I Swear I Was There - Sex Pistols, Manchester and the Gig that Changed the World

''A f**king great book'' PETER HOOK, JOY DIVISION ''A fascinating insight into a gig that really did change the world'' ROCKSOUND On 4 June 1976, four young men took to the tiny stage of the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester. The noise they made changed everything... The NME named it as the most important gig of all time. When the Sex Pistols played Manchester in ''76 they set off a series of musical detonations that are still being felt today. Despite thousands claiming they were in attendance, only a handful of people were actually there – but those that were went on to form bands including The Smiths, Buzzcocks, Joy Division, New Order and The Fall. They kick-started the Manchester music scene, created Factory Records and laid the foundations for the world-famous Haçienda nightclub. Forty years on, music journalist David Nolan tells the true story of that legendary gig, plus the Pistols'' follow up performance and the band''s first ever TV appearance at Manchester''s