Their first concert took place in Freiberg, Saxony, on November 21, 1969. Early performances were heavily influenced by British hard rock bands such as Deep Purple and Uriah Heep, although the band were fond of earlier American rockers such as Elvis Presley. At first, they largely performed cover versions of foreign acts. Although there was a great demand for covers in East Germany, largely because the audience was unable to buy western albums, rock music was still viewed with suspicion in the GDR. The artistic climate changed after Erich Honecker came to power in 1971, and the Puhdys were offered the chance to record for the state-run Amiga label, as long as they performed in the German language and remained apolitical.