In 1977 Queen Elizabeth II, the mature representative of the British state, and The Sex Pistols, the raw voice of youthful rebellion, were engaged in a tortured dance of opposites. The Sex Pistols’ 1977 Silver Jubilee tribute single God Save The Queen politicised punk by targeting the embodied emblem of the British establishment. Despite being banned by the BBC and fired by two record companies, The Pistols controversially reached the top of the pop charts. The single’s now iconic sleeve, designed by artist and designer Jamie Reid, defaced Peter Grugeon’s official jubilee portrait of the Queen by sticking a safety pin through her nose.

The Mott Collection collaborated with The Vinyl Factory for the exhibition Jubilee 2012: Sixty Punk Singles celebrating the Queen’s 2012 Diamond Jubilee in a different way to most, with an exploration of punk singles’ cover art.