In the history of punk, there are names that sound like anthems: Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Damned… but behind the bands, there was a group of young people who, without playing a single chord (or just a few), became protagonists of the scene. That group went down in history as The Bromley Contingent.

But… who were they? A handful of teenagers and twenty-somethings from the mid-70s, originally from Bromley (a suburb in southeast London) and its surroundings, who became the first devoted fans of the Sex Pistols. More than fans, they were part of the show: they traveled to every concert, wore impossible clothes, defied social norms, and let themselves be photographed alongside the band members.

The name “Bromley Contingent” was not born as a label: it was a somewhat derogatory nickname used by the press after an appearance on the Today Show in December 1976, when Siouxsie Sioux, Steve Severin and company appeared with a look as striking as their attitude. From then on, they became the visual face of the emerging British punk.

The group was not homogeneous: there were future musicians, designers, photographers and, of course, people whose only talent was being in the right place at the right time. Their legacy was visual, cultural and attitudinal: they showed that punk was not only music, it was a way of standing up to British society.

• Billy Idol: “We saw ourselves as a gang. It wasn’t just about going to concerts, it was about showing the world that we existed, and that we weren’t going to ask for permission”,
• Siouxsie Sioux: “It wasn’t fashion, it was survival. The clothes, the makeup, the hair… it was all a shield against a gray world”.
• Steve Severin: “In reality, the “Bromley” thing was just a geographical coincidence. We were people who instantly recognized each other by how we dressed and how we looked”.

Members

• Siouxsie Sioux (Susan Janet Ballion): Born in 1957 in London. Singer and central figure of Siouxsie And The Banshees. An iconic image of punk: dramatic makeup, extreme hairstyles and defiant attitude.
• Steven Severin (Steven Bailey): Born in 1955 in London. Bassist and co-founder of Siouxsie And The Banshees. Part of the creative backbone of the group.
• Billy Idol (William Broad): Born in 1955 in Middlesex. Before his solo career, he led Generation X. Part of the Contingent in his early days as a pure punk.
• Soo Catwoman (Sue Lucas): Not from Bromley, but a visual symbol of the group. Iconic haircut with two black and blonde spikes imitating cat ears.
• Simon Barker (Six): Photographer and visual chronicler of the scene. His images of London punk are historic material.
• Tracie O’Keefe: Active member of the group and occasional model for punk photo shoots.

Context and curiosities

• Bromley was a quiet, middle-class suburb, which made the radical aesthetics that emerged from there even more shocking.
• The Contingent didn’t just follow the Sex Pistols: they also supported The Damned and The Clash.
• Many members used the visibility to jump into the world of art, music, and fashion.
• The tabloid press turned them into the “face of chaos,” although they themselves laughed at the title.

Timeline of the Bromley Contingent

• 1975: First gatherings of young people who would later form the nucleus of the Bromley Contingent at local rock and glam concerts.
• February 1976: First Sex Pistols concerts attended by Siouxsie Sioux, Steven Severin and other future members.
• Autumn 1976: Billy Idol and others join the group of most visible Pistols followers.
• December 1, 1976: Appearance on the Today Show, with Siouxsie and Severin alongside the Sex Pistols; the nickname “Bromley Contingent”; is born.
• 1977: Siouxsie And The Banshees begin performing live; several members of the contingent launch musical or artistic careers.

Gonzalo Pedraja