The
100 Club Punk Festival was a two day event held at the 100 Club, a (usually)
jazz-oriented venue, in
London's Oxford Street on the 21st and 22nd of September
1976. Arranged by
Sex Pistols manager
Malcolm McLaren, the gig showcased not only the aforementioned band, but a number of other acts aligned to the at the time very new
UK punk rock movement. For many, it was their first opportunity to play before a live audience. It also marked a watershed for the movement, when punk began to move from the 'underground' to being recognised by the 'mainstream'. Partly this was due to very positive and extensive coverage of the event by Melody Maker
journalist Caroline Coon.
The full line up for the festival was:
Now the stuff of legends, many who became involved in the punk scene claimed to have
been there (unlikely as the venue has a capacity for no more than 600 persons), although amongst those 'faces' that definately were, were
Shane MacGowan (later of
The Pogues),
Chrissie Hynde (later of
The Pretenders,
Vivienne Westwood (McLaren's then partner and co-manager of the
Chelsea boutique
SEX), Gaye Advert and TV Smith (later of
The Adverts), as well as members of the
Bromley Contingent, the punk fashion
avant garde.
The event was unfortunately marred by violence when a glass, reputedly thrown by then Banshees drummer and later Sex Pistols bass player Sid Vicious, shattered against a pillar during The Damned's set, blinding a young girl in one eye. Vicious also notoriously attacked NME journalist Nick Kent with a bicycle chain at the same event.
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