The early history of Punk is signposted by a pair of now famous concerts in the summer of 1976. Each was attended by relatively few people at the time, but a very large percentage of those who did attend were inspired to form their own bands:

June 4, 1976: Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall. The Sex Pistols play to a scant 40 people, but amongst those few are Tony Wilson (impressario, owner of the Hacienda nightclub and Factory Records), Howard Devoto, Steve Diggle and Pete Shelley (Buzzcocks), Peter Hook and Bernard Sumner (Joy Division/New Order), music journalist Paul Morley, producer Martin Hannett and Morrissey. Oh, and Mick Hucknall of Simply Red (Not sure if he counts.)

July 4, 1976: One month later, on the date of the US Bicentennial, The Ramones perform their first UK gig at London’s Roundhouse. In the audience are members of The Clash, The Sex Pistols and The Buzzcocks. A monumental date in Anglo-American relations.

Published on Mar 25, 2010 Filed under: Punk