Exclusive: The ultimate Sex Pistols rarity – poster for first gig designed by Adam Ant
//The poster was designed by Adam Ant (then Stuart Goddard) before the Pistols were added to the bill. Courtesy Daniel Kleinman. No reproduction without permission//
The poster for the Sex Pistols’ first performance (on November 6 1975 in the Common Room of St Martin’s School Of Art in central London’s Charing Cross Road) has been found after 40 years – and it doesn’t even mention them!
Designed by Adam Ant – then Stuart Goddard, a student at Hornsey College Of Art and bass-player in the main act that night, London rock & roll band Bazooka Joe – the poster bills the Pistols as “Support Band”.
//Bazooka Joe 1975 including, from left, Mark Tanner, Robin Chapekar, Stuart Goddard, Danny Kleinman and Bill Smith. Courtesy Daniel Kleinman. No reproduction without permission//
That’s because they were a late addition after bassist and St Martin’s student Glen Matlock persuaded ents secs Sebastian Conran and Al McDowell to feature the newly-formed group on consecutive nights at St Martins and sister college Central School Of Art in Holborn (where they played on November 7 1975).
The poster is featured for public consumption for the first time in 40 years in Bazooka Joe guitarist Danny Kleinman’s new film about the events surrounding the Pistols’ debut, which is premiered this Friday at Be Reasonable Demand The Impossible, the celebration of the 40th anniversary of that gig taking place at Central Saint Martins in King’s Cross.
//Poster for 1974 Camden Town gig with Joe Strummer’s 101’ers and 50’s Flash. Courtesy Daniel Kleinman. No reproduction without permission//
These days Kleinman is a top-flight director, renowned for his title sequences for the James Bond movies, and as organisers of Be Reasonable, my wife Caz Facey and I have been set on side-stepping a nostalgia trip in celebrating the anniversary and Pistols’ manager Malcolm McLaren’s legacy with contributions from unexpected sources.
//Kleinman in conversation with me last month//
Kleinman’s warm and affectionate film fits the brief superbly, centering on a conversation I had with him last month in London. As well as his memories of the night in question – which included a scuffle with Pistols’ frontman Johnny Rotten – the short includes posters, flyers and home-movie footage.
A hard-driving 50s-based act, Bazooka Joe & His Rhythm Hot Shots were a favourite live attraction for me as a teenager (I lived not far from both Kleinman and Bazooka Joe’s drummer, the late, celebrated sculptor Mark Tanner, and was a pupil at the same schools).
//This was a great night, though the violence among Teds young and old got out of hand at one stage I recall//
And I was especially knocked out that Kleinman included the poster for a memorable appearance at Hampstead Town Hall in February 1975 which I attended with some pals.
Kleinman’s film will be premiered at the LVMH Theatre at CSM at 7pm on Friday.
Attendees must RSVP here.
Mark Tanner died in 1998 after an illness. His contribution to contemporary sculpture is recognised by the annual Mark Tanner Sculpture Award. Read about it here.