– December 7 – 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland

– December 9 – Corn Exchange, Edinburgh, Scotland

– December 10 – O2 Academy, Glasgow, Scotland

– December 18 – O2 Academy Brixton, London

-December 20 – Eventim Apollo, London

Formed in 1975, the beloved, British band are well known for their controversial lyrics, anti-establishment stance, and all-round rebellion. The bands debut album, ‘Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols’ is globally regarded as one of the most influential punk albums of all time. Despite the bands initial short lifespan of just two and a half years, they have forever left their mark on the punk rock genre. In modernity, fans are overjoyed to see them back on stage blasting their best classics with an altered vocalist.

Not only were The Sex Pistols known for their cutting-edge way with words they directly impacted the punk scene with their choice of clothing and hairstyles. Their outfit choices and political standpoints were quickly adopted by fans everywhere.

The group made their grand return in 2024 with a fresh vocalist and a new lease of life. Alongside the December dates the band are set to play the following shows this summer:

– July 11 – The Piece Hall, Halifax Live, Yorkshire

– July 12 – Castlefield Bowl, Manchester

– August 1 – Castle Depot Live, Cardiff

August 2 – Open Air Theatre, Scarborough

The tour lineup is set to feature original members, guitarist, Steve Jones, drummer Paul Cook and bassist Glen Matlock. Joining the original band members is Frank Carter, known for his roles playing in the bands, Gallows and Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes. Carter is stepping in as lead vocalist for this run of shows filling in the role from earlier vocalist John Lyndon, famously known as Johnny Rotten who has since publicly stated he will not be returning to the band.

This mixture of original members and Carter has heightened interest for the shows, specifically since Carter is known for his own high-energy punk performances that fit well within The Sex Pistols’ ethos.

This tour announcement represents one of the most significant punk anniversaries, The Sex Pistols helped pave the way for countless other artists of the same genre to preach the very same message. We cannot wait to see the band that helped launch an entire scene take to the stage once more.

Tickets for the celebratory spectacular go on general sale from 9am Friday, February 27.

Speaking on the Turned Out A Punk podcast, the Generation X singer reflected on his time travelling with The Sex Pistols and Siouxsie and the Banshees throughout the 1970s.

Recalling a specific gig in 1976, Idol explained how a trip to Paris with the two bands almost led to a violent incident due to Sioux wearing a swastika.

The ‘Rebel Yell’ singer said: “Siouxsie was wearing her night porter gear, where she had the swastika on, and she was driving these left-wing French people crazy because they didn’t really get that it’s a performance art kind of thing.

“They just thought she was – because they were practically communists – they were thinking she was an anti-communist and they didn’t realise it’s part of punk performance art.”

Idol recalled how the audience members in Paris were “really upset by Sioux’s decision to wear the swastika as a fashion statement”, saying: “We sort of escaped across the stage. Pistols had come up across the stage and we went backstage to escape from the audience. They were getting really upset.”

The use of controversial symbolism was a constant theme throughout the punk scene, with Sid Vicious of The Sex Pistols most notably often wearing swastikas as a statement against authority, as well as fashionista Vivienne Westwood including inverted crucifixes in her designs.

Although this symbolism was big in the UK scene that Siouxsie Sioux and co. were used to, Idol explained how cultural differences between London and Paris at the time led to the anger: “They just didn’t understand the sort of London fashion performance art aspect of punk. We were reflecting back on the British society what they were doing to us by wearing these sort of political symbols.”

He concluded by saying: “It was kind of a reflection back on the powers that be. ‘This is what you want us to be? You want us to be fascist? Oh, how about we dress like that to frighten you?’ And it worked.”

Speaking in the 1991 Jon Savage book ‘England’s Dreaming’, Siouxsie Sioux explained her personal reasoning for the use of swastikas in the punk movement, saying: “It was always very much an anti-mums-and-dads thing.

