Organisers open fire on Sex Pistols East Anglia

PUNK ROCK group the Sex Pistols have shot right Into trouble following their four-letter performance on television.

A concert planned tor tonight at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, has been called off.

The university's information officer, Frank Albrlghton, said; "We cannot satisfied this concert would go off peacefully and for this reason it has been cancelled."

Cancellation could leave the students' union responsible for the C7SU contract fee.

The Sex Pistols may also from Bristol Colston Hall December 13. Ticket sates have been suspended until after the weekend so that Bristol entertainment manager Mr Ray Muir can seek assurances from the group.

He said today; "I want proven assurances that nothing of an abusive or subversive nature is in the concert and that their conduct not likely tP cause trouble."

Clean -up campaigner Sheila Hardaway, told how she has stopped the Sex Pistols appearing Torquay, Devon.

The group was planning to play the resort s 400 Ciuo later this month—but Mrs Hardaway approached Hie owner and persuaded him to cancel the booking.

The group are also having trouble with their latest tP. Angry women packers disgusted by the Sex Pistols' four letter words, arc refusing to pack copies of ‘'Anarchy In The UK."

The 300 women, who work for EMI Records Hayes, Middlesex, imposed their ban after the television show which started the row.

Talks were being held today try get the ban lifted. But the women many of whom have young children—said when they arrived for work that they were disgusted by the explosion of four-letter words on the programme.

Interviewer Bill Grundy has been suspended for two weeks Thames Television because the incident!

The Sex Pistols have a £44,000 contract with EMI, which owns 50% of. Thames. EMI is releasing "Anarchy In The UK" to coincide with a nationwide tour and to take advantage of the Christmas trade.

• So punk rock has finally arrived after months boiling up in the clubs the South, writes Ramsay Smith.

It's full force has yet to hit Scotland, but recently Aberdeen got a taste this crazed phenomenon when Eddie and The Hot Rods played at the university union.

This band are more commercially orientated than, the core punk outfits and are not too happy with their label.

However, they are in the punk category and, true to form, the audience and band went wild.

The music of the punks is rough say the least and Barrie Masters, singer, with the Hot Rods, seemed to sum the whole thing quite accurately when said: "Punk? It's just' a pose."

Authorities act over campus safety fears
UAE shoots down Sex Pistols concert

UEA shoots down Sex Pistols concert

THE University of East Anglia today put an end to tonight's planned concert by punk rock group Sex Pistols because of fears of violence on the campus.

Vice-Chancellor Dr. Frank Thistlethwaite, acting with executive authority on behalf of the University's Council, has cancelled the concert because of pub-licity surrounding the group and its reported attitude to violence.

A storm blew up around the they used four-letter words in group earlier week after a television interview.

The university cannot be satisfied this concert would go off peacefully and for this reason the university has can celled," said Mr. Frank Albrigh-ton, the university's informa-tien officer, today

Stay away

"We have taken the decision because the University is re sponsible for the safety and security of persons and pro-

least, said Mr. Albrighton, 40 there is no point in any one turning up at the university to dayire would like to say to tmy-one intending to come, this con cert will not happen and there is no point in turning up at the campus"

An apology to anyone who would be disappointed by the cancellation of the concert went out today from the social committee of the Student Union

Said publicity officer Rady Partington We wish to make it known that we are disgusted with the manner in which the Vice-Chancellor's decision was taken

[extract] "The first stop on the Anarchy Tour was due to take place in the main hall of the University of East Anglia (UEA) on Friday 3 December. Along with the Sex Pistols, other groups sharing the bill were the Clash, the Damned and the Heartbreakers. In response to the Grundy show the Norwich local press bombarded the UEA with questions as to whether the concert would go ahead.

Fascist insignia

The local president of the National Union of Students (NUS), Aidan Lines, said that he wanted the concert to be cancelled, but he was prevented from doing so because of the financial implications. The union had paid the group £750 and a number of tickets had been sold in advance. Nonetheless, they had written into the contract a NUS stipulation that the group would use no fascist insignia on stage and no fascist lyrics in their songs.?"

This had raised concerns because one of the group's entourage, Siouxsie Sioux, had worn a Nazi armband during the Grundy interview. Moreover, it was in a context where rock performers were toying with far-right imagery and occasionally supporting anti-immigration statements; most notably David Bowie's alleged Nazi salute at Victoria Station in May and Eric Clapton's vocal support for Enoch Powell during a concert at the Birmingham Odeon in August.*® The Sex Pistols were averse to fascist politics. The lyrics of their songs did not contain any racist rhetoric and there is no evidence that they made any racist comments during performances.

Not the right sorts

Nonetheless, it was clear that the UEA NUS were suspicious of the Sex Pistols in that they did not seem to fit the archetype of progressive peaceful middle-class groups that personified the student music scene in 1976.

The political pressure and the hysteria of the press soon became too much for the university and the concert was cancelled.

Although the union had been uneasy about the event, the cancellation came from an executive decision by the Vice Chancellor of the university Frank Thistlethwaite. He felt that the concert could have led to violence.

This created a rift between the university authorities and the NUS. The NUS publicity officer Sally Partington informed the Eastern Evening News that ‘we wish to make it known that we are disgusted with the manner in which the Vice Chancellor's decision was taken'.°? She felt that the union had been railroaded into agreeing to the cancellation.

The executive decision had been taken at the end of a hastily convened meeting. The two NUS representatives had tried in vain to put their position across, but the university council had been swayed by the ‘moral panic' that was now in place.

the Sex Pistols were clearly an affront to the middle-class sensibilities of academics and a number of students.

The conservative members of the university council were no doubt keen to avoid being labelled with the tag of allowing the Sex Pistols to play. This exposed the fragility of the consensus that existed between the university and the student body and how the culture of liberalism on the campus owed more to rhetoric than reality. University administrators were comfortable with a woolly notion of freedom of expression, but the Sex Pistols were clearly an affront to the middle-class sensibilities of academics and a number of students.

The decision created conflict on the campus and students were disgruntled by the fact that their views had been disregarded. (...more)