The Urinals reinvented themselves as 100 Flowers in the early 1980s when they realized their old punk-rock name was preventing them from getting serious gigs. But the name change also reflected how the Westwood art-punk trio had evolved from their late-1970s beginning, when they varied from the Johnny Thunders template with ridiculously short, fast, haiku-like proto-hardcore blasts (along with The Middle Class, The Urinals have long been recognized as one of the first hardcore groups). Just a few years later, their sound incorporated newer elements, such as a minimalist variation and reduction of Wire's artiness mixed with Gang of Four's propulsive funk.
