Clash fan angry as blue plaque proposal dismissed

Martyn Taylor, chairman of the Bury Society, external, said the organisation could not champion an event which had promoted “unruly behaviour”.

“That was obviously something the council was not happy with so the Bury Society considers that putting a blue plaque up would be inappropriate,” he said.

“The whole aspect of putting a blue plaque, external up is to record something noteworthy and I wouldn’t say an event which caused mayhem is worthy of recording.”

Despite the society’s decision, Mr Johnson says he will not be deterred and will continue to fight for the show to be celebrated in an official capacity.

“We are dogged, we are Generation X, and we won’t take no for answer,” he said.

The promoter of 1978 gig, John Hessenthaler, recalled the concert in a BBC feature from 2010.

He claimed: “There were rumours that there was going to be trouble, but that didn’t happen.”

Times have changed for fans of the more raucous end of popular music – the council opened the Apex venue in the town in 2010 staging a wide variety of live music, and the independent Hunter Club, external also serves music lovers.

And there’s always the cathedral and its organ, choir and concerts.