Way back in '77 a guitarist and a singer from the East End (Riff Starr and Gary) started a punk rock band, trouble was they had no equipment and no money. Then long standing friend Joe Strummer (thanks Joe) gave them £500 from the Clash's advance from CBS Records.

They got the band together with Paul 'B. P.' Hurding as the bands first drummer. Shag Nasty gigged constantly around the East End and also down West London where the emerging punk scene provided a ready audience, gigging with the likes of Menace, Skrewdriver & X-Ray Spex with Polystyrene. After a few months, B.P.  was poached by the X-Ray Spex. The search was then on for a new drummer.... welcome to Nick Shirley.

On Sunday 17th July 1977, Shag Nasty & The Clash arrived in Birmingham at lunch time to play the Punk Festival which was being staged at the Rag Market under the banner of Britain's Burning and had been advertised some three weeks earlier. Other bands that were due to appear were The Saints, Cherry Vanilla, Subway Sect, Snatch etc. The local council had got cold feet two days prior to the event and decided pull the plug.

By this time, a large gathering of Punks had started to emerge and the Police turned up in force and made arrests for an unlawful gathering and obstruction. A last minute ditch attempt was made to save some of the festival and they re-located to Barbarellas night ciub. The band borrowed local heavy metal band Warhead's instruments and both bands played a hurried set in front of a large mass of cheering punks.

Amongst many other memorable gigs one that stands out was at the Rainbow Theatre in London supporting Dillinger (Cocaine in my Brain) & Clint Eastwood to a packed audience of Reggae fans.