| 100 Club Punk Special | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Punk rock |
| Dates | 20–21 September 1976 |
| Locations | 100 Club,Oxford Street, London |
| Attendance | About 600 |
| Organised by | Ron Watts Malcolm McLaren |
| Website | Official |
The100 Club Punk Special (sometimes referred to as the100 Club Punk Festival) was a two-day event held at the100 Club venue inOxford Street, London, England, on 20 and 21 September 1976.[1] The gig showcased eightpunk rock bands, most of which wereunsigned. The bands in attendance were each associated with the then evolving punk rock music scene of the United Kingdom. Historically, the event has become seen as marking a watershed moment for punk rock, as it began to move from theunderground and emerge into themainstream music scene.
In early September 1976, concert promoter Ron Watts approachedMalcolm McLaren, manager of theSex Pistols, the leaders of the new British punk rock scene, and proposed that they headline the event. After that, they presented the idea tothe Damned andthe Clash, both of which quickly agreed to participate.Siouxsie Sioux directly approached Watts and requested to join the line-up as well. McLaren then volunteered the French bandStinky Toys and a handful of other bands fromManchester.[2]
The enthusiasm for this event was partly due to the very positive and extensive promotion byMelody Maker journalistCaroline Coon.
Monday evening, 20 September 1976[3]
Tuesday evening, 21 September 1976[3]
The Vibrators were a new group that had only recently begun to write their own music and, at the encouragement of Ron Watts, they decided to act as backing band for established artistChris Spedding for the show. Spedding, who had been booked to play the second night but didn't have a band behind him, taught The Vibrators a few songs in the dressing room immediately prior the actual show, leaving no time for an actual rehearsal.[4]Siouxsie and the Banshees' set, however, was completely improvisational. They didn't know or play any songs, and their act had a purely "performance art" quality. Siouxsie, for instance, recited theLord's Prayer and similar memorised pieces of text.
None of the shows were rehearsed, says Ron Watts, "It was just people, getting up and trying to do something."[2]
Attendance at the event later become a badge of honour for punk rock fans, but it is probable that a lot of claims were apocryphal. Indeed, a great many people who were later to become involved in the punk scene claimed to have "been there" during the two-day festival, but this is unlikely to be true since the venue had only a 600-person capacity.[1][failed verification] However, amongst the verified attendees were:Paul Weller ofthe Jam,Shane MacGowan (later ofthe Nipple Erectors andthe Pogues),Shanne Bradley (ofthe Nipple Erectors andthe Men They Couldn't Hang),Colin Newman ofWire,[5]Viv Albertine ofthe Slits,Chrissie Hynde (later ofthe Pretenders),Jah Wobble (later ofPiL),Vivienne Westwood (McLaren's then partner and co-manager of theChelsea boutiqueSex),Kevin Haskins and his brotherDavid J (later ofBauhaus),Gaye Advert andT. V. Smith (later ofThe Adverts), as well as members of theBromley Contingent, the punk fashionavant-garde,Andrew Czezowski (ex-manager of the Damned) and Susan Carrington, who went on to startthe Roxy with Barry Jones.[citation needed].
The event was marred by violence when a beer glass, thrown by then Banshees drummer and later Sex Pistols bass playerSid Vicious duringthe Damned's performance shattered against a pillar, blinding a young girl in one eye.[6] Vicious was arrested shortly after the incident and spent several days in jail.[2]
51°30′58″N0°8′7.3″W / 51.51611°N 0.135361°W /51.51611; -0.135361