Sex Pistols Gigs, Free Trade Hall, June/July 1976

[BigJimLittleJim]

I was too young for the start of all of this - 12 in '76 - but my brother is seven years older and went to lots of the gigs as he was at the poly. He was a bit of a hippy really and was prob a little old for it all to really mean much to him but through him and his chums (and then me going to secondary school that year) I quickly went from "oooh, abba are nice 'cos my sister says so" to "feckoffyerfeckinfecker" posh south manchester punks.

I was hooked on the uk scene for a while then really into import US stuff and used to get an LP a week from discount records in alty to add to the collection and growing john peel tapes recorded under the bedclothes late at night on my clock/radio/tape player I saved up for from pocket money for months and got the bus in to manc to buy...

Seen most of the punk bands over the years including the blackpool winter gardens festival each year where they drag themselves out, ever aging.

Last year I saw probably my best ever "punk" gig at Kendal Calling music festival... search "Jazzhands at kendal calling" on you tube.... just immense! three drummers, a bass, sax and a guy with a cowbell - it's all about orange...

Have you been to Morecambe for the Holidays in the Sun "festival"? Me and Mrs BJLJ have been a couple of times, and we found there was some sort of mad competition to play as loud and as fast as humanly possible - ruined it for me, had to go buy some earplugs from fucking Boots just to be in the concert hall! Most of the bands had progressed not one iota over the years, bit sad really.

We still go to punk gigs and festivals where there might be the odd punk band, like Goldblade - in fact Bladefest is a must on the calender.

I'm from Timperley, so remember Discount records very fondly :)

 

[BigJimLittleJim]

I was too young for the start of all of this - 12 in '76 - but my brother is seven years older and went to lots of the gigs as he was at the poly. He was a bit of a hippy really and was prob a little old for it all to really mean much to him but through him and his chums (and then me going to secondary school that year) I quickly went from "oooh, abba are nice 'cos my sister says so" to "feckoffyerfeckinfecker" posh south manchester punks.

I was hooked on the uk scene for a while then really into import US stuff and used to get an LP a week from discount records in alty to add to the collection and growing john peel tapes recorded under the bedclothes late at night on my clock/radio/tape player I saved up for from pocket money for months and got the bus in to manc to buy...

Seen most of the punk bands over the years including the blackpool winter gardens festival each year where they drag themselves out, ever aging.

Last year I saw probably my best ever "punk" gig at Kendal Calling music festival... search "Jazzhands at kendal calling" on you tube.... just immense! three drummers, a bass, sax and a guy with a cowbell - it's all about orange...

Have you been to Morecambe for the Holidays in the Sun "festival"? Me and Mrs BJLJ have been a couple of times, and we found there was some sort of mad competition to play as loud and as fast as humanly possible - ruined it for me, had to go buy some earplugs from fucking Boots just to be in the concert hall! Most of the bands had progressed not one iota over the years, bit sad really.

We still go to punk gigs and festivals where there might be the odd punk band, like Goldblade - in fact Bladefest is a must on the calender.

I'm from Timperley, so remember Discount records very fondly :)

 

[Macc]

Ahh yes, "Where have all the boot boys gone!!"
I had that on a 12" single

A

Cranked up really high!

One of the greatest punk tunes ever mate.

Agreed

 

[Macc]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxrIfeAXBIM[/youtube]

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

Apologies for taking this way off topic but they won the jackpot on Celebrity Pointless the other week by giving the answer, My Way, to the question, Name Sex Pistols top 20 hits?

Surely it was Sid on his own wasn't it?

After Rotten left the band McLaren was determined to milk the Pistols for all they were worth.
He sent Cook & Jones to Rio to meet Ronnie Biggs where an interview and vocals for a song "The Biggest Blow" were recorded.
Sid was encouraged to become a cartoon punk idol and did lame covers of My Way/Something Else/C'mon Everybody which made a lot of money for Malcolm and a small amount for the remaining Pistols.
Jones played guitar/bass and Cook the drums on the cash-in singles.

I enjoyed the band Jones and Cook went on to form with Phil Lynott and Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy, The Greedy Bastards aka The Greedies (for media coverage)

And Cook / Jones own band ''The Professionals.''

 

[tommyhair]

I was ten in '76, so way too young to attend these gigs, but I loved the music when I first went to secondary school, and my mates' older siblings shared their punk collections, especially on cassette tapes - brilliant :)

I don't think music like the Pistols, Damned, Stranglers and the Clash will ever particularly "date" as they're just so good, along with plenty of other bands from the era too many to list now, but not to recognise there were tons of appalling bands that followed, which is the same in every musical genre once the creative souls have exhausted themselves/moved on.

The New Romantic era quickly followed, which I am quite fascinated by at the moment as out of it, and the ashes of Punk, came the Goth classics which young people would recognise today.

Bands like the Southern Death Cult, Bauhaus, Play Dead, Siouxsie, the Sisters of Mercy were favourites live, as well as on vinyl and in the clubs - anyone remember Berlin and Cloud Nine, as well as the Ritz of course (is this still going?) - these were all big parts of my later teen years, and so of course hold a lot of fond memories (even if many were proper cringeworthy).

I remember Berlin and cloud nine. I saw Bauhaus on Oxford rd, I think the club was rafters? Opposite Rotters. Rip rig and panic supported, both were great!