Musicians - Sex Pistols

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	Musicians - Sex Pistols

The Sex Pistols are, despite their short existence, one of the most influential English punk bands. While of the original set of UK punks The Clash were perhaps more articulate and politically motivated, The Damned more versatile, and Buzzcocks had more astute pop sensibilities, the Pistols achieved more recognition through their iconic punk rock passion and flamboyancy, and no other band of the era made such a lasting impression on British popular culture.

Origins and early days

Originally called The Strand (in reference to a song by Roxy Music), the band was formed during 1972 by Paul Cook (drums), Steve Jones (vocals) and Wally Nightingale (guitar). Other early members included Stephen Hayes (bass) and Jim Mackin (organ). During 1973 the band members began to frequent a 1950s-themed clothes shop which sold Teddy Boy clothes called 'Let It Rock' in the Kings Road, Chelsea area of London. Here they met the shop's manager, Malcolm McLaren. Jones, being aware that McLaren had some connections within the music business, asked if he would be interested in becoming the group's manager, although at the time McLaren declined. Del Noones, who they met at the shop, was recruited to replace Hayes on bass. By 1974, the group called themselves The Swankers and played their first gig at a birthday party of a friend of Cook's at Tom Salter's Café in London. They also began rehearsing in a studio called the 'Crunchy Frog', near London's docklands. Noone left the band shortly afterwards because he was becoming unreliable and not turning up at rehearsals.

The remaining members recruited bass player Glen Matlock. By early 1975, Jones and Nightingale had begun arguing about what direction the band should take. Nightingale then left the group. Jones replaced him on guitar. Johnny Rotten, who was another of the clientele of the by now renamed and restyled 'SEX' boutique, showed up at the shop in August 1975 wearing a homemade 'I Hate Pink Floyd' t-shirt. He was asked to audition by singing along to Alice Cooper's "Eighteen". He passed.

NME journalist Nick Kent played briefly with the band and introduced the other members to bands such as The Stooges and The Modern Lovers. He left shortly after to pursue his career as a journalist. After Kent's departure, Paul Cook felt that Jones might not be good enough alone on guitar and put up an ad for another "Whiz Kid Guitarist". Steve New answered that ad and played with the band for a few weeks, but left because the Pistols decided they were fine with one guitarist.

McLaren then became the new group's manager and was asked to think of a name for the group. Among the list were; 'Le Bomb', 'Subterraneans', 'The Damned', 'Beyond', 'Teenage Novel' and 'QT Jones and his Sex Pistols' ('QT' was taken from the postcode area in which both Mclaren and Jones lived.) 'QT Jones' was shortly afterwards dropped, and 'the Sex Pistols' were born. The name was, no doubt, intended to bring to mind the male sex organ, but McLaren has stated that he wanted the band to be "sexy young assassins" (in later years band members frequently accused McLaren both of cheating them financially, and of claiming credit for things that were not his idea as well as falsifying the bands' history.) Under McLaren's guidance, the band was initially influenced in part by the simple, chord-based style of the New York Dolls and the Ramones. McLaren had given guitarist Jones the Les Paul guitar used by NY Doll Sylvain Sylvain, and the torn-shirt, spiked-hair look of Richard Hell, then bass player for Television. All of these figures were pioneers of the New York City punk, and later New Wave music, scene. Rotten and his circle of friends (coincidentally all also called John) walked into the arrangement already possessed of a similar style -- a grunged-out version of the 'soul boy' fashion affected by fans of Roxy Music. McLaren also claimed that he wanted the Sex Pistols to be "the new Bay City Rollers".

The band played their first gig under their new name at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London on 6 November 1975. It was arranged by Matlock as he had been made by default this college's social event organiser as he was studying there at the time. The other band playing was called Bazooka Joe, which had Stuart Goddard on bass who would later become Adam Ant. This gig would be followed by other performances at colleges/art schools for the remainder of 1975 until early 1976, when they started playing at clubs (like the 100 Club) and pubs (like The Nashville). On 3 September 1976, they played their first concert outside of Britain, when they played at the opening of the Club De Chalet Du Lac in Paris. After that they went on their first major tour of Britain which lasted from mid-September to early October (this included a performance at the Chelmsford Prison), which got them noticed by EMI.

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