“When I first heard that the Sex Pistols were touring this year without me it pissed me off. It annoyed me,” Lydon said. “I just thought, ‘They’re absolutely going to kill all that was good with the Pistols by eliminating the point and the purpose of it all.’”

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Lydon went on to call the tour a “karaoke” act, suggesting the lineup were trivialising the Pistols’ history. “They’re trying to trivialise the whole show to get away with karaoke, but in the long term, I think you’ll see who has the value and who doesn’t,” he said. He also added, “I’ve never sold my soul to make a dollar. It’s the Catholic in me – that guilt I don’t want to trip.”

Lydon hasn’t performed with his former band since 2008, but tensions between the two ignited again in 2022 over the release of Danny Boyle’s miniseries, ‘Pistol’, based on a memoir from guitarist Steve Jones. Lydon had no involvement or input on the series, and criticised the historical accuracy of events within. Jones responded to the singer, telling him to “grow up and move on,” and explaining that it was based on his experiences, not Lydon’s.

The current lineup of the band first played together at a gig at London’s Bush Hall, where they were raising funds for the iconic venue. Lydon questioned their motives, suggesting that it wasn’t an entirely altruistic endeavour. A source quoted by The Sun suggested that the shows were also meant to send a message to Lydon. “These Pistols gigs aren’t just for charity, they’re to show Rotten how rotten they think he’s been to the rest of the band over the years,” the source said. “Rotten thinks he IS the Pistols, but these gigs will show they don’t need him anymore.” Lydon reportedly dismissed the reunion as “b****cks.”

Reactions to the PiL frontman’s latest comments have been mixed, with one X user calling him a hypocrite, claiming that Lydon initiated previous reunion tours. Underneath the same post, another X user compared the shows to Queen touring without Freddie Mercury.

Poor Johnny Forgotten.
Always moaning and moaning. Phone your orange friend TRUMP and ask if you can cry on his shoulder.

YOU started the KARAOKE thing with those SEX PISTOLS reunion tours back then. Hey, @lydonofficial once a HYPOCRITE, always a HYPOCRITE. pic.twitter.com/HyITkEz4jX

— TURN UP THE VOLUME (BLOG) (@TurnUpBlog) February 19, 2025

Controversy is nothing new to the band, and the current feud hasn’t affected sales for their upcoming show at the Royal Albert Hall. Raising funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust, the show is effectively sold out, with only resale tickets available on Ticketmaster. Beyond that performance, the Pistols will also play at Download Festival, Glasgow Summer Sessions, and various international dates, taking them across Europe, with stops in Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil too.

Whether the band still has that spark that ignited the UK punk explosion in the 70s or not, their upcoming shows will be a chance to see one of the most influential bands of the last 50 years. Meanwhile, Lydon will be taking PiL around the festival circuit this summer too.

John Lydon has distanced himself from the Sex Pistols following reports of a deal, citing accusations that they were trying to profit off the death of Queen Elizabeth II. This statement was issued by Public Image Ltd on their Twitter feed on John Lyndons behalf.

John wrote the lyrics to this historical song, and while he has never supported the monarchy, he feels that the family deserves some respect in this difficult time, as would be expected for any other person or family when someone close to them has died.

— Public Image Ltd (@pilofficial) September 15, 2022

The agreement with BMG includes key singles from the album Never mind The Bollocks including “Anarchy In The UK”, “God Save The Queen” and “Pretty Vacant”. Their 1977 single “God Save the Queen” was banned by the BBC in the UK and appeared at No. 2 on the Official Singles chart, leading to accusations that the song was purposely kept off the top spot. For the only time in chart history, the track was listed as a blank, to avoid offence to the establishment. Along with retailers such as Woolworths and WHSmith refusing to stock the single.

The company’s VP in music publishing, Michael Howe, added, “Steve, Paul, and Sid’s works with Sex Pistols are among the most important cultural and creative music of the last half-century. “Their impact on society and the performing arts is orders of magnitude greater than the group’s incredibly brief lifespan and recorded output would suggest. The band’s influence resonates as deeply today as it did in 1977.” During this interview Steve Jones added, “Where’s my money?!”

The Sex Pistols may have only had two years of active performance, yet the impact they had on music and culture is tremendous and everlasting. This point is exceptionally highlighted by their seminal 1977 debut record album Never Mind the Bollocks, which is indisputably considered one of the most exhilarating and influential albums in punk rock music history.

In a recent statement BMG said “Sex Pistols are among the most important and recognisable rock bands in history, and their legacy is felt across fashion, art and society.”

To purchase the album Never Mind the Bollocks click here.

The series is based on founding guitarist Steve Jones’s book Lonely Boy and follows him and the rest of the band’s rise to notoriety and prominence in early 1970’s Britain. The series is set to premier on Disney plus on May 31st 2022 and features rising star Louis Partridge as Sid Vicious, Anson Boon as Johnny Rotten, Toby Wallace as Steve Jones, Jacob Slater as Paul Cook, and Game Of Thrones star Maisie Williams as Pamela Rooke.

The series enjoyed it’s global premier on the red carpet at Leicester Square on Monday night, but has received a mixed response from critics in the wake of John Lydon’s scathing criticism. Empire were positive, giving the series 4/5 stars in a recent review, and saying “Danny Boyle’s sensibilities come out in full force for this serrated slice of music history. The performances vary in strength — but the collective scrappy energy of the ensemble under the director’s guidance is undeniable.“. Whilst The Telegraph gave it 2/5 stars, explaining that it simply didn’t manage to balance the multiple tones and themes that run throughout the story “It’s caught between the very different dynamics of an in-your-face punk assault on TV convention, an accurate historical account of a moment in pop history or an winkingly entertaining showbiz comedy about how to make it in the music business. Pistol comes on fully loaded but ends up firing blanks.”

Much like the band and their marmite touch, “Pistol” will inevitably not be everyone’s cup of tea. But with Danny Boyle publicly inviting John Lydon’s criticism in a recent interview with The Guardian, saying “I think that’s his absolute right. Why would you change the habit of a lifetime?” I suspect that the critical reception of the series will not matter as much as the viewership it’s likely to amass. The pull of the iconic band is undeniable and likely to result in heavy footfall wherever their legend wanders. Given that one of the band’s main strengths was always drawing attention and controversy, I doubt Boyle has anything to worry about, as “Pistol” is already providing that in abundance.