Legendary Punk Figure to Do Q&A at ActOne Cinema
Glen Matlock appearing at screening of I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol
Glen Matlock was considered the band's best musician
March 12, 2026
The highlight of a packed programme of music, comedy, film and community events coming up at ActOne cinema is the special screening of I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol followed by a live Q&A .
Glen Matlock, who grew up in west London will be appearing on Sunday 5 April. He co-wrote ten of the twelve tracks on Never Mind the Bollocks, has long been recognised by music historians as the Pistols’ most musically accomplished member, even if his contribution was often overshadowed by the band’s mythology.
Born in Paddington, he attended St Marylebone Grammar School and spent his teenage years moving through the same patchwork of youth clubs, record shops and gig venues in the area that fed the early punk scene. Steve Jones and Paul Cook, both of whom grew up in nearby Shepherd’s Bush, frequented the same West London haunts.
The film, based on Matlock’s own memoir, offers a sharply observed account of the Pistols’ rise from chaotic rehearsals to global notoriety. It charts the band’s battles with the music industry, their determination to challenge social hypocrisy, and the bleakness of early-1970s Britain that helped fuel the punk explosion. Matlock’s perspective is particularly valuable: he was there before the myth-making, before the tabloid frenzy, and before the band became a cultural shorthand. His version of events is often more grounded, more musical and more human than the caricature that followed.
After the screening, Matlock will take to the stage for a live Q&A supported by the Ealing Film Festival — a rare chance for local audiences to hear directly from one of punk’s original architects.
This is part of an eclectic programme running throughout March and early April at the cinema. The ActOne Film Quiz returns on Thursday 19 March, offering film buffs a chance to test their knowledge in the cinema’s cosy lounge.
Glen Matlock on stage with Johnny Rotten around 1976
The Open Mic Night on Thursday 26 March invites performers of all kinds — poets, musicians, comedians — to share their work in a warm, supportive setting. The following evening, Friday 27 March, the Untitled Comedy Night brings ten comics to the stage, with free entry and a bar open throughout.
Music lovers can look forward to a live concert from Revel Without a Pause on Saturday 21 March, promising a set packed with classics from Queen, The Beatles, Van Morrison and more. On Saturday 28 March, American vocalist Corina Kwami brings her global blend of jazz, samba and storytelling to the cinema, performing with guitarist Clement Regert.
ActOne’s ClassicOne Cinema Club continues on Tuesday 31 March with The Remains of the Day, followed by refreshments and a post-film discussion — a nod to the building’s former life as a community library. That same day, the cinema will also screen Siegfried live from the Royal Opera House, part of Wagner’s monumental Ring cycle.
Board game enthusiasts can gather on Wednesday 1 April for an evening of relaxed gaming, while Brazilian guitarist Mario Bakuna brings a night of bossa nova to ActOne on Saturday 11 April. The month rounds off with another music-history gem: The Session Man on Sunday 12 April, telling the story of legendary pianist Nicky Hopkins, who lived in Ealing in the 1940s. A Q&A will follow, supported by The Ealing Club.
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