Sex Pistols

The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975, widely credited as the catalyst for the UK punk movement. The original line-up featured vocalist John Lydon (Johnny Rotten), guitarist Steve Jones, bassist Glen Matlock (later replaced by Sid Vicious) and drummer Paul Cook, managed by the provocateur Malcolm McLaren, who helped fuel the controversy and media frenzy that surrounded the band throughout their brief existence.

Raw, confrontational and deliberately anti-establishment, the Sex Pistols channeled social discontent into short, aggressive songs built on stripped-down guitar riffs and Rotten's sneering vocal delivery. Singles like «Anarchy in the U.K.» and «God Save the Queen» became instant statements of rebellion, drawing bans from radio and retailers while cementing the band's notoriety and influence.

Their sole studio album, «Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols» (1977), remains a foundational document of punk rock, inspiring countless bands across the UK and beyond. The group disbanded in 1978 during a chaotic US tour, though the original members reunited in the 1990s for the «Filthy Lucre» tour, and their legacy as pioneers of punk endures as one of the most influential in rock history.