Generation X (band)

Generation X
Generation X, 1977. L-R: Billy Idol, Tony James, Bob Andrews, and Mark Laff.
Background information
Also known as	Gen X
Origin	Chelsea, London, United Kingdom
Genres	Punk rock, dance-punk,pop punk
Years active	1976–81, 1993
Labels	Chrysalis
Associated acts	London SS Chelsea Subway Sect The Clash The Adverts Paradox Sigue Sigue Sputnik Cowboys International Empire Twenty Flight Rockers Carbon/Silicon
Past members	Billy Idol Tony James John Towe Bob Andrews Mark Laff Terry Chimes James Stevenson

Generation X (later known as Gen X) were an English punk rock band from London in the late 1970s, primarily remembered today for being the musical starting point of the career of its lead singer, Billy Idol.

During the punk rock pop music movement in London in the Autumn of 1976, the guitarist William Broad, a 21 year old university drop-out from Bromley; the drummer John Towe, and (at Broad's suggestion) Tony James a 23 year old bass player from Shepherd's Bush all replied to an advert placed in the Melody Maker by John Krivine, the owner of a fashion clothing shop called Acme Attractions in the King's Road in Chelsea, seeking musicians to form a new West London band around the vocalist/frontman Gene October. After a few weeks of rehearsals the band became known as Chelsea and began by playing a few support gigs in West London and Manchester. However, by November Gene October felt that Broad and James were becoming too dominant creatively, and that his personal chemistry with them wasn't good, a feeling which Broad and James reciprocated, and Broad, James and Towe together abandoned Chelsea and formed a new band they named Generation X after a book with that title that Broad had found in his mother's bookshelf, the new band being managed by Andrew Czezowski, Acme Attractions' accountant.

With his photogenic looks and inherent egotism Broad, styling himself with a punk pseudonym name of "Billy Idol", abandoned the guitar to be the frontman and lead singer of the new unit when the 17 year old lead guitarist Bob "Derwood" Andrews was recruited from the Fulham rocker band Paradox, and the new band took the stage for the first time in public at the Central School of Art and Design on 10 December 1976. Generation X played its second gig 4 days later at the newly opened The Roxy, which their manager Czezowski had also taken over the management of, being the first band to play at the venue.