The Diodes are a Canadian punk rock band formed in 1976 in Toronto. They released five albums: Diodes (1977), Released (1979), Action-Reaction (1980), Survivors (1982), and Time/Damage Live 1978 (2010). They were one of the first Canadian bands to embrace this style of music and helped to foster the original core Punk scene in Toronto. History The Diodes formed in October 1976 at OCAD University after a chance meeting between members. They played their first gig supporting the Talking Heads in January 1977. The band, along with their manager Ralph Alfonso, went on to open Canada's first punk nightclub, the Crash 'n Burn, in June 1977. Many of the city's founding punk bands played in this iconic venue. The first groups to play the club were The Nerves, on a bill with The Diodes. Other international bands performing at the Crash 'n Burn included The Dead Boys. The club, which was housed in The Diodes' basement rehearsal space, was closed at the end of the summer of 1977, due to complaints by the Liberal Party of Ontario (the principal tenants of the building). The Crash 'n Burn was the subject of a movie by experimental filmmaker Ross McLaren, Crash 'n' Burn. Footage of the club also exists in the CBC Television archives because it was the subject of a TV special in 1977. The band put out their first record in summer 1977, a single featuring Bruce Eves and Amerigo Maras of the Centre for Experimental Art and Communication (CEAC), an avant garde, performance art collective and gallery. Mickey Skin of the all-girl punk band The Curse spews profanities on one side, The Diodes provide musical backing with Paul Robinson counting down the spoken intervals, on the other. It was released on the Crash 'n' Burn label. One side was called "Raw", the other "War". It is considered one of the first punk records to come out of Canada. The single was actually part of an issue of the CEAC Newsletter (published by CEAC, the owners of the building that housed the Crash 'n' Burn club). The Diodes played CBGBs in New York in July 1977 supporting The Cramps as part of a Toronto punk bill featuring The Viletones, Teenage Head, The Curse, The B Girls and The Dents. They signed to Columbia Records in Canada shortly afterward in August 1977, releasing their self-titled debut album The Diodes in October