King's Road: The Rise and Fall of the Hippest Street in the World

Just how the King's Road in London came to be a focal point for multiple cultural shifts is a classic rise-and-fall story of satisfaction and sedition, featuring some of the most famous people of the last fifty years, and also many of the pivotal moments of decades of the 50s, 60s and 70s.

The King's Road in Chelsea was at the epicenter of not one but two worldwide cultural shifts. In the mid-sixties, it became a focal point and shop window for the new 'swinging' London, encompassing music, the visual arts, fashion and much more. It remained continuously at the forefront of developing trends throughout the following decade until it was the key breeding-ground for punk rock, whose sound, look and attitudes continue to shape global notions of youthful rebellion almost thirty years later. In short, it was the place to be.

As a laboratory and showcase for the emerging youth-orientated scene, it became the favored habitat of several generations of pop-culture prime movers. The Sex Pistols may have sacked bass player Glen Matlock in 1977 for 'liking the Beatles', but the street in its day had also been a regular haunt for the likes of Paul McCartney and Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd. Like Paris in the twenties, or Hollywood in the thirties, during the time between the formation of the Rolling Stones and the demise of the Sex Pistols the King's Road had the attention of the world.

Max Decharne is a UK-based musician and writer whose work has appeared in the Guardian, the Observer, the TLS, and Mojo. His bands include the Flaming Stars and Gallon Drunk. He has also played drums for Nikki Sudden.