Sex Pistols Photography

Rude, crude, and socially unacceptable… the Sex Pistols were together for only two years and released just one album, but they forever changed the face of popular music. Never Mind the Bollocks is one of the most influential punk records of all time—a manifesto steeped in raw aggression and rebellion that became a defining moment in British culture.

The Sex Pistols formed in the late ’70s, contrived by manager Malcolm McLaren to challenge conformity and confront the establishment. Stripping rock and roll to its basics—three chords and a simple melody—frontmen Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious responded to social unrest with anger and defiance. They weren’t the first punk band, but they transformed and forever defined the genre.

Controversy and violence left them unable to perform in Britain, so a 1978 U.S. tour was planned. The ill-fated tour lasted only two weeks before the group imploded and disbanded. The Sex Pistols were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, but—remaining true to their anti-establishment attitude—refused to attend the ceremony.