The Sex Pistols formed in London in 1975, evolving from an earlier group called The Strand or Swankers featuring Steve Jones on guitar, Paul Cook on drums, and Glen Matlock on bass. Manager Malcolm McLaren recruited vocalist John Lydon (Johnny Rotten), shaping their punk rock sound characterized by raw energy, aggressive guitars, and provocative lyrics. Matlock was replaced by Sid Vicious (John Simon Ritchie) in early 1977, despite his limited musical ability. Their only studio album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols (1977), topped the UK charts, with singles including 'Anarchy in the U.K.,' 'God Save the Queen,' and 'Pretty Vacant.' The band disbanded in January 1978 after a chaotic US tour ending at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom, where Rotten declared, 'Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?' Known for chaotic live shows marked by bans in the UK, audience hostility, and Vicious's disruptive presence, they influenced the punk movement.