In 1973, when Steve Jones was 18, he went to see David Bowie in concert at London’s Hammersmith Odeon. But as much as he admired Bowie, the young Jones couldn’t resist stealing some of the star’s gear from the venue.
The two Hammersmith shows, on 2 and 3 July, have become legendary as the last in which Bowie performed using his alter-ego Ziggy Stardust. Equally, the story of Jones stealing Bowie’s gear is a part of Sex Pistols folklore.
In an interview with the Rockonteurs podcast, the Pistols guitarist recalls: “I went the first night [2 July], and then they left all the gear up for the second night. And that’s when I went on the stage and helped myself.
“They had some bloke [in the] fourth row [of the stalls], kipping. I’m waiting till he’s having a kip. I’m up the rafters like the Phantom of the Odeon. And …