Main content

Unseen photos of the Sex Pistols after they split

French photographer, Pierre Benain, documents three days of hanging out in west London with Johnny Rotten, Sid Vicious and his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen.

In the spring of 1978, a few months after the break-up of the Sex Pistols, French photographer, Pierre Benain, was asked to write a portrait of singer, Johnny Rotten for the French magazine, Actuel.

The interview turned into a three day stay at Johnny Rotten's west London flat, in which Benain captured Johnny Rotten, the band's bassist, Sid Vicious and his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, hanging out - with other members of London's punk scene dropping by.

Six months later Nancy Spungen was found dead in the New York hotel room she shared with Sid Vicious. He was charged with her murder and soon after died of a heroin overdose.

Two photos from the session, showing Sid Vicious playing with a knife and holding it under his girlfriend's throat, were splashed across a number of publications worldwide, following the dramatic developments.

Most of the remaining photos have remained unpublished. They are now the subject of the exhibition, Never Mind The Sex Pistols, at Snap Galleries in London.

(Image: Sid Vicious, Nancy Spungen and Johnny Rotten hanging out. Photo by Pierre Benain)

Release date:

Duration:

2 minutes