Sex Pistols Contract Termination

Date: January 4, 1977 • Location: West Drayton, United Kingdom

The English punk-rock band Sex Pistols' lewd and disruptive behaviour at Heathrow Airport prompted the record label EMI to end their contract.

Punk rock is a genre of rock music that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the overproduction and corporate nature of mainstream arena rock. They typically produce short, fast-paced songs with rough, stripped-down vocals and instrumentation, and anti-establishment themes. Artists also embraced a DIY ethic, with many bands self-producing and distributing recordings through independent labels.