John Lydon slams Sex Pistols for performing in Scotland without him
Lydon, who fronted the original line-up from 1975 to 1978 as Johnny Rotten, says the original members don't want him in the line-up
Punk legend has blasted the Sex Pistols for performing in Scotland without him.
Lydon, who fronted the original line-up from 1975 to 1978 as Johnny Rotten, says the original members don't want him in the line-up, despite the fact that he helped write the legendary band's 1970s hits such as Anarchy in the UK and God Save The Queen.
He believes those who go to catch his old band partners at a show in Glasgow may be left with the feeling they've been had.
In an exclusive interview with The Record, the 69-year old punk icon fumed: 'If you're into karaoke, I recommend them. It's a shame they don't want me or anything to do with me.
'They love deriding me, but it's my words they're f***ing singing.
'It's my mentality and my approach and my outlook on life and yet they're abandoning the cause. It's very sad.
'All the Sex Pistols mock bands out there are now being put out of a career because of this lot who I recommend get on a cruise ship called Uranus Travels.
'That would be the best place for them.'
In 2021, Lydon took the other members to court but lost his bid to stop Sex Pistols music being used in a TV drama, Pistol, directed by Danny Boyle.
The singer, who is heading to Scotland with his own band, PiL in July, said: 'I'm gonna try and get a shaman to lay a curse a month before I get there.
'If they were worth anything at all as human beings, they'd have written their own songs ever since.
'Instead, they fought me in court.'
Original Pistols members Steve Jones, 69, Paul Cook, 68, and Glen Matlock, 68, have replaced Lydon with Frank Carter, 41, on vocals for their headline show at Bellahouston Park on June 21.
The Summer Sessions festival will include sets by veteran rockers The Stranglers, Buzzcocks, Undertones, Skids and The Rezillos.
Lydon, who formed the post-punk act PiL after quitting the Pistols in 1978, is bringing his band to Glasgow's Kelvingrove Bandstand on July 29.
He insists his PiL show, featuring hits such as Public Image, Death Disco and This is Not A Love Song, is not karaoke – despite the fact that he is the only remaining original member.
Keith Levine, who was also a founding member of The Clash, died in 2022, aged 65. The original bass player, Jah Wobble, left the band after two albums.
Lydon said: 'I set it up. I can't help it that people have to move on for various different reasons. There wasn't much sacking going on, a few but that was the rare exception.
'I think most people that came through PiL learned a lot. It was almost like a college of further education for musicianship. And they've now all got their own solo things, and that's happy days for them. But I don't own people, and I can't keep hold of people in that way.
'I think every band, if you really look at it out there, has problems and issues with membership. It's just the way it is. Personality shifts. And you know, if you've ever watched Spinal Tap, you'll know some blokes girlfriends are just really not worth the effort."
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The Herald Scotland
7 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Filth and fury: Memories of the '76 Sex Pistols gig that never was
In April 1976 a writer on Sounds magazine, reviewing a concert at London's El Paradise Club, wrote: 'If you hate Patti Smith for all that noise and rock and roll energy at the expense of technique and sounding pretty, then you'll really hate the Sex Pistols. "Their aesthetic is Shepherd's Bush-Who and speed-era Small Faces — they play it fast and they play it loud. The guitarist doesn't bother too much with solos, just powering his way through whatever passes as a middle eight. But this isn't to say they're sloppy, far from it. The rhythm section is quite tight, and the drummer very listenable'. Two months later came an incendiary gig at Manchester's Lesser Free Trade Hall – an event subsequently billed by the NME as the most important concert of all time, even though just 28 tickets were sold, according to a book, I Swear I Was There, by David Nolan. In the audience was Peter Hook, who would go on to play bass guitar in Joy Division and New Order. 'It was absolutely bizarre', he told Nolan. 