Punk legends The Sex Pistols are reuniting to help save one of Shepherds Bush’s iconic music venues.
Three founding members of the band which tore up the music rulebook in the 1970s – Paul Cook, Steve Jones and Glen Matlock – are joining forces with vocalist Frank Carter (of The Rattlesnakes fame, standing in for Johnny Rotten) for three gigs to support Bush Hall.
They will perform the Pistols’ only studio album, ‘Never Mind The B*******’, in the 400-capacity hall at 310 Uxbridge Road.
Like so many grassroots venues, Bush Hall is struggling to survive after Brexit, Covid and the recent huge increase in energy prices.
“We thought this would be a great way to stop it going under,” said Cook, who calls Shepherds Bush home. He still has a huge affection for the area. Back in the day, he and Steve Jones’ favourite lunch spot was Cooke’s pie and mash shop in Goldhawk Road.
“I grew up in Shepherds Bush, and I still live round here. It would be a real shame to see Bush Hall disappear,” he said.
Matlock added: “Smaller music venues are the lifeblood of new music, where bands can really connect with their audiences, so we need to keep them going.”
The gigs are on Tuesday 13, Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 August – but tickets rapidly sold out. There is a waiting list which will keep you posted if more tickets or dates go on sale.
West London roots
In their heyday the Pistols played several gigs in west London, including taking to the stage of the Nashville in West Kensington three times in 1976.
They also played the Shepherds Bush Empire on 17 July 1996, in one of their brief reunions.
Like many smaller independent venues, Bush Hall suffered in the pandemic, and has been battling rising costs. It recently announced that it needed to raise £42,000 to keep going after experiencing a 25% drop in live music bookings in 2023.
A crowdfunding campaign was set up in March, which was promoted by H&F Council, and received an outpouring of support from the music world. It has already raised over £45,000, and you can contribute here.
“Bush Hall is where artists cut their teeth and hone their craft,” said promoter John Giddings. “It’s essential these venues continue to exist for the music industry to thrive. Thanks to the Sex Pistols and Frank Carter for stepping up.”
Bush Hall has quite a history. Originally a dance hall, it became a soup kitchen during the Second World War, a bingo hall, a rehearsal space for The Who and even a snooker club. In 2001 it was reborn as a music venue.
John Lydon, 68, the Pistols’ old front man, now lives in California, still makes music with Public Image Ltd, but has fallen out with his old Pistol bandmates, despite joining a reunion tour in 2007 and 2008.
Musical trivia
The Sex Pistols originally planned to call their controversially titled album ‘God Save the Sex Pistols’, but Steve Jones proposed the final version, which John Lydon explained was the working class equivalent of ‘Oh, stop talking rubbish’.
