Almost 40 years ago four young lads from London embarked on a journey that was to last a little over three years. Three short years during which they would release only five singles and one album, more importantly they would change the face of music forever. To this day they continue to stoke controversy and inspire. Who are they? The Sex Pistols, who else?
I can’t confess to be a huge fan of tribute bands, maybe they’re good for a wedding or a work night out but personally, I’d rather see the real thing. Unless, of course, the real thing no longer exists.
The Sex Pistols Experience are the world’s leading and only professional tribute to the most outrageous and controversial Rock ‘n’ Roll band of all time. They have played venues across the globe, earned respect from the surviving members of the original band and regularly appear on stage with Ed Tenpole (Great Rock n Roll Swindle). The band has also been hired by BBC, Sky TV, Channel 4 and Fox for film and documentaries on punk and the Sex Pistols/Sid Vicious.
The band has been going for 15 years, that’s 12 years longer than the Sex Pistols managed. Accomplished musicians in their own right, as I was to find out, this was how the Pistols were supposed to sound. Prior to their gig tonight I had a chance to chat with founding member of the Sex Pistols Experience Paul Crook.
SP: As tribute bands go, the reputation of the Sex Pistols Experience precedes you. You are up there with the best, if not you are the best…….
PC: Well, there are a lot of tribute bands about, but there are a lot of bad ones and that’s the key. In my opinion, if you are going to do it, make sure you do it well. From day one we decided that we wanted to get as many aspects of the Sex Pistols as possible right, obviously starting with the music. We didn’t cut corners or do things on the cheap. We wanted folk that looked the part and most importantly were fans of the Pistols. I think we have managed to achieve that and it’s stood us in good stead.
SP: How did the Sex Pistols Experience come about?
PC: It had been a dream of mine for about 20 years prior to it materialising. Through the 80’s we had been involved in various bands doing our own original materiel, which was probably the most difficult time to try and establish a band. The whole UK market was flooded with Stock, Aitken & Waterman acts and there was no demand for live music. I settled down to doing tribute stuff in the North of England as it was the only way I could carry on playing live music, it was either that or get a proper job. Fortunately I done quite well at it and toured all round Europe doing some pretty big shows. Back in England the tribute scene began evolving and bands were doing all the popular covers like the Who and The Beatles but no one had tackled the Pistols, who, to me, were a classic British band with four colourful characters and a fantastic album behind them. I could never understand why no-one had done them. As far as I could see it the hardest part would be filling the Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious slots.
SP: You’ve played across the world, you’ve been applauded by the original members of the Sex Pistols, appeared on TV and film. What do you put the success down to?
PC: Good, honest hard work. We’ve put in the time and effort to allow us to produce as authentic a show as possible every single night.
SP: Was the Sex Pistols a band you followed back in the day?
PC: Yes, I was around 11 when they appeared on the scene. At that point I was just discovering music. I remember seeing the Pretty Vacant video on Top of the Pops, it was like an epiphany. I suppose it was the same when folk seen The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show. The problem was when I got into their first album, Never Mind The Bollocks, the Sex Pistols had split up, they’d disappeared. So I kind of grew up with the Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle and worked back.
SP: How did you develop your alter egos within the band?
PC: We haven’t studied them on TV or video or anything like that. You have to remember, we grew up with them and they made a huge impression on us. I mean, I learned to play the drums by listening to Paul Cook playing on the Never Mind the Bollocks album. I would put on my headphones and play along, as did our guitarist. He learned to play guitar by listening to the Bollocks album. Our Sid, his dad’s a massive Punk fan and that’s rubbed off on him.
SP: How easy is it to get into character for a gig.
PC: It’s fairly easy. It involves a bit of theatre I suppose and in some respects there’s acting involved but that’s what the audience expect, you know? It’s about more than just the songs, they want to see that characters. as they remember them. It’s important to get that right. We don’t carry the characters with us off stage though. We’re not living the life of Johnny Rotten or Sid Vicious. Our set list is only 23 songs so we delve into some of the Sid Sings stuff as well.
SP: Do you still manage to hold down a day job?
PC: The band has been a full time job for the past 10 years. We did four or five years playing round England and things began to snowball. Next thing America and Europe were calling. In fact our first U.S. tour was 30 dates which meant we couldn’t hold down day jobs so something had to give, fortunately it wasn’t the music that won. From around January 2006 this has been our full time job.
SP: The stage gear and the clothing is an important part of the show and looks really authentic, is it easy to come by or is it specially made?
PC: Johnny Rotter in particular spends a lot of attention to detail on his stage gear. The internet has made things a lot easier to get things like T-Shirt, jeans and stuff, but a lot of it isn’t available off the peg so has to be made. Particularly in the early days it was difficult, again it’s an important aspect of the show. It has to look authentic.
SP: Your materiel was written almost 40 years ago. It’s obviously stood the test of time but have you ever been tempted to give recording something new a go?
PC: Not with this band, that’s not what we’re about. We’ve talked about original materiel but we would never present it as the Sex Pistols Experience. We’ve all been in bands prior to this and continue to work on projects outside the Sex Pistols Experience. I done an album a couple of years ago with The Godfathers, Johnny works with Jah Wobble and Keith Levene, so we all have an outlet for original material. As the Sex Pistols Experience though…..No.
SP: So far this year you have played 89 gigs, which is more than most touring bands will do in 2 or 3 years. What’s the motivation behind working so hard?
PC: Because it’s our job, basically. It’s no different to someone who works Monday to Friday, except our good days are Friday and Saturday. We have bills to pay and mouths to feed like anyone else. It’s probably one of the better jobs though. Life is for living. I could get hit by a bus tomorrow and this would be all over so we keep on putting the work in.
SP: What does the future hold for the Sex Pistols Experience?
PC: Next year is the 40th anniversary of punk so we have a busy schedule. We’ll be all round the UK and hopefully have more dates in Europe. We’re in Central America again, Argentina and Brazil.
SP: A final word for anyone thinking of coming to see you?
PC: Come along, have a drink and embrace the Pistols’ music live. Even if you don’t like tribute acts, put that aside, we’re not trying to be anything we’re not. It may be your only chance to hear the Sex Pistols live again but most of all enjoy it.
Having seen the Sex Pistols Experience live I can honestly say it was one of the best gigs I have been to in a long, long time. Everything was authentic and in some respects uncanny. My main memory is how the songs were played, or more to the point, that the songs sounded better than the original versions. I have seen the reformed Sex Pistols on their reunion get-togethers in the past and I can’t say I enjoyed the experience all that much. Given the choice I would give them a miss and go see these guys. 10/10.
The Sex Pistols Experience are:
Johnny Rotter – Vocals
Kid Vicious – Bass
Paul Crook – Drums
Steve Clones – Guitar
You can find out more here: (Website) (Facebook)
All Photos by Spike Porteous.
© 2015. Please DO NOT copy or use without permission.
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