Were the Sex Pistols actually good or just necessary?
The winter of discontent. At least, that’s what they called it. From the end of 1978 to the beginning of 1979, the country was plagued with power outages, record unemployment and a growing class divide. On top of that, the music people usually turned to as a means of escapism was becoming more disconnected. Bands like the Rolling Stones were playing to crowds so big that it was borderline impossible to see the stage if you were near the back, and their music didn’t resonate with the people anymore—something needed to change. Enter the Sex Pistols.
John Lydon spoke about the times in Britain that birthed his iconic band. “Early ’70s Britain was a very depressing place. It was completely run-down, there was trash on the streets, total unemployment – just about everybody was on strike,” he said.
Adding: “Everybody was brought up with an education system that told you point blank that if you came from the wrong side of the tracks… then you had no hope in hell and no career prospects at all. Out of all that came pretentious moi, and the Sex Pistols and then a whole bunch of copycat wankers after us.”
The rage that Lydon felt was shared throughout the country, which meant that when the Sex Pistols came along with their rebellious, inaccessible, and pulling-no-punches sound, it was no surprise that the band was successful. Given how much the tension throughout the country was bubbling, to have a band vocalise that frustration in a way that didn’t hold back was unprecedented and welcomed.
Sex Pistols were one of the first bands to openly critique the government, the monarchy, and modern music in a way that saw them progress to the mainstream. This paved the way for many other bands to voice their opinions on the world around them and put their frustrated energy into their music.
This fierce attitude that bands in the 1970s and ‘80s put forward still resonates today, as other punk outfits, hip-hop artists and country singers are happy to put lyrics to built-up anger. They were an influential band, and things would have likely looked very different without their impact on music. While rebellion had been expressed in music before Lydon took to the mic, it hadn’t been done in a way that was so blunt, and that achieved such mainstream success.
This still begs the question; however, were the Sex Pistols actually any good? Or, given the nature of the world around them when making music, were they just necessary? It’s always a question that comes up when people pioneer something new, as the original is often never as good as that which comes after once a genre or movement has been established, meaning the original will always be respected but might not be revisited as much.
It is fair to say that Sex Pistols may well have moved away from this stereotype, though. People are still frequently listening to the band, and the reaction to some of the haphazard reunion gigs done recently at events such as Iggy Pop’s Dog Day Afternoon as Generation Sex took to the stage, the band’s music has stood the test of time and continues to attract audiences both new and old.
As is always the case with iterations of punk music, there are many people who hate it. The raucous nature of the sound and up-front lyricism will always be divisive, but Sex Pistols’ reception within the punk genre still shows that they weren’t only a necessary band but also made exceptional music that continues to resonate.
So, what is it that people find so appealing about their sound? The first thing is the catchiness of their songs. Regardless of whether you agree with the message that was portrayed within their music or not, Sex Pistols verses and choruses are laced with a melody that embeds itself in your head the moment you hear it. All people need to do is read the words, “I am an antichrist,” or “God save the queen, the fascist regime,” and they will do so in the way that John Lydon sings them.
The band was also great when it came to the music delivery. Commonly stereotyped as musicians who couldn’t play instruments, the rhythm section within Sex Pistols was tight. They only used a few chords, and they took inspiration, whether this was directly or indirectly, from big three / four-note rock songs. The likes of Kiss and AC/DC use few chords in a fascinating rhythm to create an excellent backdrop for their music. Sex Pistols did similar but in a way that sounded a lot dirtier and grimier. While this sound gave the punk aesthetic the band sought, those classic rock foundations are still in place and easy for people to connect with.
There is also the fact that Sex Pistols were the first to play punk music on this scale. As aforementioned, sometimes being the original members of a movement is a hindrance, as people build on what you did and make it better, but there was no room to do this with punk. It was a genre that got by on simplicity and rage, which seemed authentic when it came from Sex Pistols, given they were doing it without a structure in place or any idea of how well it might be received, whereas bands that came shortly after them were viewed as copies.
Finally, there was Lydon’s lyricism. As he has gotten older and remained stubborn in his ways, his political views have grown more questionable; however, in the 1970s and ’80s, when Sex Pistols rose to fame, he articulated his nations frustration in a way that resembled punk-embedded poetry. Some of his lyrics still resonate today, as his ability to discuss injustices and anger are equal parts profound and accessible.
A reunion is highly unlikely, but if the band were to do it, they would no doubt sell out a big tour, which again shows how much their sound resonated persistently.
