Sex Pistols

In less than three years, UK punk pioneers the Sex Pistols changed the course of popular music with their sonic squall and open disdain for the establishment. ∙ The Sex Pistols first came together in 1975, when the members were regulars of SEX, a trendy London boutique run by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, the band’s manager. ∙ Influential from the start, their June 1976 show in Manchester was famously attended by future members of the Buzzcocks, Joy Division, The Fall, and The Smiths. ∙ Their debut, 1976’s “Anarchy in the U.K.,” and their foul-mouthed appearance on London’s Today show caused a nationwide moral panic—and made them punk movement heroes. ∙ Following a concert on the River Thames mocking the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, the music industry reportedly conspired to deny 1977’s “God Save the Queen” the No. 1 spot on the UK singles chart. ∙ Nearly 30 years after their initial split, they reunited for 1996’s Filthy Lucre Tour, and the 2000 documentary about the band, The Filth and the Fury, further cemented their legacy. ∙ In 2006, the Sex Pistols were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame—but the band, who hadn’t been consulted ahead of time, refused to attend the ceremony. ∙ Rolling Stone named them on their 100 Greatest Artists of All Time list and ranked 1977’s Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.