For a band that only existed for 4 short years from 1980 to 1984 and only released one side of a legendary split LP (with fellow Dischord Records stalwarts and contemporaries The Faith) as well as a few compilation tracks (on the iconic Flex Your Head compilation that Dischord released in 1982) in their lifetime, Columbia, MD’s Void has managed to have an amazing lifespan. It’s easy to hear why, since just about every hardcore band that uses dissonance and squalling feedback to create even more tension, aggression, and an unsettling atmosphere (think lots of early ’90s bands on Gravity, Repercussion, Vermiform, et al.) owes more than a little to these pioneers.
After years of being bootlegged (though a 7” under the name “Condensed Flesh” did come out in 1992), their legendary Hit and Run demo finally came out officially in 2011 when Dischord released Sessions 1981-1983. Beyond that and the occasional live bootleg, though, there were crickets.
Fast forward to 2026, when intrepid and prescient recorder Tom Lyle‘s (guitarist of the legendary Government Issue) tapes of 2 1983 shows (the album’s title is a misnomer and the year will be corrected on future pressings) are now being released officially for the first time, one a mid 1983 show at the Wilson Center and another one from the 9:30 Club later in the year, both with absolutely stacked lineups. The setlists manage to combine the older material from the split LP and Flex Your Head with the newer songs from the still yet to be released Potions for Bad Dreams, the completed LP they recorded for Touch and Go in 1984 that never came out.
Perhaps more live material, or even better, a fully remastered Potions for Bad Dreams, is next on the horizon since this band’s influence has never waned. For now, though, fans who never got to experience Void live or who want to relive those memories can time-travel back to 1983.
It should be noted that the 1st edition of this archival release came out on glow-in-the-dark vinyl and included a zine, so collectors will want to track that version down.
