Fifty years on – do YOU remember Derby’s cancelled concert by The Sex Pistols and The Clash?

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An appeal has been issued for memories, tickets, photographs and eyewitnesses from December 1976.

Specifically, on Saturday 4th December 1976, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Damned and Johnny Thunders’ Heartbreakers were scheduled to appear at Derby’s King’s Hall as part of the notorious Anarchy in the UK Tour.

But the concert never took place.

Following The Sex Pistols’ controversial appearance on national television, Derby councillors proposed that the band perform a private audition before being allowed to appear in public.

The audition never happened. The Sex Pistols were refused permission to perform, while the other bands declined to go ahead without them. The cancellation became another chapter in one of the most turbulent tours in British music history.

With the 50th anniversary approaching, music historian Graham Jones, who runs the extensive Black Market Clash website, is attempting to reconstruct exactly what happened in Derby that weekend.

Graham said: “I’m particularly interested in the negotiations between the council, the promoters and the bands, as well as the experiences of fans who had planned to attend. Were you there in December 1976?. Did you buy a ticket, travel to Derby, hear about the cancellation or know somebody involved in organising the event?”

“Perhaps you worked at King’s Hall, a local record shop, the Derby Crest Hotel, or for the council or local newspapers.  Even if you weren’t there yourself, you may have inherited an original ticket, photograph, poster, newspaper cutting or an interesting family story.”

Graham would particularly welcome memories from people living in Ilkeston, Long Eaton, Sandiacre, Borrowash and surrounding communities.

Every recollection could help preserve an important piece of local music history.

To provide your input, send e-mail to blackmarketclash.co.uk @ gmail.com or visit blackmarketclash.co.uk