Sex Pistols

The Sex Pistols formed in London in 1975 and became the most notorious band of the first wave of British punk. The original line-up paired Johnny Rotten's sneering, adenoidal delivery with Steve Jones's thick, layered guitar, and the group's short run produced a handful of singles — among them "Anarchy in the U.K." and "God Save the Queen" — that were treated as public scandals as much as records. The band split in early 1978 after a brief American tour, and has reunited periodically since.

In recent years, Jones, drummer Paul Cook and bassist Glen Matlock have performed the material with Frank Carter, of Gallows and Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, singing. The sound remains what it was: fast, blunt three-chord rock played loud, with the songs kept close to their recorded form.