Sex Pistols

The Sex Pistols were an English punk band formed in London in 1975. The first line-up was vocalist Johnny Rotten (John Lydon), guitarist Steve Jones, drummer Paul Cook and bassist Glen Matlock, with Sid Vicious taking over from Matlock in early 1977. Managed by Malcolm McLaren, they won wide press attention after swearing on live television in December 1976, and their clothes and hairstyles helped shape punk style. Their Manchester shows at the Lesser Free Trade Hall inspired several bands to start up.

"God Save the Queen" arrived in May 1977, timed for the Silver Jubilee, and was banned by the BBC and nearly every independent radio station. Their one studio album from the original run, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols (1977), went to number one in the UK. Rotten announced the split on stage in January 1978, at the end of a troubled US tour. The band reunited in 1996, and in 2024 Jones, Cook and Matlock returned with Frank Carter on vocals.