The Enemy's Tom Clarke slams Sex Pistols crowd

The Enemy's Tom Clarke has slammed the crowd at the recent (June 14) Sex Pistols headline slot at the Isle Of Wight Festival for being too sedate.

Clarke also criticised security guards at the event, but praised the band themselves.

"Stood watching Sex Pistols Isle Of Wight," he wrote on a recent MySpace bulletin. "The sound was spot on, the band were spot on, [Johnny] Rotten was bang on, snarling like it was 1976.

"Everyone around us was steaming, having a mint night. Now, don't get me wrong, I know security are there for everyone's safety, but the security steward near us was taking anyone dancing aside and telling them to stop.

"No one was allowed on anyone's shoulders, and just as Rotten tried to rouse the crowd and get us to step out of our 'so reserved' British shells and have a good time, some old geezer behind me and Liam [Watts, drummer] taps us on the shoulder and tells us to "SSSSSHHHH" because we were singing along to 'God Save The Queen'.

"I wasn't alive in '76, and this geezer was. He probably saw the '60s, when people thought music could genuinely change world politics, and he saw the punk movement tear away from romantic pop slop and say, 'Fuck the rules, fuck the system and lets go and be individual and have a good time'.

"This geezer lived through some of the most important decades of music, politics and society has ever seen and somehow, [he] inexplicably managed to miss the point completely.

"Most of the crowd were top, taking no notice of the over-cautious security staff. But a lot were doing exactly as they were told and were quietly enjoying them.

"HOW CAN YOU ENJOY THE MOST IMPORTANT PUNK BAND EVER, QUIETLY?"

"In my humble view this country, and our freedom to have a laff, is being strangled by red tape. Health and safety madness. Dancing is not dangerous. Never was.

"If we can't have fun at a Sex Pistols gig, where are we all meant to go to let off some steam?"