By early 1976, The Sex Pistols were playing intermittent gigs in London, getting a reputation for the random acts of violence that surrounded their shows. They were also inspiring others to form punk bands – notably London SS, who never released a record or even played a note in public but were directly responsible for the formation of The Clash and Generation X, and indirectly responsible for many more.

In New York, The Ramones raised the flag with their ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ single and debut album. In London they fanned the flames of the emerging punk scene, and then did the same in Los Angeles and Toronto. Australia needed no such help; bands like The Saints were already primed and waiting to go. In the wake of The Ramones, the New York scene bubbled with new bands and lured the notorious Dead Boys from Cleveland.

In London the scene still centred around The Sex Pistols, whose gigs provided a platform for emerging bands like The Clash, Buzzcocks, The Vibrators and The Damned, who were first to get a record out. But it was The Sex Pistols’ snarling ‘Anarchy In The UK’ that got the media frothing, while the band’s undeleted expletives on TV caused a frenzy.

Styles & Forms | Introducing Punk
Styles & Forms | Punk | The First Wave (1976) | Key Events