The Sex Pistols are a British punk rock band that managed to create their own history. It is noteworthy that the group lasted only three years. The musicians released one album, but determined the direction of music for at least 10 years ahead.
In fact, the Sex Pistols are:
- aggressive music;
- cheeky manner of performing tracks;
- unpredictable behavior on stage;
- scandals, provocation and shocking.
The radicalism of the Sex Pistols is not so much a cultural phenomenon as a social one. This combination allowed the musicians to win the status of world-class stars, despite a poor heritage.
History of creation and composition of the group
The history of the creation of the Sex Pistols is simple, but very interesting. To feel the moment of the band's creation, you need to mentally move to the Let It Rock designer clothing store.
In the early 1970s, fashion designer Malcolm McLaren opened a clothing store with his girlfriend, colleague Vivienne Westwood. Young people were fascinated by the idea of situationism, which was based on a demonstrative protest against capitalism. McLaren created things for teddy-fights (in the Soviet Union, dudes were an analogue of this culture).
A few years later, the designer changed his taste. He began to produce clothes for bikers and rockers. The store is now called Fast to Live, Too Young to Die.
Now young people were hanging out in the renovated boutique. Already famous local stars - Steve Jones and Paul Cook - also went there. They have had their own brainchild for a year now - The Strand. In addition to them, Wally Nightingale, a friend from school, also played in it.
For a year, the affairs of the team have not “been moved”. Therefore, in 1974, Jones took up the "promotion". The target audience gathered in the McLaren boutique. Jones tried to negotiate with McLaren on cooperation.
Turning point in Sex Pistols career
McLaren listened carefully to Jones' plan. He saw promising musicians in the team. The designer became the manager of The Strand. Soon new members joined the team. We are talking about bassist Glen Matlock.
At the time of enrollment in the group, he worked in a McLaren boutique. Received a specialized education at the College of Art named after St. Martin.
McLaren spent the next winter in the United States of America. Returning to his homeland in the mid-1970s, he, inspired by his work with the New York Dolls, decided to create the same provocative team in London. The same members of The Strand became the object for the musical experiment.
The manager provoked a situation that forced Nightingale to leave the group. He persuaded Jones to take the guitar into his own hands and start looking for a suitable vocalist.
After long castings and auditions, McLaren hired a buyer. The manager said that he was attracted to the guy by a T-shirt with the inscription: "I hate Pink Floyd." The young man's hair was dyed green, and his eyes looked like those of a madman. Soon John Lydon joined the team.
The history of the creative pseudonym of the group Sex Pistols
The name by which the musicians are known by millions of fans around the planet appeared in the mid-1970s. By the way, by that time McLaren's boutique was called SEX and specialized in fetish fashion products.
McLaren wanted the band to perform under a creative pseudonym that would evoke danger and attraction.
The band's first concert took place in 1975 at St. Martin's College, where Matlock studied. It is this year that is considered to be the time of the creation of the cult team.
Six months later, the original group was already known in the UK. The quartet was very popular among fans of heavy music. Almost immediately after the presentation of the debut album, Glen Matlock left the Sex Pistols. McLaren deliberately kicked the musician out of the group because he loved the tracks of The Beatles. Soon the vacant seat was taken by Sid Vicious.
The musician said that he left solely on his own initiative. In the documentary film Filth and Fury, it is said that the strained relationship between Matlock and Rotten became the reason.
In the spring of 1977, Vicious began rehearsing with the band. Members of the Sex Pistols were not happy with the new musician because he played poorly. The new member was kept only because he knew how to create a real show on stage. McLaren decided to leave Vicious in the group, although he practically did not take part in the recording of the collection.
Unexpectedly for many, the group ceased to exist in 1978. Later, they teamed up several times for trips on tour. The lineup included Paul Cook, Steve Jones, Johnny Rotten.
Music by the Sex Pistols
Interestingly, the musicians did not have their own repertoire for their debut performance. The guys even had to borrow musical instruments from a rock band, which they were “opening for” with.
The group's repertoire consisted of popular cover versions. The team performed only three tracks. When the owners of musical instruments saw how the band members were treating their possessions, they took the instruments away.
The band members were furious, but did not give up. During the week, the musicians performed in various educational institutions. The first "personal" track that they presented to the public was the composition Pretty Vacant.
Later, promotional materials were created for the team. A year after the debut performance, the guys began to travel to various clubs. Soon they "settled" in the nightclub "Club" 100 "".
When the band members began to perform, the club was attended by no more than 50 people on average. Over time, they strengthened their authority. On the day when the Sex Pistols performed, the number of visitors increased to 600-700 people. With no airplay on TV or radio, the Sex Pistols have earned genuine respect in the underground scene.
Soon journalists began to take an active interest in the original group. In the summer of 1976, the band's performance with Anarchy in the UK was broadcast by one of the British channels.
The press attention to the band was understandable. The musicians behaved boldly and defiantly on stage. Various publications wrote about the group, the musicians toured Paris. They were talked about in almost every corner of the planet.
Contracting the Sex Pistols with EMI Records
Promising musicians aroused genuine interest among the owners of recording studios. The group chose the label EMI Records. A few months later, the guys presented the single Anarchy in the UK. The musical composition took an honorable 38th position in the British chart. From now on, even those who are far from underground circles know about the Sex Pistols group.
The single, in which the British government was put on a par with extremist organizations, was blacklisted. The track was banned from broadcast on television and radio. EMI Records ran into public opinion and had to stop "multiplication" of copies. Soon the track disappeared from the radio.
Soon the team performed on the Bill Grundy Show. The visit of the Sex Pistols group to the show from the first minutes began "with mud". The musicians and the presenter Grandi were not shy in their expressions. Moreover, Bill offended not only the members of the team, but also the fans. The presenter was "asked" to go out the door, and for the group, the prank turned into a cancellation of the tour.
The scandal bolstered the reputation of the Sex Pistols. But EMI Records was on edge. The last straw was the day when the musicians smashed the furniture in the hotel. The company in 1977 broke the contract with the team.
In March, McLaren managed to interest representatives of A&M Records in musicians. The group signed a contract. A week later, the A&M Records office changed their mind and terminated the contract.
Soon the musicians presented the track God Save the Queen. The musical composition was written at the recording studio Virgin Records. The company was owned by Richard Branson.
Seeing the cover with the face of the queen, whose lips were pinned together, the workers of the factories that printed the single refused to cooperate. Only after lengthy negotiations did the situation improve.
Breakup of the Sex Pistols
In 1977, the discography of the scandalous group was finally replenished with the first album. We are talking about the collection Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. The album was certified platinum in the US and UK, and went gold in the Netherlands.
In support of the debut album, the musicians went to the Netherlands with a concert. After the New Year, the Sex Pistols toured the United States of America. Due to an unsuccessful promotional platform, they did not gather the desired audience. The performances of the guys were unsuccessful, and at the beginning of 1978 it was announced that the cult team was breaking up.
After the breakup, the musicians got together a few more times. They did not make any attempts to revive the team, but simply enjoyed the joint performance. The last world tour took place in 2008.
