One could argue endlessly about exactly when and where the punk movement began, but a seminal moment occurred 25 years ago at the Nashville Rooms in London. It was on April 23, 1976, that a young band called the Sex Pistols, fronted by a craggy-toothed, spiky-haired imp named Johnny Rotten, played its first notable gig. 

Seacoast resident Joe Stevens, a living legend of rock photography, was on hand at the show and snapped a number of memorable photos. In fact, it was Stevens who gave Pistols guitarist Steve Jones the “tits T-shirt” he wore during the performance (Stevens once gave Alice Cooper an identical tee).

Stevens’ first-hand account of the concert, along with several of his photos from the evening, are included in a spread in the July issue of Uncut magazine, a monthly publication based in London. 

Stevens was living in London at the time of the show and had been hanging out regularly with Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren. The Pistols had only played a handful of gigs at that point, but the concert drew widespread notoriety because of a brawl that erupted in front of the stage. The incident helped brand punk rock with a reputation for violence, and Stevens captured the melee at its peak with his camera. 

In the Uncut article, Stevens calls one of the photos his favorite shot ever—and this from a man who has photographed Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, The Ramones, Debbie Harry, Tom Waits and many others. “I’d never seen the entire band kicking the shit out of the audience before,” he comments.

The 1976 show helped put the Sex Pistols on the map. Iconic bassist Sid Vicious had not yet joined the band, although he was in the audience, according to Stevens. Another audience member was Joe Strummer, then front man of pub band The 101ers. Inspired by the performance, Strummer dismantled the group and started The Clash—another band Stevens would photograph copiously over the years. —MK