The Sex Pistols and the Silver Jubilee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcFp-eKKIws

The date was February 6th, 1977, Queen Elizabeth II was celebrating the 25th anniversary of her accession to the throne. Known as the Silver Jubilee, it was a time of celebration for the royal family and parliament. The up and coming punk band originating out of London, England in the 100 Club, the english underground of punk music. In the year of the Queens Silver Jubilee, the Sex Pistols were scheduled to release their debut album, Never mind the Bullocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols.

The albums promotional items were based all around the Queens Silver Jubilee, as The Sex Pistols took pictures of the queen and placed God Save the Queen, Sex Pistols across them, with the British flag as the background. Their biggest promotional and political statement to the Queen and all of Britain was their boat trip down the River Thames which ran right outside of parliament. In a boat ironically named the Queen Elizabeth, The Sex Pistols played as loud as they possibly could. With the direct intention to disrupt the Queens celebration. They played the songs “Pretty Vacant”, “Anarchy in the UK”, and “Problems”. During the performance of “Problems” the power on the boat was cut off by British officers. The Boat was then taken back to shore and everyone involved was expected to be arrested. The four members of The Sex Pistols got away as their manager, punk pioneer, Malcom McLaren argued with police.

The Sex Pistols trip down the Thames was not just a ploy for people to buy their albums but a political statement to parliament. As they had recently banded their songs like “God Save the Queen” and “Anarchy in the UK” from air waves. If The Sex Pistols couldn’t bring their music to the masses, The Sex Pistols we’re going to bring it to them.

The anticipated punk record “Never mind the Bullocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols” was released October 28, 1977. The album brought The Sex Pistols to be the biggest band in England at the time. The rise to greatness was quick and the fall was even greater as in 1978 the band ended their first US tour in San Francisco. The lead singer muttering his final words on stage “ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?” A implication not to the fans but about themselves. As if they believed they would be able to express their feeling towards Britain and change Britain for the better. However Britain, the US and the media broke them. In the end cheating them of their dreams.