“We hated older people. Not across the board, but generally the suburban thing, always harping on about Hitler, and, ‘We showed him’, and that smug pride. It was a way of saying, ‘Well, I think Hitler was very good, actually’; a way of watching someone like that go completely red-faced.”

Billy Idol, who turns 70 this November, recently released his first album in over a decade. Hitting the shelves last month, ‘Dream Into It’ includes collaborations with Avril Lavigne and Joan Jett. Check out the full album below.

The album, released in 1977, galvanised the growing punk movement in Britain, featuring hits like “God Save the Queen” and “Anarchy In The UK”.

It was the only offering from the band, as they split up a few months later in 1978 following a chaotic US tour.

He described the Pistols fanbase as “very demanding” in an interview with Blitzed Magazine, saying: “They’ll grab hold of you, and they won’t let go of that vision of you. You can’t live your life according to somebody else’s illusions about you. You just can’t.”

“You’ve got to be true to yourself. For me, I’ve always declared I had a vast, vast record collection of music, so I was influenced in many different directions and some of them completely contradictory to each other.”

“And so I’d say to those that were still expecting ‘Never Mind the Bollocks Part 2’ – f**k off you idiot. What are you not listening to?”

Last year, The Sex Pistols held two reunion shows at London’s Bush Hall, playing ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’ in full. They chose Gallows frontman Frank Carter to take Lydon’s place as lead vocalist.

Following an overwhelming response to their reunion, they embarked on a UK comeback tour.

John voiced his disapproval, telling the i Paper that he was “pissed off” when the remaining band members were set to tour without him last year, calling it a “karaoke” act that undermines their legacy.

He explained: “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’.

“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,”

“I’ve never sold my soul to make a dollar. It’s the Catholic in me – that guilt I don’t want to trip.”

The relationship between Lydon and the rest of the band has been sour for some time – guitarist Steve Jones told NME that the band haven’t spoken to him in 17 years. Recently, the former frontman lost a legal battle against his old bandmates, after refusing to license the use of the Sex Pistols music in Danny Boyle’s 2022 biographical mini-series, Pistol.

Meanwhile, Lydon’s band Public Image Ltd will be touring in 2025. The post-punk group debuted in the late 70’s following the disbandment of the Sex Pistols.

The Pistols have scheduled a handful of dates for 2025, including at Download Festival, alongside acts such as Green Day, Sleep Token and Korn. You can see our writeup on the rock festival here.

“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.

The project aims to preserve the musical heritage of the city by amassing a collection of visual memories in the form of concert tickets, thereby allowing both us in the present and those in future generations to resonate with and relive live music performances by some of the world’s greatest artists.

One of these is Bruce Springsteen, whose performance with The E Street Band in July 2013 inaugurated the First Direct Arena. Such a massive moment in the musical history of Leeds is now documented, visually in the form of an actual physical ticket, in the archive for others to enjoy and celebrate. A show by the iconic Irish rock band U2 is another among the remarkable performances recorded on the platform. They played Elland Road on July 1st 1987, where tickets were £14 and Special Guests were promised.

The archive also remembers Sir Elton John’s 1984 gig at The Queens Hall during his European Express Tour. The ticket reminded a commenter on the archive post about their experience at the gig as they stated, “I was at this gig! Elton played at the now demolished Queens Hall (tram shed) and it was truly one of the best gigs I’ve ever been to!“.

Louise Birch, the senior librarian at Leeds Libraries, recounts how the project came to be, saying, “The project came about as I was going through some of my own ticket stubs that I’d collected over the years, and I realised that many venues don’t actually issue physical tickets anymore.

“Leeds has hosted some of the biggest names in music over the years along with a thriving local gig scene and some incredible venues that have become a huge part of the city’s story.

“Every single one of these tickets also represents a unique memory for the person who went to that gig and what we really want is for people to share those memories and experiences and help us build a living, constantly evolving archive of live music in Leeds.”

