Remembering The Legends That Played Enfield Roller World

Were you one of the lucky ones that got to see some of the Legends of Punk/Hardcore when they played Enfield Roller World in the 80's? God, I'm jealous.

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I started doing some research, and I think that just through the partial lists of who I can find that played there, man, Enfield Roller World deserves to be remembered

Back in the early 80's, there weren't too many establishments that took the chance to book heavier/experimental artists, but a few, like the El 'N' Gee in New London, The Sting in New Britain, Toad's Place in New Haven, and Enfield Roller World did.

One of my oldest, dearest friends is Peter Morcey. He's been in the Connecticut/International music business for decades, and he's done it all. As lead singer for 100 Demons and Forced Reality, he's toured the world. As a producer/promoter, he's brought hundreds and hundreds of bands to stages across the world. It's always made me jealous that Pete saw Black Flag AND Dead Kennedys at Enfield Roller World.

Enfield Roller World not only hosted those two legendary pioneers of Punk, I've also found that in 1985 & 1986 alone, legendary acts Corrosion of Conformity, Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, D.R.I., Agnostic Front, Melvins, Descendents, Underdog, and Slapshot all appeared on that stage.

What happened to the place? It sputtered out, as far as everyone remembers, shortly afterwards in the late 80's. Pete remembered that they did reopen at one point in the early 90's, and put on a slate of shows for maybe a year or so. Then, it was gone. Now, in 2021, the building at 481 Enfield Street is home to Carr Hardware,

I just saw that Henry Rollins is coming back to Connecticut early next year, he's playing Toad's Place in New Haven on March 23, 2022. I saw Rollins at Toad's back in the early 90's, but I never got to see him with Black Flag. I've always regretted that.

What shows did I miss? Pete remembers that the Cro-Mags show that was advertised as happening, never did. Who else graced that stage?