren DeFever (His Name Is Alive) and unearths a most cathartic performance.

It's hard to fathom, but the four musicians had only been playing together for about eight months at that point, mostly rehearsing in the concrete parking garages at UCLA. Those formative experiences are brilliantly reflected in the sound of Africa Corps Live at The Whisky A Go Go 30th December 1981, with its hypnotic blend of industrial and piercing post punk.