Walk into any respectable boozer with an old-school jukebox and clock its dusty keypad. The two most abused buttons – K4, or whatever code it lives under – will have a 65% chance of being for Anarchy in the U.K. by The Sex Pistols. It’s one of the most important songs in our country’s history – an anthem that reshaped British music culture, ignited the punk moment, and happens to sound really poignant after eight pints of Boddingtons Best Bitter.
Originally released as a single in 1976, the song later appeared on the band’s iconic Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols – a record celebrated not just for how it sounded, but for how it looked. Its confrontational, bright yellow and pink palette, clashing with raw, ransom-note typography, became just as much a part of punk’s visual language as the music itself.
Now, to mark fifty years since the iconic singles release, Admiral Sports have teamed up with the Sex Pistols to launch the Sex Pistols x Admiral Football Shirt – a collaboration celebrating half a century of Anarchy in the U.K. and paying homage to its unique graphic design.
The polo arrives in black, carrying a central Never Mind the Bollocks sponsorship homage, with an Admiral chest badge sitting just above it – reimagined in a Sex Pistols–inspired typeface, which is a nice, subtle touch. Opposite is a set of embroidered badges, and the reverse is dominated by a huge ‘75’ graphic print. The result is a garment that is as loud and defiant as the record itself.
And fronting the campaign is none other than Stuart Pearce. The former England international and lifelong Pistols devotee has long declared Anarchy in the U.K. his favourite track, ever since seeing the band on the Bill Grundy Show. His connection with the band runs deep – even introducing them on stage in London in 1996, fresh from England’s Euro ’96 quarter-final win over Spain.
The Admiral x Sex Pistols Football Shirt truly captures the raw energy of 1970s punk in all its glory – and they couldn’t have picked a more fitting face to front it. Everyone involved deserves a firm pat on the back, and at least eight pints of Boddingtons… assuming they can still find a boozer mad enough to stock it.
The Sex Pistols x Admiral Football Shirt is available to purchase now from The Sex Pistols
