Empire of None

In 1984, the D.C. punk scene was on life support. Then a record by an unknown British band arrived, altering the course of the American underground forever.

Photo by Paul Slattery

A version of this article first appeared in The Guardian, November 22, 2023

If, like me, you a) lived for music and b) came of age in the ‘80s, you might remember a certain ritual. Late at night—possibly aided by inebriants of some sort—you and your friends would gather around a turntable and take turns spinning records. 

These liste…