On September 20, 1976, the Sex Pistols performed at the opening night of the 100 Club Punk Special, a two-night 'festival' showcasing the UK's emerging punk scene, alongside The Clash, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Subway Sect.
Last night, March 21, three of. the original Pistols - guitarist Steve Jones, bassist Glen Matlock, and drummer Paul Cook - returned to the subterranean Oxford Street venue with Frank Carter on vocals, billed as 'The SPOTS' (Sex Pistols On Tour Secretly), the same name the group used for a short UK tour in the summer of 1977. And according to PA News, an exceedingly good time was had by all.
Tickets for the 'secret' gig at the 350 capacity club, a warm up show for the quartet's Teenage Cancer Trust performance at London's Royal Albert Hall on March 24, went on sale via a ballot last week, and sold out almost instantly: Paul Weller, Oasis' Noel Gallagher, and Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie were among those on the guest list. And while John Lydon may have witheringly described the group's return as "karaoke", the reception that the quartet received suggested that there's a genuine appetite and affection for their nostalgic reunion.
“It’s a pleasure and a privilege to be here with these legends tonight,” Carter told the crowd following the gig's opening one-two punch of Holidays In The Sun, and New York. The band's set also contained classic singles God Save The Queen, Pretty Vacant, and Anarchy In The UK, plus much-loved anthems such as Bodies and EMI. Towards the end of the show, according to PA News, Carter stage-dived into the crowd, before laughingly saying, "Oh fuck, I forgot you’re all fucking 60.”