The librarians who run the archive are actively trying to increase the collection and are on the lookout for particular gigs, including Jimi Hendrix at The Odeon in 1967, The Sex Pistols at Leeds Polytechnic in 1976, Nirvana at The Duchess in 1989 and Oasis at The Duchess in 1994.

The Leodis archive can be accessed here: https://www.leodis.net/.

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.

Both acts have confirmed that Matlock will appear on Blondie’s new album while Foxx recuperates from their injury. Speaking to Classic Pop Magazine, cultural icon and Blondie guitarist Chris Stein gave the following details, “Glen has just been great. Unlike ‘Pollinator’, we’re mostly keeping this album in-house: it’s just the band and Glen playing on it. He’s fitted right in.”

Blondie’s last full release Pollinator dropped over five years ago and was their eleventh studio album. The album was released on 5th May 2017 via BMG Rights Management and sired four singles, the album’s lead single “Fun” was a huge success and peaked at number two within the UK official vinyl singles Chart. After several albums of somewhat experimental work, Pollinator is often regarded as a return to a more traditional format and sound for the band. The tracklist features a host of special guests and a-list collaborations, with many songs co-written by other artists, including Johnny Marr, The Strokes’ Nick Valensi, Charli XCX and Dev Hynes, aka Lightspeed champion.

The English musician Matlock recently made headlines for his comments during an interview to mark God Save The Queen’s 45th anniversary and the recently released Danny Boyle biopic of the band Pistol. Whilst appearing on the ITV programme Good Morning Britain, Matlock stated, “I think one of the things is that, you know, how worse off we would be if [Boris] Johnson was a president, that would be even worse. I’m really quite pleased to be out of England at the moment, the terrible, turgid Tories have just been getting on top of me.”

The 66-year-old musician continued, “So to be touring, as I have been, I got asked very last minute to play with Blondie, we’ve been touring over here (in the US) and I just not long got back from Mexico, it’s been really quite refreshing to do something different and step outside and see how other people see us.”

Blondie’s charismatic frontwoman Debbie Harry and Stein will be back in the UK this winter for a series of special shows; the singer and guitarist will conduct a lecture tour across the UK. Entitled ‘An Evening With Debbie Harry & Chris Stein in Conversation‘, the series of appearances were initially scheduled to begin this February; due to the covid-19 pandemic, the four shows were postponed until the end of this year.

‘An Evening With Debbie Harry & Chris Stein in Conversation‘ Dates

01/11/2022 – The Palladium – London
03/11 – Royal Concert Hall – Glasgow
06/11 – Town Hall – Birmingham
08/11 – Bridgewater Hall – Manchester

Click here to purchase tickets.

An obviously deplorable use of the Nazi symbol by slowthai at Osheaga in Montreal.

He's previously displayed a severed head of …. Boris Johnson in concert so will be interesting to see how much the woke left will talk about this. pic.twitter.com/9VbTmG8a95

— Jeff Joseph (@MisterDoubleJ) August 1, 2022

The musician walked on stage wearing a white T-shirt saying “DESTROY” with a large swastika in a red circle below. The shirt was inspired by a shirt designed by Vivienne Westwood and infamously worn by The Sex Pistols.

whether or not the outfit choice was a great idea is a different story but Vivienne Westwood has a series of antifascist designs including the one worn by Slowthai that are anything but new pic.twitter.com/9kAtQ9UxkT — matty (@mattyjones_x) August 1, 2022

Slowthai has since said that the shirt was meant to be anti-fascist and released the following statement on Twitter in response to the backlash: “i’m sorry to anyone who is offended by me wearing an anti-fascist / anti-regime t-shirt and the use of the symbol it represents. i want you to know i stand firmly against antisemitism and fascism of any kind, something the t-shirt was meant to illustrate with the word “destroy” above the symbol.”  Despite his apology the stunt has left festival-goers baffled and angered.