'It was the most shocking thing I've ever seen in my life, it was just unbelievable... It was so ... alien to everything'. As Nolan writes, that Pistols gig on June 4, and another at the same venue on July 20, 'changed the world'. The audience reaction at the first one, he suggests, 'would spark a series of musical and pop-culture detonations that are still delighting and annoying people in equal measure today'. As newspapers began alerting their readers to the punk phenomenon, the Pistols – Rotten, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and Steve Cook – continued to travel up and down the country and even played Dundee's College of Technology on October 12. An incendiary single, Anarchy in the UK, was released on the EMI label on November 19. Then came the Grundy moment. On December 1 the band and various friends appeared at short notice on LWT's Today programme, presented by Bill Grundy. Goaded by Grundy to say something outrageous, Steve Jones duly obliged. The tea-time audience was astounded. "The FILTH and the FURY!", shrieked a Daily Mirror splash headline. The same paper explained that punk rock groups and their fans "despite 'establishment' pop stars and specialise in songs that preach destruction'." And EMI, outraged, would soon fire the band. The Anarchy in the UK tour was announced: the Pistols headlining, and supported by The Damned, The Clash, and Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers. But tabloid stories about 'foul-mouthed yobs' and Moral Majority protests forced local authorities and university bosses to pull the plug: most of the gigs were cancelled. Glasgow was a case in point. The tour would have graced the Apollo stage on December 15 but for the District Council's licensing committee suspending the venue's license for that one night. 'This group has been attracting an undesirable element among young people', said the committee's chairman. 'We have enough problems in Glasgow without creating trouble by yobbos'. The Apollo Centre manager, Jan Tomasik, observed that the City Fathers seemed to have judged the Pistols without actually seeing them. 'It would appear that the Lord Provost has no faith in the moral values of our city's fine youngsters, he added. One fan who was disappointed by the councillors' decision was Bill Hamilton. Bill, who was 22 at the time and is now 71, had first encountered the Pistols on a TV music show, So It Goes, which was presented by Tony Wilson and often featured punk groups. 'I remember trying to see The Jam in 1976, when they came to a tiny little disco in St Enoch Square', said Bill. 'It only had a capacity of about one hundred but I couldn't get in. But a friend of mine who worked in a record shop in Battlefield got tickets. I got a ticket and a poster, and a great big Jam badge. 'I worked for Glasgow's planning department at the time – it was my first job after university – and I put the Jam badge and the poster up on the wall. 'When the Sex Pistols tickets went on sale I was lucky enough to get one. But when they appeared on the Bill Grundy show, councils up and down the country decided that these punk boys weren't good for our young people. '[After the Apollo gig was cancelled] I stuck my ticket up on the wall in my office. I don't have it now, unfortunately: it's maybe worth some money'. On the Glasgow Apollo's Facebook page, other would-be attendees recall the fate of their £1.75 tickets. 'I had a ticket but took it back for the refund', says Gavin Paterson. Phil Kean adds: 'I had a ticket but my mum ripped it up along with others into little pieces because I left home to stay with my bird at the time'. Bill moved to London in 1978 and never managed to see the Pistols at their peak. Is that a source of regret for him? 'Huge regret', he acknowledges. 'They were such cultural icons, and I loved that whole punk-rock scene. I thought it was brilliant if that you had three chords, a cheap guitar and an amplifier, you could get up there and make music.'