Who We Were: Anti-Flag, Pittsburgh Punk With a Message
Few punk bands put their whole message into their name. We did, and we spent more than three decades explaining it. Here is the short story of the band behind these designs.
Where did we come from?
We formed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1988. The first line-up split after a single show, and we started again in 1992. From then on we played fast, loud punk rock about war, power and the people in charge.
What does the name mean?
We answered that on the artwork of A New Kind of Army in 1999: "Anti-Flag does not mean Anti-American. Anti-Flag means anti-war." That line sums up almost everything we wrote.
Which records should you know?
We released 13 studio albums. A few that matter for these designs:
- The Terror State (2003): a Fat Wreck Chords record aimed at the war on terror.
- The General Strike (2012): recorded and produced by us in our own home studio.
- American Spring (2015): our first album on Spinefarm Records, with one of our most striking covers.
- American Fall (2017): the follow-up, also on Spinefarm.
Our first album was Die for the Government (1996), and the last was Lies They Tell Our Children, released in January 2023.
What is the gunstar?
It is our best-known symbol: a star made of broken M16 rifles. It first appeared on Mobilize in 2002 and turned up on our merch for years after.
Are we still together?
No. We announced that the band had disbanded in July 2023, in the middle of a European tour. The records and the art are still here, and that is what this store is about.
Quick facts
- Home town: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Formed: 1988
- Studio albums: 13, from 1996 to 2023
- Symbol: the gunstar
Want to wear the art? Shop the Anti-Flag collection.