Throughout the first half of 1976 the sex pistols played regularly in London. But although controversy surrounded the groups appearances and the rumors of violence at their gigs, the real interest, contrary to what Mclaren was to claim later, centered on the Pistols music, a passionate blend of basic rock'n'roll and angry, satirical lyrics. They began to appear sporadically at collage gigs, sometimes legitimately, sometimes, according to legend, simply jumping on-stage uninvited

The music press was initially divided as to the group's merits, but the papers eventually realized that there was good copy to be had from the oddly-attired quartet dressed mostly from the racks of McLaren/Westwood shop, which by this time had been renamed Sex and was selling bondage gear, pornographic T-shirts and similar fineries. The first review appeared in NME in February 1976 and included the classic quote 'we're not into music... we're into chaos!' In the next few months a new visual and verbal language appeared that would ultimately re-open the generation gap.

Meanwhile, the Pistols were causing more immediate outrage. In late November 1976, the Anarchy tour of the nation turned to farce with one council ban after another, all of which bounced backwards and forwards in the national press. Then, on 1 December, they became front-page news as a result of the notorious interview with Bill Grundy on The 'Today Programme. With everybody obviously a little the worse for drink, what started as a routine chat-show quickly degenerated into a full scale verbal orgy as, egged on by a smug Grundy, the lads filled the nation's homes with a sprawl of 'filth'. 'Go on. You've got another five seconds. Say something outrageous', coaxed Grundy. 'You dirty bastard', complied Jones.

The papers hadn't had so much fun with a pop group since the Stones urinated against a garage wall or John Lennon claimed that the Beatles were bigger than Jesus. Reports came in of honest working men who had kicked in their TV sets, of elderly ladies who had strokes and everybody worried about how this outrage would corrupt the tender young children viewing the early evening programme who had been exposed to -as the Daily Mail put it-'some of the dirtiest language ever heard on television'. Grundy was suspended by Thames Television, EMI were extremely apologetic and everyone in the Pistols camp thought the whole thing hilariously funny.

Then in mid December, with 'Anarchy in the UK' climbing the charts, staff at EMI's pressing plant threatened to strike if they had to make any more copies. It was no real surprise when, in the first week of the new year, EMI announced that they were no longer employing the Sex Pistols.

The Sex Pistols passed a relatively un-eventful winter, if only because they were continually refused permission to play. And early in March 1977, amid much publicity, the band signed with A&M. It was, as usual, to be a farce, from the official signing in front of Buckingham Palace to an abusive press reception and, finally, a violent squabble that ended with the group being sacked once again.

In February, the group had parted with bassist Glen Matlock, he was to be replaced with Sid Vicious, it was he who was blamed for the incident which resulted in the Pistols brief liaison with A&M coming to a speedy end. Despite this and all its attendant bad publicity, there were still plenty of record companies eager to talk to the Pistols. Thus, the group's recording career proper began when they were signed to Virgin in the spring of 1977. Their 'God save the Queen' response to the Jubilee was the Pistols biggest chart success (reaching number 2 in June 1977) despite attacks in the press and a virtual TV and radio blackout. The group's only legitimate LP appeared in October. One or two shops were fined for displaying the record sweetly titled Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols.

When the Pistols finally crossed the Atlantic in January 1978, Sid was once more the center of attention when he played covered in his and his fans blood as the Pistols mashed their way through Texas, by the end of the tour Rotten had thrown in the towel, Cook and Jones went on to form the Professionals and later Jones was to have some success as a solo artist, Rotten would revert to his real name and reappear at the helm of Public Image Ltd. The last nail in the coffin came with the death of Sid Vicious on 2nd February 1979.

Together, McLaren and the Sex Pistols created some excellent, energetic music on record and stage. More importantly, they helped to develop the look of punk, the way of dressing, behaving and maybe even thinking. In some ways, however, the Sex Pistols were perhaps not rock's greatest success but it's greatest failure. For, having built there name on controversy and outrage, they took things too far; they allowed themselves to be carried away by their own image and, in doing so, destroyed themselves. the tragic part is that Sid Vicious' case, the destruction was a literal one...' to fast to live to young to die'.