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‘I knew it was over for us’: the bands who got left behind when punk exploded
Fifty years ago this week, the Sex Pistols played their first Manchester gig – and upended pop culture. But what was 1976 really like before punk arrived? From swing bands to ‘spaghetti rock’, we discover a lost history
TL;DR
- In 1976, before punk's explosion, the music scene was characterized by established artists, a revival of 1940s music and rock'n'roll, and the decline of glam and prog rock.
- Music journalists of the time expressed dissatisfaction with the current state of music, describing it as stagnant and irrelevant, even as influential albums were being released.
- The Sex Pistols' first Manchester gig in January 1976 marked the beginning of a summer that saw the live debuts of other key punk bands and the emergence of fanzines.
- The term 'punk' was used inconsistently in the press, often applied to unrelated bands, while the burgeoning punk scene itself was largely ignored or misunderstood.
- The rise of punk had little immediate impact on established rock stars but significantly affected the careers of many emerging artists who were tipped for success in early 1976.
- Many bands and artists prominent before punk's arrival, such as Doctors of Madness, Heavy Metal Kids, and pub rock refugees, were quickly forgotten or saw their careers curtailed.
- Even artists who later achieved mainstream success, like Jay Strongman who pivoted to DJing after seeing the Sex Pistols, were profoundly influenced by punk's arrival.