. He shares the view that when the Glasgow date, and others on the Anarchy tour were cancelled, this was a cased of the establishment cracking down on working-class youth. Read more: Like many others of a similar age, Bill was struck at the time by the sharp difference between punk music in 1976 and the music, particularly prog rock, heavy metal and US west-coast bands, that was in vogue at the time. The Old Grey Whistle Test, which was aimed at the discriminating fan, found no favour with the adherents of punk and its DIY aesthetic. Glen Matlock, who co-wrote much of the Pistols' 1977 album, Never Mind the Bollocks – Here's the Sex Pistols, told Mojo magazine in 2017: 'I think we were fighting against apathy. Old fuddy-duddies. Boring music that didn't speak to kids', The song Pretty Vacant was, he added, 'not a political song, it's not a love song, it's a primal scream. Reflecting what was going on in mid-70s London. For good and bad, punk made a big chink in the age of deference ... We did change the world. It's something that I'm proud of'. Ahead of the Pistols in 1977 lay that controversial debut album and the single, God Save the Queen, and, in Nottingham Magistrates Court in November, a hearing into whether the record's title was indecent; the manager of a Virgin record store in the city had been accused of contravening an 1889 Indecent Advertisement Act by displaying the front cover. After a trial he was found not guilty. The album remains famous. As Mojo's writer remarked in 2017, as a cultural artefact it instantly attained a status on a par with Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Bill Haley's Rock Around the Clock, and arguably remains punk's most powerful statement. Bill Hamilton still has fond memories of those heady days. 'The Pistols, The Clash and The Jam – they spoke to me when I was in my early twenties', he says. 'I thought, they're saying things that I think are meaningful and important to me'. As for John Lydon - Johnny Rotten of old - he still adores the album. "That album cuts through so poignantly", he told Record Collector magazine earlier this year. "It's a powerful, powerful piece of music we put there together ... I'm amazed it's not accoladed more highly. It's a masterful record done accidentally. Creativity by misappropriation. When you don't quite know what you're doing you get closer to the truth of the thing. God, I love the venom I could deliver the lines with ..." * Sex Pistols (Steve Jones, Paul Cook, Glen Matlock) Featuring Frank Carter headline a Glasgow Summer Sessions Punk All-Dayer at Bellahouston Park, June 21. R
Scotsman
a day ago
- Scotsman
Today at Download Festival: set times, stage clashes and weather
Sleep Token take to the main stage this evening as Download Festival 2025 continues Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It's Day 2 at Download Festival 2025! Today marks the headline performance of UK progressive metal group Sleep Token, while the Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter also perform. Here's the set times, stage clashes and weather forecast ahead of today's Download Festival activities! After a fantastic opening day, today marks the second full day of live music at Download Festival 2025, taking place at Donington Park in Derbyshire. Tonight is the night for the devoted Sleep Token followers, as the enigmatic collective are set to perform their highly anticipated headline set on the Apex Stage (20:55), with an incredible line-up performing before them including Shinedown (18:20), Don Broco (16:50), and Palaye Royale (15:30). Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Elsewhere at the festival, punk history gets a twist as Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter headline the Opus Stage (19:35), while extreme metal fans will not want to miss Cradle of Filth's performance on The Dogtooth Stage (20:30). Over on the Avalanche Stage, emo-rock enthusiasts can look forward to Dayseeker headlining at 19:40. Here's your set and stage times for today at Download Festival, and a look at what significant set-time clashes are occurring. Download Festival 2025 - stage times for July 14 2025 All information correct as of writing. Any last minute changes will be amended but do keep an eye on the Download Festival app also for any sudden stage changes. Apex Stage Sleep Token are set to headline the Apex Stage this evening at Download Festival 2025. | Helle Arensbak / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP) 20:55 - Sleep Token 18:20 - Shinedown 16:50 - Don Broco 15:30 - Palaye Royale 14:15 - Poppy 13:05 - Hatebreed 12:00 - Loathe 11:00 - Static Dress Opus 19:35 - Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter 18:10 - The Darkness 17:05 - Eagles of Death Metal 16:00 - Polaris 14:55 - Awolnation 