100 Club Punk Festival

100 Club Punk Special
Genre	Punk rock,
Dates	20 and 21 September 1976
Location(s)	100 Club, Oxford Street, London
Years active	1976
Website
Official

The 100 Club Punk Special (sometimes referred to as the 100 Club Punk Festival) was a two-day event held at the 100 Club—a typically jazz-oriented venue in Oxford Street, London, England—on 20 and 21 September 1976. The gig showcased eight punk rock bands, most of which were unsigned. The bands in attendance were each associated with the evolving punk rock music scene and movement of the United Kingdom. The concert marked a watershed for the movement, as punk began to move from the underground and emerge into the mainstream music scene.

In early September 1976, concert promoter Ron Watts approached Malcolm McLaren, manager of the Sex Pistols, the leaders of the new British punk rock scene, and proposed that they headline the event. After that, they presented the idea to The Damned and The Clash, both of which quickly agreed to participate. Siouxsie Sioux directly approached Watts and requested to join the line-up as well. McLaren then volunteered the Stinky Toys and a handful of other bands from Manchester.

The enthusiasm for this event was partly due to the very positive and extensive promotion by Melody Maker journalist Caroline Coon.

Monday, 20 September

Tuesday, 21 September

The Vibrators were a new group that had only recently begun to write their own music and, at the encouragement of Ron Watts, they decided to back Chris Spedding for the show (who was booked to play the second night but didn't have a band behind him). Spedding taught The Vibrators a few songs in the dressing room immediately prior the actual show, leaving no real time for an actual rehearsal.

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