Renowned for fusing the spirit and attitude of punk with the style and sophistication of pop, singer/songwriter Vic Godard was born and raised in Bristol, England. A fixture at early Sex Pistols performances, he formed the Subway Sect at the suggestion of Malcolm McLaren. They made their debut on September 20, 1976 at the now-legendary 100 Club Punk Festival. Influenced by everything from French pop to Northern soul to the Velvet Underground to swing, the Subway Sect -- which originally included guitarist Robert Miller, bassist Paul Myers, and drummer Paul Smith -- could barely play their instruments at the outset, but otherwise the group made few concessions to the prevailing punk mentality. Godard quickly emerged as a songwriter with a far stronger sense of melody and craft than the majority of his contemporaries, a development which polarized audiences as the band opened for the Clash on their 1977 White Riot tour.