Sex Pistols

Lore & Background

The band grew out of the Strand, started in London in 1972 by Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Wally Nightingale. They hung around the King's Road shop run by Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, later renamed Sex, which became a hub of the early punk scene.

McLaren took over management, Glen Matlock joined on bass, and Nightingale was dropped. In August 1975 Bernard Rhodes spotted Lydon, then 19, in a doctored Pink Floyd T-shirt; after an audition Jones dubbed him Johnny Rotten. Their first gig came on 6 November 1975 at Saint Martin's School of Art, supporting Bazooka Joe.

Reader's Guide

Swearing on live television in December 1976 brought the band national notoriety. "God Save the Queen", timed for the Queen's Silver Jubilee in May 1977, was banned by the BBC and almost all independent stations, making it the most censored record in British history. Rotten announced the split on stage in January 1978 at the end of a US tour, and Vicious died of a heroin overdose in February 1979. The original four reunited in 1996. They entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 but refused to attend, and in 2024 Jones, Cook and Matlock returned with singer Frank Carter.

Did You Know?

• Their shows at Manchester's Lesser Free Trade Hall inspired several bands to form.
• Jamie Reid designed their visual identity, including the cut-up lettering of the logo.
• Early fans known as the Bromley Contingent included Siouxsie Sioux and Billy Idol.
• Rejected name ideas included Le Bomb, Subterraneans and Kid Gladlove.