The Clash played their first gig in support of the Sex Pistols in Sheffield.
The performance took place on 4 July 1976 at the Black Swan nightclub, a venue later known as the Mucky Duck and eventually the Boardwalk. The newly formed band had rehearsed with Joe Strummer for less than a month before making its public debut.
The show came at a crucial moment in British punk. The Clash wanted to get onstage before another London punk group, the Damned, whose debut was scheduled shortly afterward. The bill also included the Buzzcocks, and the audience was small—contemporary accounts commonly put it at roughly 50 people.
The Clash’s lineup at the time included Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and drummer Terry Chimes, with Keith Levene also briefly involved. The band later became one of punk’s most influential acts, expanding its sound with reggae, ska, rockabilly and funk. A common mix-up is confusing this Sheffield debut with later, more famous Clash appearances on Sex Pistols-related bills in London.