The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspired many later punk, post-punk and alternative rock musicians, while their clothing and hairstyles were a significant influence on the early punk image. Under the management of Malcolm McLaren , the band gained widespread attention from British press after swearing live on-air during a December television interview.
Their May single " God Save the Queen ", which described the monarchy as a "fascist regime", was released to coincide with national celebrations for the Queen's Silver Jubilee. The song was promptly banned from being played by the BBC and by nearly every independent radio station in Britain, making it the most censored record in British history.
Their sole studio album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols was a UK number one and is regarded as seminal in the development of punk rock. In January , at the final gig of a difficult and media-hyped tour of the US, Rotten announced the band's break-up live on stage. Vicious died of a heroin overdose in February following his arrest for the alleged murder of his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen. Rotten, Jones, Cook and Matlock later reunited for a successful tour in The Sex Pistols have been recognised as a highly influential band.
According to Jones, both he and Cook played on instruments he had stolen. It had been renamed in to focus on another revival trend, the '50s rocker look. In late , Jones asked McLaren to take over the band's management. Glen Matlock , an art student who occasionally worked at McLaren's and Westwood's shop, joined as bassist.
The group had been rehearsing regularly, overseen by Bernard Rhodes who would later go on to manage the Clash and performing live. Soon after McLaren's return, Nightingale was dismissed and Jones, uncomfortable as frontman, took over guitar. When those plans fell through, McLaren, Rhodes and the band began looking locally for a new member to assume the lead vocal duties.
