The Sex Pistols Overview

The Sex Pistols stepped on to the London stage in 1975 fit to offend. The sneering, spitting brats sent the mainstream listening audience, the media, and even the London rock-hall owners screaming for safety from the band's raw, corruptive sound and... [more]

The Sex Pistols stepped on to the London stage in 1975 fit to offend. The sneering, spitting brats sent the mainstream listening audience, the media, and even the London rock-hall owners screaming for safety from the band's raw, corruptive sound and brutal image. The Sex Pistols marked the rise of punk and developed the look of a new culture. Malcolm McLaren was the owner of the clothing boutique, Sex, the home of anti-fashion threads, porn, and bondage paraphernalia. Glen Matlock, who worked part-time at Sex, approached McLaren and asked for his help in the search for a singer for his band. McLaren recruited John Lydon, who he had seen lurking around Sex and who had a reputation for rudeness. Lydon, later christened Johnny Rotten by McLaren, had an uncompromising presence but unfortunately had never sung before. Appropriately, the band's first gig ended when the plug was pulled in the middle of their first set. The press couldn't ignore the new kid on the scene and eventually became fixated on the band that was driving London crazy. The Sex Pistol's first single, "Anarchy in the U.K.," was released late in 1976. The song is simple, abrasive, and strangely catchy. From Rotten's garbled singing and the sloppy guitar crunches, there's a kind of juvenile joy in being confrontational. A few months later, in a nationally televised interview, the band disrespected all vocabulary restrictions set by television producers. Not long after their manifesto of filth penetrated the homes of innocent viewers, The Sex Pistols lost their contract with EMI. When Matlock left the band in March, the impossibly thin Sid Vicious took his place. After more controversies and bad behavior, the band was virtually exiled from London's music scene. They went abroad and formed a relationship with a curious U.S. audience. However, Rotten was under constant criticism from the press for his flirtation with sensationalism. The band announced a breakup in San Francisco, 1978. The slide downhill continued, as Vicious was charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Nancy, and died from a heroine overdose while on bail in 1979. Apparently, the band had finally choked on its own destructive tendencies. Anarchy in the U.K. indeed. [show less]