Negative Approach was formed in August 1981 in Detroit, Michigan by Brannon and Pete Zelewski, supposedly after seeing a Black Flag/Necros show.
The first NA lineup consisted of Brannon on vocals, Rob McCulloch on guitar, Pete Zelewski on bass and Zuheir Fakhoury on drums.
Not long after, Zelewski left the band to form the Allied and was replaced by McCulloch's brother Graham.
Fakhoury was later replaced by Chris "Opie" Moore.
The lineup of Brannon/McCulloch/McCulloch/Moore would remain unchanged until NA disbanded.

NA's first gig was in the basement of Necros drummer Todd Swalla's mother's home.
Soon after, they recorded a demo, and followed that up with an appearance on the Process of Elimination compilation 7" EP, released on Meatmen frontman Tesco Vee's fledgling Touch and Go label, named after his fanzine of the same name.
The comp also featured the Meatmen and Necros, among others.
NA, the Meatmen and Necros then embarked on the Process of Elimination tour.
Although this "tour" consisted of a mere three shows (Boston, New York City and Washington, DC), it is cited as being a key event in the early spread of hardcore.

The first proper Negative Approach studio release came in 1982 with their self-titled 7" EP, also on Touch and Go.
It contained "Can't Tell No One," "Ready to Fight" and "Nothing", the latter considered by many to be the quintessential NA song.

The following year saw the release of the Tied Down album, also venerated as a hardcore classic.

The classic lineup fell apart in 1983.
Rob McCulloch claims that the band had grown weary of the group's reputation for writing negative lyrics but that Brannon was not comfortable writing differently.
Also, McCulloch stated that Brannon's involvement with Larissa Stolarchuk from L-Seven was another source of tension for the group.
The band regrouped long enough to record the Tied Down albumP, then split for good.

Afterwards, Brannon assembled a new lineup with members Kelly Dermody (guitar), Dave (bass) and Mike McCabe (drums).
This version of Negative Approach played a series of live shows throughout 1984 which featured some new songs, such as "Obsession", "Tunnel Vision", "Kiss Me Kill Me" and a cover of "I Got a Right" by the Stooges.
This lineup was documented on the Live at the Newtown Theater bootleg 7" and some live tracks recorded at Boston's Paradise Rock Club that appeared on the Total Recall CD collection.
The new lineup split during the first week of their tour in support of Tied Down, playing their last show in Memphis.
Negative Approach was formed in August 1981 in Detroit, Michigan by Brannon and Pete Zelewski, supposedly after seeing a Black Flag/Necros show. The first NA lineup consisted of Brannon on vocals, Rob McCulloch on guitar, Pete Zelewski on bass and Zuheir Fakhoury on drums. Not long after, Zelewski left the band to form the Allied and was replaced by McCulloch's brother Graham. Fakhoury was later replaced by Chris "Opie" Moore. The lineup of Brannon/McCulloch/McCulloch/Moore would remain unchanged until NA disbanded.
NA's first gig was in the basement of Necros drummer Todd Swalla's mother's home. Soon after, they recorded a demo, and followed that up with an appearance on the Process of Elimination compilation 7" EP, released on Meatmen frontman Tesco Vee's fledgling Touch and Go label, named after his fanzine of the same name. The comp also featured the Meatmen and Necros, among others. NA, the Meatmen and Necros then embarked on the Process of Elimination tour. Although this "tour" consisted of a mere three shows (Boston, New York City and Washington, DC), it is cited as being a key event in the early spread of hardcore.
The first proper Negative Approach studio release came in 1982 with their self-titled 7" EP, also on Touch and Go. It contained "Can't Tell No One," "Ready to Fight" and "Nothing", the latter considered by many to be the quintessential NA song.
The following year saw the release of the Tied Down album, also venerated as a hardcore classic.
The classic lineup fell apart in 1983. Rob McCulloch claims that the band had grown weary of the group's reputation for writing negative lyrics but that Brannon was not comfortable writing differently. Also, McCulloch stated that Brannon's involvement with Larissa Stolarchuk from L-Seven was another source of tension for the group. The band regrouped long enough to record the Tied Down albumP, then split for good.
Afterwards, Brannon assembled a new lineup with members Kelly Dermody (guitar), Dave (bass) and Mike McCabe (drums). This version of Negative Approach played a series of live shows throughout 1984 which featured some new songs, such as "Obsession", "Tunnel Vision", "Kiss Me Kill Me" and a cover of "I Got a Right" by the Stooges. This lineup was documented on the Live at the Newtown Theater bootleg 7" and some live tracks recorded at Boston's Paradise Rock Club that appeared on the Total Recall CD collection. The new lineup split during the first week of their tour in support of Tied Down, playing their last show in Memphis.
Negative Approach