It’s 50 years since punk rock first arose from the streets of London to mortify great swathes of polite British society. 50 years since the Sex Pistols released their debut single, “Anarchy In The UK,” in November 1976. And 50 years since Sid Vicious first hit the headlines, after he threw a glass towards the Damned at the 100 Club Punk Festival, and a female audience member was blinded in one eye when the projectile shattered against a nearby pillar.
Sid never really left those headlines again… not when he joined the Pistols in early 1977; not when he attacked the host of television’s Old Grey Whistle Test with a broken bottle; not when he continued playing his bass as a bunch of angry Texans rained bottles and fists down upon the band. And so on and so forth, until he only needed to be seen walking down the street for someone to alert the media.
By the time Sid died on February 2 1979, while on bail for the alleged murder of his girlfriend Nancy Spungeon, he had probably spent longer being hounded by the blood-thirsty English tabloids than he ever spent on stage or in the recording studio.
Thankfully, he did continue performing. His songs on the Pistols’ Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle album, Eddie Cochran’s “C’mon Everybody” and “Something Else,” and that coruscating version of “My Way” were all British Top 10 hits, and the handful of live solo shows he played were jam packed, standing-room-only crushes.
This month’s anniversary selection from Cleopatra Records’ punk archive was captured at one of those shows. Jack Boots & Dirty Looks was recorded live at Sid’s last ever show in England, on August 15, 1978. Shortly after, he headed over to New York City – and never returned home.
It was a hot night, with the temperatures soaring even higher as his band took their places onstage – Rat Scabies (The Damned) on drums; Sid’s predecessor in the Pistols, Glen Matlock on bass and Matlock’s Rich Kids bandmate Steve New on guitar.
Nine songs peel out – Sid’s hits, of course, plus the legendary (and then unreleased) Pistols shocker “Belsen Was A Gas,” a couple of early Pistols tracks that were also included in the Swindle movie, and covers of “I Wanna Be Your Dog” and “Tight Pants” (The Stooges) and “Chatterbox” (Johnny Thunders). It was one helluva show, and reliving it on CD and vinyl brings it all flooding back.
Originally released on bootleg back in 1984, and rereleased in a faithful reproduction of the original eye catching artwork, Jack Boots & Dirty Looks also comes in an individual hand-numbered mini LP wallet.
And that’s not all. With punk rock celebrating its golden anniversary this year, Cleopatra Records joins the party with a catalog brimming with first wave punk rock giants.
From The Damned to Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers, and ex-Runaway Cherie Currie to the Dead Boys (whose own latest release, the Down On The Bowery From The Sleaziest Catacombs is released on May 22); from Eater and The Vibrators to The Dickies and The Germs, brilliant new releases and precious archive treasures alike have lit up the shelves, and every month through 2026, Cleopatra Records will be spotlighting a fresh classic from the catalog.
Last time around it was the UK Subs’s farewell concert at the historic 100 Club in London; next month… hmm. Wait and see. But this month, we remember Sid Vicious – still, for many fans, the ultimate British punk rocker. And, for many others, the music’s ultimate martyr.
CD/LP: https://cleorecs.com/ search?q=sid+vicious+jack+ boots
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 