Pet Shop Boys frontman Neil Tennant has shared his memories of seeing punk legends the Sex Pistols for the first time.
On Friday, April 23, 1976, John Lydon's band played the Nashville Rooms in London with The 101ers, featuring future Clash vocalist/guitarist Joe Strummer. In the audience that evening was 22-year-old Tennant, future Smash Hits magazine editor and Pet Shop Boys frontman.
Tennant posted his memories of the night on Instagram last week.
"50 years ago today," he wrote, "I went with my friend Eric Watson to see a gig by a new rock group called the Sex Pistols at the Nashville pub in West Kensington. The Pistols were impressive - they reminded me a little of the Ramones whose first album I had heard - but then a member of the audience was beaten up by one of the group’s friends in a horrifying incident. Eric and I left the gig stunned and I wrote a letter to the NME about it.
"To my surprise, the NME printed my letter as a little news piece with a photo by Joe Stevens. Later in 1976, the Pistols achieved notoriety in a controversial TV interview. A series of brilliant and subversive singles and an album followed which resonate to this day."
In his post, Tennant included the letter he wrote to the NME.
In the letter he described the Pistols as "three nice, clean,. middle-class art students" - a description which must have greatly amused guitarist Steve Jones, who was literally none of those things - "and a real live dementoid, Johnny Rotten."
"Now on Friday night, El Dementoid wasn't really on top form, although the rest of the band were doing their best to compensate. Johnny's heart wasn't in the music. His lack of interest was naturally reflected by the audience, who, disappointed, weren't reacting sufficiently to the band. So how do the Pistols create their atmosphere when their music has failed? By beating up a member of the audience. How else?"
Tennant went on to describe a fracas between two girls in the audience, which led to the boyfriend of one of the girls being assaulted by members of the band and their friends.
"Mr Rotten joins in the fight, and has a few kicks at the victim," Tennant noted. "He cackles, he leers, the amps are turned up. He's pleased. The Pistols finish another unforgettable act."
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Three of the original Pistols - Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and Paul Cook - with former Gallows/Rattlesnakes frontman Frank Carter, will be touring the UK later in the year, playing both outdoor and indoor shows.
The band have also got an extensive American tour lined up.
Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter North American tour 2026
Sep 11: Dallas Longhorn Ballroom, TX
Sep 12: Austin Emo’s, TX
Sep 13: Houston House of Blues, TX
Sep 15: Nashville Marathon Music Works, TN
Sep 17: Kansas City Uptown Theater, MO
Sep 21: Toronto HISTORY, Canada
Sep 22: Montreal L’Olympia Canda
Sep 25: Philadelphia The Fillmore, PA
Sep 28: Boston Royale, MA
Sep 29: Washington DC 9:30 Club
Oct 01: Cleveland The Agora, OH
Oct 03: Detroit The Fillmore, MI
Oct 04: Columbus Newport Music Hall, OH
Oct 06: Minneapolis The Fillmore, MN
Oct 09: Denver Ogden Theatre, CO
Oct 10: Salt Lake City The Union Event Center, UT
Oct 12: Seattle Showbox SoDo, WA
Oct 14: San Francisco The Warfield, CA
Oct 16: San Diego SOMA, CA
Oct 17: Phoenix Marquee Theatre, AZ
Oct 18: Los Angeles The Hollywood Palladium, CA
