June 4, 1976 stands out as one of the most important dates in music history. It marks the date of a Sex Pistols gig at Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester. They came, they sucked, and others felt they could do better. Sources say that a mere 40 people attended, but thousands claim they attended. These are the bands we know started as a result of seeing the Sex Pistols that day.

Buzzcocks

After reading an NME review of the Sex Pistols’ first performance and then venturing to London to see the band for themselves, singer/guitarist Pete Shelley and then frontman Howard Devoto arranged the gig at Lesser Free Trade Hall. They were originally meant to perform at the show, but the other members dropped out and they weren’t able to recruit new members in time. Technically, the band played a gig in April of that year, but they started to take off after that date.

Joy Division

After separately attending the infamous Sex Pistols gig, bassist Peter Hook and guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner later met each other and, after talking over their lack of enthusiasm for the set, with Terry Mason they assembled a band called Stiff Kittens. Still without a singer, Ian Curtis, who knew the three from meeting at gigs, responded to an ad and was recruited without an audition. They became Warsaw, which later changed it’s name to Joy Division in order to avoid being confusion with London group Warsaw Pakt. After Curtis approached TV host Tony Wilson, Wilson signed the group and started Factory Records, which opened a club that allowed large crowds to witness what would later become known as post-punk sound for the first time.

The Smiths

After witnessing the Sex Pistols in Manchester, Morrissey performed in numerous groups, including The Nosebleeds, and Slaughter & The Dogs. He was also the president of the UK branch of the New York Dolls fan club, and founded The Cramps’ fan club “The Legion of the Cramped.” In 1982, Morrissey met guitarist Johnny Marr, and wrote songs with him. Through recording with Marr, eventually Morrissey met Andy Rourke, Mike Joyce, Dale Hibbert, and the first Smiths album was recorded in 1984.

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