For old feckers only....

[homer]

I shall be there tomorrow night

Sex Pistols



Pete Paphides at the Brixton Academy



In 1996, at their 20-year reunion, the Sex Pistols came up with the ruse of playing Abba’s Dancing Queen over the P.A. system before they appeared on stage. The rationale was simple. The reformed group would come on halfway through a record that embodied the sorry state of pop at the time of the Pistols’ ascent, thus reminding the throng just how sorely they had been needed. The problem was that, with the tribal divisions of punk long forgotten, the plan backfired somewhat. On hearing the Abba song, everyone started dancing.
Eleven years later - this time celebrating the 30th anniversary of their landmark album Never Mind the Bollocks . . . – the group’s original lineup, Glen Matlock, Steve Jones, Paul Cook and John Lydon, took no such chances. After an hour of relentlessly dull rave music a chorus of jeers turned into cheers as Lydon, dressed as some sort of deranged gamekeeper, paced the stage seemingly inspecting the mostly male, mostly middle-aged crowd. Before jetting in from their base in Los Angeles, Lydon claimed that the group had accrued a mere three hours of rehearsal time. If the titanic opening detonation of Pretty Vacant was anything to go by, three hours was about right for a band who, even at their brief, nihilistic zenith, sounded like they might fall apart at any minute.
That they’re all way better musicians than they were back then meant that the garage cacophony of Liar and I’m a Lazy Sod placed them closer to, say, Metallica than their old selves. But as the evening progressed, Lydon’s beady-eyed persona seemed like the only thing that distinguished middling tracks such as No Feelings and Did You No Wrong from each other.
Inevitably, he couldn’t resist having a pop at his archenemy – the Pistols’ ex-manager Malcolm McLaren. Hours after it was announced that McLaren would be featuring on the new series of I’m a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here! Lydon declared, “See? Didn’t I tell you about that arsehole?” Quite how McLaren’s involvement in the show differed from Lydon’s two years previously wasn’t explained.
But neither was it a point that the legions of ex-punks felt compelled to dwell on. The more blithely Lydon paraded, the more bored Jones seemed to look. The latter briefly amused himself by segueing from (I’m Not Your) Stepping Stone to Eye of the Tiger – a set text to a seasoned L.A. sessioneer such as him – before the show climaxed with the inevitable duo of insurrectionary jukebox perennials. For God Save the Queen and Anarchy in the UK, a surge of energy from the stage was more than matched by a surge of balding, beery humanity from the back. No surprises there – which was more than you could say for a concluding rendition of Belsen Was a Gas – one of two postLydon Pistols tunes that originally featured the Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs on vocals. Lydon performed it the only way he knew how. In a splenetic, spitting drizzle of gurning invective. It made you wonder how they had had the temerity to replace him.

 

[Hazzman]

I read a damning review of 'em. Worst comeback of all-time supposly

 

[drummindefender]

I read a damning review of 'em. Worst comeback of all-time supposly

well it could be worse-the wombles anyone?

 

[homer]

well it could be worse-the wombles anyone?

Only noses....


Depends what you expect, of course

If you are some sad pretentious music journo type expecting to see something spectacular and innovative, or the same spark of genius that you would have seen thirty years ago then I would imagine that you will be sadly disappointed

But if you are going for a great big nostalgic piss up with your mates, followed by watching a truly seminal band play some of your favourite tunes in a sing-a-longa anthemic type of way then I would expect that you will have an exceptional time

 

[Macky]

Only noses....


Depends what you expect, of course

If you are some sad pretentious music journo type expecting to see something spectacular and innovative, or the same spark of genius that you would have seen thirty years ago then I would imagine that you will be sadly disappointed

But if you are going for a great big nostalgic piss up with your mates, followed by watching a truly seminal band play some of your favourite tunes in a sing-a-longa anthemic type of way then I would expect that you will have an exceptional time

Still, shame about them not playing ABBA though isn't it.

 

[highland fox]

Not a fan of reunion gigs,the Sex Pistols were great when they first arrived now I think its all just a bit sad

 

[MKFox]

come on then homey, any good?

 

[Disco Bob]

Liked a lot of the PIL work - but that was due in no small part to the immense dub sounds of Jah Wobble.

Not a lot of time for Lyndon really - and the other two were just pub band rockers.

 

[homer]

come on then homey, any good?

'twas absolutely excellent. Clearly been practising for months to get it that good, despite their claims of three hours

Sometimes cabaret, sometimes 'hair on the back of the neck' stuff. Lydon's voice still as extraordinary as ever.

Intro music of "They'll always be an England" and they walk on to an incredible reception from the most bizarre audience I've ever seen (more of them later). Straight into 'Pretty Vacant' and we're off and running. We all know there's only half a dozen decent Pistols songs, but they made a pretty good effort of the 'secondary' tracks as well - mainly thanks to Johnny boy who was quite awesome, but also due to Cook, Jones and Matlock who produced some outstanding shit-kicking rock and roll. Lots of interaction with the freakshow audience, and a good time had by all, I suspect. I loved it

Highlights were probably 'Holidays in the Sun' and 'Stepping Stone'. 'Anarchy' was a bit of a karaoke anti-climax, and I've heard PiL do much better versions on a number of occasions - but all in all in was top notch entertainment

As the for the crowd, I can honestly say that I've never seen anything like it. Apart from a (very) few young 'uns I would say that the average age was somewhere in the late forties. Fat balding or grey-haired hideous looking men, and even fatter more hideous looking grey-haired women. Fascinating stuff, to see what had happened to the punks of yesteryear. The best ones were those (especially the women) who had made an effort to wear some clothes that might have been acceptable at a Pistols gig of thirty years ago (clearly purchased within the past seven days) - was truly a sight to behold, and I just haven't got the words to describe it other than to say it was utterly fascinating and amazing

Also quite a few of possibly the hardest looking bastards I've ever seen in my life. Scary

All in all, a marvellous evening - loads of ale, a top banana gig, and rounded off nicely with a trip to one of the finest titty bars I've been in. Lovely stuff

 

[foxin_oz]

I remember buying "Never Mind The Bollocks" when it first came out. Great album. As long as you had a good night Homer who gives a toss? :icon_conf

 

[Boy Genius]

I remember buying "Never Mind The Bollocks" when it first came out. Great album. As long as you had a good night Homer who gives a toss? :icon_conf

with the title blotted out.......



Homer you are a bastard!

 

[foxin_oz]

with the title blotted out.......



Homer you are a bastard!

Not over here. Our censorship laws must be more liberal. Or maybe it was just that in those days the average Aussie thought Bollocks were juvenile cattle.:icon_conf

 

[Boy Genius]

Not over here. Our censorship laws must be more liberal. Or maybe it was just that in those days the average Aussie thought Bollocks were juvenile cattle.:icon_conf

I bet the album was not released over there until quite some time

 

[Melton Fox]

I bet the album was not released over there until quite some time

They used to smuggle them in inside cakes, or carved into the pages of a big book at visiting time :icon_lol:

 

[Disco Bob]

with the title blotted out.......

Only until the court case.

 

[foxin_oz]

They used to smuggle them in inside cakes, or carved into the pages of a big book at visiting time :icon_lol:

As we're talking about vinyl here it would want to be a bloody big cake (or book). I do recall a sticker that said something about "Warning: This Album contains lyrics that may offend". :icon_bigg