Locals don’t support blue plaque for famous Clash gig that caused ‘too much trouble’

Taylor, 73, said: “The Clash did not cover themselves in glory during or after the event. There is a fine line that has to be drawn between something that is morally acceptable and something that is not – and you have to be careful how you walk that line.

“Is this something Bury wants to be remembered for?”

The call for a blue plaque has been led by Paul Johnson, 55, who believes the event deserves more recognition. Mr Johnson, a champion of Bury St Edmunds’ music scene, told the BBC he “won’t take no for an answer”.

According to Taylor, there are already eight memorial plaques in the city commemorating different people and a single event – ​​the first Zeppelin air raid in the First World War.

The plaques are installed by the Bury Society, which is registered under English Heritage’s Blue Plaque scheme and informs English Heritage of any new plaques.

Mr Taylor, chairman of the Bury Society since 2016, said: “We want to celebrate both people and events – people will say The Clash’s performance was an event.”

“Spitting and Destruction”

“But the way people behaved at the time, the spitting and the destruction, could well mean that it wouldn’t have been able to go off even if we had wanted it to.

“English Heritage does not approve plaques for events that are considered tasteless or offensive: they are there to commemorate someone or something notable.

“People remember their deeds, but what meaning would the plaque have for someone looking at it in 20 or 30 years?

“To get there, you have to overcome several hurdles, get permission from the building owner and the heritage conservation officer. The meaning of the plaque is easily lost due to the limited space for the text.”

He added that other musical events, such as Bob Marley’s performance, had also not been recognized.

The Clash were founded in 1976 and are considered to be key influences of British punk rock.

They disbanded in 1986 after Topper Headon and Mick Jones were both kicked out of the band.