Sid Vicious had girly handwriting, pastel colours should only be worn ironically and Johnny Rotten’s c*** tasted of stale urine.

Just some of the revelations provided by former Slits guitarist turned memoirist Viv Albertine in an insightful, engaging and brutally honest launch to Brighton Festival’s literature programme.

Talking about her new autobiography Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music, Music, Music, Boys, Boys, Boys, Albertine painted a picture of a violent and sexist 1970s, providing the clearest explanation so far why the scandalous actions of Jimmy Savile and his co-accused could happen.

But equally as fascinating as her portrayal of the hard musical world of punk was her life post-1981 once The Slits imploded.

The ranging discussion covered her pioneering work as an aerobics teacher and the decision to return to music 30 years later which ended her marriage and turned her settled life upside down.

Host Simon Price provided a masterclass in how to be a perfect interviewer.

Throughout the 90-minutes he asked well-researched questions, selected interesting and relevant quotes from the book and, most importantly, allowed Albertine room to express herself without trying to weigh in.

As one audience member expressed outside, it was a truly inspirational afternoon from a woman who refuses to be labelled a legend.

  • Albertine returns to Shoreham’s Ropetackle Arts Centre on Tuesday, June 17, from 7pm for a City Books show