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Punk's origins -

On November 6, 1975, a band called the Sex Pistols played their first live gig at St Martin's College of Art in London. Bassist Glen Matlock had previously worked in a clothes shop called Let it Rock, run by a guy called Malcolm McLaren.  

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Let it Rock -

Let it Rock was located at 430 King's Road in Chelsea, West London. It sold surplus military clothing and other items that McLaren had sourced. As the business became successful, he enlisted the help of his then-girlfriend Vivienne Westwood, who customized and repaired original clothing. 

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Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die -

In 1973, McLaren and Westwood renamed their fashion boutique Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die and began selling original 1950s-inspired leather clothing.

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Association with the New York Dolls -

A trip the pair made to New York in 1973 to participate in the National Boutique Fair led to a meeting with the New York Dolls, one of the first bands of the fledgling American punk rock scene. McLaren and Westwood began an association with the New York Dolls, supplying them with stage wear and joining their group on tour in the UK and France.

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A more provocative clothing line -

Back in England, their shop underwent a further name change in 1974 to reflect its move towards a more provocative style. It was around this time that Glen Matlock started working in the store.  

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Arming the Pistols -

Regular customers Steve Jones and Paul Cook were aspiring musicians and had formed a band called The Strand. Their front man was Wally Nightingale. Jones and Cook kept pestering McLaren to take an interest in the group. McLaren suggested they recruit Matlock as their bass guitarist.  

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Recruitment of John Lydon -

In 1975, McLaren became the band's manager. He dropped Nightingale and was looking for a replacement singer when one day John Lydon paid the shop a visit. He had green hair and torn clothes with the words "I hate" written on a Pink Floyd T-shirt above the band's name. McLaren had found his new front man. 

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Punk rock is born -

Renamed the Sex Pistols, the band, now fronted by "Johnny Rotten," took to the stage at St Martin's College of Art in London, and a new music genre known as punk rock was about to be unleashed on an unsuspecting world. 

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Sowing the seeds of punk -

The seeds of punk rock had been sown in the United States as early as 1970. Detroit acts such as MC5 and Iggy and the Stooges were already turning their backs on the polished proficiency of mainstream rock and instead creating a raw and refreshingly spontaneous sound. 

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Television -

This DIY, or do-it-yourself, approach to music found favor in New York City with a host of new bands, including the New York Dolls and Television. 

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The Ramones -

The Ramones further established the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere and were a regular act at the legendary music club CBGB. 

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Richard Hell & The Voidoids -

Another New York City band, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, was also instrumental in propagating punk rock to a wider audience. The group was, in fact, the first rock band to play CBGB, which soon became a breeding ground for the early punk rock scene in New York. 

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The Clash -

Back across the pond, the Clash had emerged as one of the most influential acts in the first wave of British punk rock, equaling the Pistols in popularity and reverence. Unlike the Pistols, however, the Clash also contributed to the post-punk and new wave movements that followed.

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The Dammed -

British punk rock band the Dammed was the first punk band from the United Kingdom to release a single, 'New Rose,' in 1976. Two of its members, Captain Sensible and David Vanian, demonstrated a penchant for makeup and colorful tutus. Another, Rat Scabies, named himself after contracting the skin disease and seeing a rat run across the floor of his bedroom as he was recovering in bed from the nasty parasitic infestation. 

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'Anarchy in the UK' -

The Pistols released their debut single, 'Anarchy in the UK,' in November 1976. It reached number 38 on the UK Singles Chart before the band's record company, EMI, dropped the group in January 1977. The track is included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.

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Punk's fashionable allure -

Meanwhile, the boutique at 430 King's Road had become a meeting place for punk's glitterati. In December 1976, it underwent yet another name change, becoming Seditionaries. Vivienne Westwood was defining punk fashion with her signature attire—all leather, mohair, and tartan. Queen of Punk Rockers Pamela Rooke, aka Jordan, became punk's unofficial safety pin-up. 

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A major cultural phenomenon -

By the time 1976 drew to a close, punk had become a major cultural phenomenon in the UK. And thanks to Westwood, her bondage wear was worn almost as a uniform by men and women in the scene.

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Punk subculture -

Very quickly, the punk movement gave rise to a punk subculture that expressed youthful rebellion through distinctive styles of clothing. 

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Nonconformist look -

T-shirts with deliberately offensive graphics and punk slogans were the attire of choice for many. Leather jackets and ripped jeans upheld the nonconformist DIY look. 

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Gothic aesthetic -

Studded or spiked bands and jewelry, safety pins, and makeup that often carried a dramatic and sometimes bizarre flair with its blood red lipstick and black eye liner evoked a gothic aesthetic.

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Subversive and rebellious -

Punk's alarming antiestablishment look was intimidating, aggressive even. Furthermore, the adoption of the Mohawk cut served as a symbol of the movement's subversive and rebellious nature.

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Kicked out for liking the Beatles -

In 1977, McLaren unceremoniously kicked Glen Matlock out of the Pistols and replaced him with Sid Vicious, apparently because Matlock liked the Beatles.  

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'God Save the Queen' -

In May 1977, the Pistols, now signed to Virgin, released 'God Save the Queen' during the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations. The song described the British monarchy as a "fascist regime" and was promptly banned by the BBC and nearly every independent radio station in the United Kingdom. It remains the most censored record in British history.

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The Pistols implode -

The Pistols released their third single, 'Pretty Vacant,' in July 1977. The band's sole studio album was released in October. 'Holidays in the Sun,' taken from the album, was the band's fourth single and the last to feature Johnny Rotten. He left shortly afterwards as the band began to implode. McLaren was accused by the band of mismanaging them and refusing to pay them when they asked him for money.

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Death of Sid Vicious -

The band limped on with Steve Jones and Paul Cook recording one more single. Sid Vicious recorded solo covers of 'My Way' and 'Somethin' Else' under the Pistols' name. In October 1978, Vicious was arrested in New York and charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen. On February 2, 1979, while on bail, Sid Vicious died of a drug overdose. 

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The visual impact of punk rock -

Punk visual art is associated with the punk subculture. It's prevalent in punk rock album covers, flyers for punk concerts, and punk zines. One of punk's most notable artists was Jamie Reid, the man responsible for the record cover for the Sex Pistols single 'God Save the Queen,' which was lauded as the single most iconic image of the punk era. 

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New wave and beyond -

The impact of punk rock on music history cannot be overstated. It paved the way for the new wave genre of music, taken forward by the likes of Blondie, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Talking Heads. In turn, new wave heralded alternative rock, grunge, and countless other subgenres that challenged the conventions of popular music.

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Vivienne Westwood post-punk -

Vivienne Westwood went on to become one of the most respected and innovative fashion designers of her generation and is credited with bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. In 1992, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to fashion design and received her medal from Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. Vivienne Westwood died in 2022. 

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Malcolm McLaren post-punk -

After the Pistols, Malcolm McLaren embarked on a successful solo music career and ventured later into theatrical and film production. He also exhibited work as an artist. He died of cancer in 2010.  

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Punk's legacy -

Punk's impact on popular culture endures. Its DIY ethos inspired a generation of musicians to take control of their own careers, and it still serves as a soundtrack for generations of rebels, misfits, dreamers, and radical fashionistas. 

Sources: (Sex Pistols) (Yellow Brick) (Substream Magazine) (Vocal Media) 

See also: The biggest hit songs from the ‘70s. 

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