Sex Pistols‘ Steve Jones has recalled stealing equipment from David Bowie following a Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars show.
- READ MORE: Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones tells us about Teenage Cancer Trust gigs and scrapped Alex Turner writing session
The guitarist shared the anecdote as part of a new interview with The Guardian, where he took a look back at some of the most memorable moments of his career.
In the discussion, Jones was asked about a rumour circulating, stating that he once stole some music equipment from Bowie back in 1973 – around the time when the music icon was playing at the Hammersmith Odeon in London as part of his last Ziggy Stardust shows.
“There’s definitely some truth in that. It wasn’t outside in trucks though – it was on the stage,” he told the outlet. “They played two nights, and after the first night they left all the gear up because they were playing there the next night.”
“I knew the Hammersmith Odeon like the back of my hand, I used to bunk in there all the time. I was like the Phantom of Hammersmith Odeon,” he added. “It was about two in the morning. I stole a little minivan and I got in. There was no one there, other than a guy sitting on the fourth or fifth row, asleep – he was snoring. It was dead silent.
“I tiptoed across the stage, and I nicked some cymbals, the bass player’s [amplifier] head – a Sunn amp it was – and some microphones. I got Bowie’s microphone with his lipstick on it!”
When asked if he ever told Bowie about his actions on the night, Jones replied: “I kind of did, on a phone call. He knew I’d done it; he thought it was funny. Actually, I don’t think I nicked anything off him, I don’t think the microphones were his. The only ones I felt bad for were Woody [drummer, Mick Woodmansey] and [bass player] Trevor Bolder.”
Continuing, he added: “I actually did make amends with Woody. He came on my radio show a few years back, and I thought I’d tell him live, when we were on the air, what I did. I was like, ‘I’ve got to make amends to you, Woody, I nicked some of your cymbals. What can I do to make it right?’ He goes, ‘I don’t know; give us a couple of hundred bucks.’ I think I gave him $300 (£232), so he was well happy.”
As for more recent Steve Jones news, the guitarist recently teamed up with his Sex Pistols bandmates and new frontman Frank Carter again for this year’s run of the Teenager Cancer Trust live shows.
The band kicked off the 2025 instalment last Monday (March 24) with Jones, Carter, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock taking to the stage after opening sets from The Molotovs and Kid Kapichi. NME was in attendance for the show, and recalled how Frank Carter and co delivered an explosive performance that included renditions of ‘Bodies’, ‘Liar’, ‘God Save The Queen’ and a cover of Iggy And The Stooges’ classic ‘No Fun’.
Ahead of the gigs, the guitar icon caught up with NME and discussed the band’s future with Carter, the impact of Danny Boyle‘s ‘Pistol’ biopic, US politics and more.
When asked whether the members expected the hugely positive response to Carter joining the line-up, he said: “None of us knew. Frank was the first singer we [tried], because me, Cookie and Glen wanted to play. It just worked straight away. He’s a lot younger than us. He’s 40, so he has all that energy and us old farts can just jam at the back!”
“It was so much fun and people loved it, and I loved looking at people loving it,” he added. “I was ready to throw it in, touring and all that. I couldn’t care less. But with Frank, it just made it easy. We all get along. There’s no aggro. It’s just fun!”
Explaining what he thought of any naysayers discussing the comeback, he added: “John [Lydon, former frontman] ain’t interested in doing it. You think you’re gonna get a negative thing by doing [it without him], but I’m surprised. There was no backlash whatsoever.
“There were a few die-hards on Instagram, but they hadn’t even seen us. They just can’t see it without John, which I get, but even the ones that came out of curiosity were into it after a couple of songs.”
As for the remainder of 2025, the band announced details of a 2025 North American tour just last week, with live shows set to kick off later this autumn. Visit here for remaining tickets.
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