https://t.co/nwB4Hh8bH9 pic.twitter.com/pb4k8Il0MS

— TYRON (@slowthai) August 1, 2022

Osheaga also weighed in earlier in the day in a statement saying, “a performer appeared on stage Saturday wearing a controversial t-shirt displaying a swastika that caused confusion. The t-shirt denounces the regime. We sincerely apologize to anyone who may have misinterpreted this message and felt hurt.”

pic.twitter.com/YrWZW1jIFz — OSHEAGA (@osheaga) August 1, 2022

The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre For Holocaust Studies, an organisation that aims to stamp out anti-semitism was unimpressed with the festival’s response, tweeting, “While @slowthai’s intent at @osheaga may have been to denounce Nazism, the message was very badly executed. This ambiguous display of the swastika was frightening for Jews and others and should never have made it to the stage“.

While @slowthai’s intent at @osheaga may have been to denounce Nazism, the message was very badly executed. This ambiguous display of the swastika was frightening for Jews and others and should never have made it to the stage. pic.twitter.com/WGp8RwkvRy

— Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (@CanadianFSWC) July 31, 2022

 

 

This is not the first time Slowthai has courted controversy back in September 2020, he was accused of making lewd comments toward comedian Katherine Ryan while on stage at the NME awards, asking her to “smell my cologne”, and : “If you want to do something, see me later. She wants me to tend to her flowers”.

TW: sexual harassment

This video of Slowthai sexually harassing Katherine Ryan at the NME awards is awful. So, so gross. Women shouldn’t have to endure this as part of their jobs. I know his persona is shithouser but there’s a line and he fully crossed it pic.twitter.com/E0lALuF6Ja

— Moya Lothian-McLean (@mlothianmclean) February 12, 2020

The rapper talked to Noisey about the incident, “I didn’t see it as being toxic, but when I watched those clips back, I was like, I can understand why people feel this way and I can understand where I was wrong”. He continued, “People are so quick to point the finger and kill ya, but if you live in fear of what everyone thinks, you’ll never do anything all your life… I can sit and wallow or I can take my lessons and learn from it and become a better person”.

Ryan talked to NME about the award show saying, “When that happened, I thought: ‘We can have some fun with this.’ As far as I’m concerned, that’s all it was – fun in the room. We were both evenly matched and doing a pantomime.” She continued, “Because I’m vehemently against ‘cancel culture’ in most cases. We’re always looking to ruin someone’s career. To take the context and nuance out of the situation didn’t make sense to me”.

We’re delighted to announce the incredible result from The White Label Auction with a record hammer price of £43,540, with net proceeds going to The BRIT Trust!

Read more: https://t.co/VQKmYkVnv9 pic.twitter.com/OcLMlk91Ot

— The BRIT Trust (@TheBRITtrust) June 7, 2022

The auction previously confirmed that all net proceeds will be donated to The BRIT Trust, an esteemed institution which supports charities and establishments involved in the music industry. The trust was founded in 1989 and is partly funded by money raised by the famed BRIT awards and other fundraising events, since its formation the BRIT Trust has raised over £28 million for its many causes. The trust aims to fund educational programmes such as The BRIT School and causes committed to mental wellbeing such as Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy plus many more.

Chair of The BRIT Trust, Tony Wadsworth CBE has given the following statement, “Once again we see people’s love of vinyl combine with the power of music to create something of real worth that will benefit the many causes we support across the UK, whether it’s the next generation of creators from The BRIT School, music therapists from Nordoff Robbins or professionals who work with mental health charities like Mind and Music Support. We are grateful to all the artists and labels for generously contributing their test pressings, and to Johnny Chandler and the Universal UMC team for pulling it all together.”

The auction consisted of 175 lots of White Label LP test pressings, with a large amount signed or personalised by artists many lots sold for four figure sums, the available lots were donated by artists as well as both major and independent record labels. White label LPs are considered vastly valuable by collectors and music fans as they are rarely found and are usually kept in archives. Only a handful are usually produced and provide a special insight into the album’s recording process, the LPs are typically manufactured before the album’s full release.

