The Clash's 1977 performance at London's Rainbow Theatre has been voted the best ever gig to take place in the UK capital by writers and contributors to Time Out. The show, which featured support sets from The Jam and Buzzcocks, famously ended with fans going on a mini-riot tearing out hundreds of theatre seats. It has topped Time Out's poll of the 100 best London gigs with judges calling it a 'seminal event' that cemented punk rock's place in history.
Commenting on the survey, Time Out editor Gordon Thomson told reporters: "The Clash gig went down in history as the greatest London band, in their prime, at the moment when punk rock spilled out of the clubs and into the major venues."
Second place in the poll goes to a much more recent event, though one that featured an older artist - Brian Wilson's triumphant return performing SMiLE in full for the first time at London's Royal Festival Hall last year.
The full top ten looks like this:
1. The Clash at The Rainbow Theatre, May 9, 1977
2. Brian Wilson plays Smile at Royal Festival Hall, February 20, 2004
3. Stevie Wonder at The Rainbow Theatre, February 24, 1974
4. Rolling Stones at The Crawdaddy Club, Richmond, April 28, 1963
5. Duke Ellington at London Palladium, June 12, 1933
6. N*E*R*D with Justin Timberlake at Brixton Academy, November 9, 2003
7. Bob Marley at Lyceum Ballroom, July 17, 1975
8. The Smiths at Jubilee Gardens, June 10, 1984
9. White Stripes at Camden Dingwalls, July 30, 2001
10.The Beatles at The Pigalle, Piccadilly, April 21, 1963