The Professionals

After the Sex Pistols disintegrated following their initial American tour in early 1978, vocalist Johnny Rotten deliberately distanced himself from the band's history by reverting to his birth name, John Lydon, and launching the more exploratory outfit Public Image Ltd. In contrast, the Sex Pistols' rhythm section—guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook—received far less media focus when they launched their own endeavor. Their band the Professionals nevertheless cultivated a dedicated audience through its raw, energetic British punk approach, an audience that has persisted well into the twenty-first century.

Following Lydon's exit, Jones and Cook laid down several tracks still credited to the Sex Pistols; those recordings later surfaced on the soundtrack to the film The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle. By 1979 the original group had dissolved completely. Freed from manager Malcolm McLaren, Jones and Cook signed with Virgin Records and brought bassist Andy Allan, who had already contributed to the Sex Pistols' final sessions, into the fold. The resulting trio, christened the Professionals, issued its debut single, "Just Another Dream," in July 1980. Work on a full-length album commenced immediately, and one song from those sessions, "Kick Down the Doors," appeared on the Virgin sampler Cash Cows. Progress halted abruptly when Allan sued the label for unpaid royalties, revealing that he lacked a formal contract unlike his bandmates. The album was shelved, prompting Jones and Cook to travel to Canada, where they portrayed members of a fictional punk group called the Looters in the motion picture Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains. (Fellow Looters included the Clash's Paul Simonon and actor Ray Winstone; the film received its belated release in late 1982.) Upon their return, Cook and Jones dismissed Allan and expanded to a quartet by adding bassist Paul Myers and rhythm guitarist Ray McVeigh. After re-recording most of the earlier material, the Professionals finally delivered I Didn't See It Coming in November 1981.

Ahead of the album's street date the band toured the U.K. and then the United States. Shortly after the record reached stores, however, Cook, Myers, and McVeigh suffered a car accident in Minneapolis, Minnesota, forcing an abrupt return home for recovery. Although punk listeners embraced I Didn't See It Coming, critics responded coolly and the label's promotional efforts proved minimal, resulting in modest sales. In spring 1982 the Professionals embarked on another American tour, yet by then Jones and Myers had developed severe drug dependencies that eroded their drive. Offered an opening slot on the Clash's post-Combat Rock trek, the group declined and dissolved a few months later.

The long-shelved debut album finally saw official release in 1997 after years as a bootleg, and in 2015 the band's complete recorded output appeared in the three-CD box set The Complete Professionals. To mark the collection's arrival, Paul Cook arranged a reunion performance at London's 100 Club; Steve Jones declined to take part, so Tom Spencer handled guitar and vocals alongside Cook, McVeigh, and Myers. The show proved successful, leading to additional reunion dates and, eventually, a decision to record fresh material. Jones again chose not to rejoin full-time but contributed guitar to several tracks and endorsed the project; Billy Duffy of the Cult and Marco Pirroni of Adam and the Ants also appeared as guests. What in the World emerged in October 2017.