The Cure and Sex Pistols raise record funds for The BRIT Trust with test pressings #TheCure #SexPistols @TheBRITtrust https://t.co/VK4P71SsaU

— Virgin Radio UK (@VirginRadioUK) June 8, 2022

The highest selling lot at this year’s auction was a white label reissue of The Cure’s 1989 release Disintegration, which was signed by frontman Robert Smith and sold for £5,500. The auction included five lots of The Cure LPs, the total amount raised by the group’s records amounted to £12,250. Further high figures were seen from the record sales of The Sex Pistols, two 7” test pressings of the iconic album God Save The Queen sold for £2,550 combined.

Amongst the 175 lots, many well-known albums and celebrated artist’s accumulated impressive bids. A 6 LP set of The Police’s Every Move You Make sold for £1,200 and Disraeli Gears by Cream sold for £700. Lots consisting of The Spice Girls’ music also contributed to the auction’s large donation, a White Label LP of Spice sold for £440 and a copy of The Greatest Hits brought in £340, totalling an incredible £780.

The White Label auction first took place in 2019 and is the brainchild of Johnny Chandler, the A&R director at Universal Music UK has given the following statement, “Once again the response to the auction from artists, managers and labels has been incredible – today’s wonderful result, which will see funds raised go to support the work of The BRIT Trust and the charities it supports right across the UK, is down to them and the ongoing love affair fans have with vinyl. Special thanks to Dan Hampson, Gennaro Castaldo, and their respective teams at Omega Auctions and BPI, Julian Stockton and all at UMC for helping make this possible.”

Click here for the auction’s full listings and results.

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During its original release, the song attracted a lot of bad publicity due to its message of anti-establishment. Much to the dismay of the country’s conservative population, many sub-cultures within Britain’s youth instantly took to the record and sported “God Save The Queen” t-shirts. The backlash of the single grew whilst propelling the Sex Pistols to the centre of the punk movement. Tensions rose to a boiling point when some members of the band were arrested whilst performing the song on a boat during the Jubilee celebrations.

Despite being banned from the BBC and various commercial radio stations, the single reached number two on the UK singles charts. The song was the second single to be released from the band’s only studio album Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols and boasted lyrics calling the UK “a fascist regime”. The song was written and released not to offend but to relate to those in the country who had felt disenfranchised and let down. Singer John Lydon gave a statement concerning the track’s themes, “You don’t write God Save The Queen because you hate the English race. You write a song like that because you love them, and you’re fed up with them being mistreated.”

At the time of its original release on 27th May 1977, the track was considered one of the most controversial events in history. During the initial stages of the release, the band were signed to record label A&M but following disputes over the band’s behaviour the label terminated their contract. These issues led to the label destroying over 25,000 copies of the track, some copies of the track survived and can be sold for up to £16,000. In late May of 1977, the group signed with Virgin Records, marking their third label change in just under a year.

The 2022 re-release of the single will be split into two available options, fans will be able to purchase the A&M version as well as the release via Virgin Records, 1,977 A&M copies will be re-released, and 4,000 copies of Virgin’s version will be re-released. Both records will include the iconic track but will also adhere to the original release and contain different B-sides. The A&M release will feature the B-side “No Feeling” and “Did You No Wrong” will be the B-side within the re-release from Virgin. Both re-releases will also feature the original artwork, the A&M re-release will include the company sleeve and will be pressed on silver/platinum vinyl and Virgin’s re-release will feature the eye-catching artwork designed by Jamie Reid.

This month also marks the release of the band’s upcoming docu-series, Danny Boyle’s adaption of Steve Jones’ memoir is set to be released on 31st May 2022. Entitled Pistol, the series will be available to watch on Disney Plus.

Click here to pre-order “God Save The Queen“