Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter
1976 was punk’s year zero. Sex Pistols set it off by playing a series of gigs, causing mayhem in their native London at now mythical venues like The Marquee, The 100 Club, The Nashville and a residency at the El Paradiso strip club before heading around the UK to spread the new gospel. Incendiary music and mayhem followed and by May they had entered the studio to record the first songs of what would become their legendary album ‘Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols’.
Their June 4 gig at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall, and a second weeks later, inspired members of Joy Division, New Order, The Smiths, The Fall and Buzzcocks to form bands. By September’s legendary 100 Club Punk Special, the Pistols were leading a movement. In October, the underground went mainstream – signing to EMI, the band released “Anarchy in the UK,” capturing a generation’s rage.