Rhino Factoids: The Sex Pistols Take London

39 years ago today, the Sex Pistols secured a gig that's generally described as a key turning point in their career: playing at the 100 Club in London.

It's not as though the Pistols hadn't played live prior to March 30, 1976, but their gigs were decidedly tumultuous and oftentimes more than a little bit spontaneous. For instance, on February 20, they'd shown up at Buck's College in High Wycombe, England and claimed to be the opening act for Screaming Lord Sutch, even though they weren't actually booked at all. Nonetheless, they took the stage, started playing, and…well, things went rather poorly, let's just say that.

Somehow or other, though, the Pistols managed to secure a date at the 100 Club, a venue known far more for jazz than punk, and Chrissie Hynde - yes, that Chrissie Hynde - was in attendance, along with guitarist/producer Chris Spedding, who saw the band's potential. We're not sure how he saw it, given that the performance turned out to be a tumultuous one, with Johnny Rotten and Glen Matlock getting into it on stage, leading Johnny to throw one of drummer Paul Cook's cymbals across the stage.

Indeed, Johnny had every intention of heading home until the band's manager, Malcolm McLaren, informed Johnny that he'd be finished if he didn't finish the gig. So Johnny stayed and made friends with Chrissie (many years later, she'd end up contributing some of her reminiscences about the early days of the Pistols to Johnny's autobiography, Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs), and in less than two months' time, Spedding would helm the Sex Pistols' first demos.

Maybe not a great show, but certainly not a bad night, all told.