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.