On May 14, 1985, Minneapolis, MN hardcore/proto-grunge unfuckwithables Hüsker Dü played their first show outside the USA, on rented equipment, for a UK television show called Live in London. The set spans 20 songs in a bit under an hour, and draws heavily from the albums Zen Arcade and New Day Rising, though the luminous “Makes No Sense at All” from the then still-forthcoming Flip Your Wig makes a preview appearance.

This has turned up occasionally on VHS and DVD bootlegs, but never officially. The excellent Hüsker Dü database at thirdav.com has the set list and some screen grabs. The footage has of course turned up online, and it’s really fantastic—an energetic set full of great moments. Though the version below is clearly digitized from VHS (“PLAY Hi-Fi SP”), the audio and video quality are quite good, apart from a small handful of annoying-but-hardly-fatal sound drops. Since this has been yanked from YouTube before, you might want to enjoy it soon. 

Hüsker Dü’s former singer Bob Mould will be touring Europe in November. Like a dumbass, I missed his US tour, and am told by folks I abidingly trust that he completely slayed it. His new LP is Beauty & Ruin.