13:50 - Currents 12:55 - Kim Dracula 12:05 - Sophie Lloyd The Dogtooth Stage 20:30 - Cradle of Filth 19:25 - Sylosis 18:25 - Kittie 17:30 - Anaal Nathrakh 16:40 - The Funeral Portrait 15:50 - Teen Mortgage 15:00 - Holy Wars 14:10 - Underside 13:20 - Zetra 12:30 - Bastardane 11:45 - Lastelle 11:00 - Artio The Avalanche Stage hosted by Kerrang! Radio 19:40 - Dayseeker 18:30 - Mallory Knox 17:20 - Smash Into Pieces 15:30 - Mothica 14:35 - Lolo 13:40 - Split Chain 12:45 - Venus Grrrls 11:50 - Bex 11:00 - Autumn Fires The Outpost 23:00 - Cinema 09:00 - Flowstate The Doghouse 01:30 - Modestep DJ Set 23:30 - Liam Cormier (Cancer Bats) 22:00 - Feelin' This 11:00 - Rockfit Ace of Spades Tavern 01:00 - Master of Pop Hits 22:30 - Bongo's Bingo 10:00 - Download's Sleep Token Quiz with Kitty Cowell The Den 02:00 - K1 01:00 - Dani Filth (and Kam Haq!) 00:30 - K1 23:00 - Delight 10:00 - Slay Duggee What stage clashes are set to occur today at Download Festival 2025? Quite a few, and it might be a tricky choice for some festival goers. Here's a look at some of the more notable stage clashes taking place today at Download Festival. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Static Dress (Apex) and Artio (The Dogtooth Stage) both kick off the day at 11:00. Loathe (Apex) at 12:00 clashes with Sophie Lloyd (Opus) at 12:05 and Bex (Avalanche) who started at 11:50. Bastardane (The Dogtooth Stage) starts at 12:30, clashing with Loathe and Sophie Lloyd. Venus Grrrls (Avalanche) at 12:45 clashes with Kim Dracula (Opus). Hatebreed (Apex) at 13:05 clashes with Zetra (The Dogtooth Stage), Kim Dracula (Opus), and Split Chain (Avalanche). Currents (Opus) at 13:50 clashes with Split Chain (Avalanche) and Underside (The Dogtooth Stage). Poppy (Apex) at 14:15 clashes with Underside (The Dogtooth Stage), Lolo (Avalanche), and Awolnation (Opus). Holy Wars (The Dogtooth Stage) at 15:00 clashes with Awolnation (Opus) and Lolo (Avalanche). Palaye Royale (Apex) at 15:30 clashes with Mothica (Avalanche) and Teen Mortgage (The Dogtooth Stage). Polaris (Opus) at 16:00 clashes with Palaye Royale, Mothica, and The Funeral Portrait (The Dogtooth Stage). Don Broco (Apex) at 16:50 clashes with Eagles of Death Metal (Opus) and The Funeral Portrait (The Dogtooth Stage). Eagles of Death Metal (Opus) at 17:05 clashes with Smash Into Pieces (Avalanche) and Anaal Nathrakh (The Dogtooth Stage). Anaal Nathrakh (The Dogtooth Stage) at 17:30 also clashes with Mallory Knox (Avalanche). Shinedown (Apex) at 18:20 clashes with Kittie (The Dogtooth Stage) and Mallory Knox (Avalanche). The Darkness (Opus) at 18:10 clashes significantly with Shinedown, Kittie, and Mallory Knox. Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter (Opus) at 19:35 is a major clash with Dayseeker (Avalanche). Dayseeker (Avalanche) also clashes directly with Cradle of Filth (The Dogtooth Stage). Sleep Token (Apex), headlining at 20:55, will clash with the end of the Sex Pistols ft. Frank Carter set, and directly with Cradle of Filth (The Dogtooth Stage). Cradle of Filth's set will also run concurrently with the latter part of Sleep Token's set. What is the weather forecast today for Download Festival - and the pollen count? According to this morning's forecast from the Met Office please include here the weather forecast and also pollen count.
Daily Record
a day ago
- Daily Record
John Lydon slams Sex Pistols for performing in Scotland without him
Lydon, who fronted the original line-up from 1975 to 1978 as Johnny Rotten, says the original members don't want him in the line-up Punk legend has blasted the Sex Pistols for performing in Scotland without him. Lydon, who fronted the original line-up from 1975 to 1978 as Johnny Rotten, says the original members don't want him in the line-up, despite the fact that he helped write the legendary band's 1970s hits such as Anarchy in the UK and God Save The Queen. He believes those who go to catch his old band partners at a show in Glasgow may be left with the feeling they've been had. In an exclusive interview with The Record, the 69-year old punk icon fumed: 'If you're into karaoke, I recommend them. It's a shame they don't want me or anything to do with me. 'They love deriding me, but it's my words they're f***ing singing. 'It's my mentality and my approach and my outlook on life and yet they're abandoning the cause. It's very sad. 'All the Sex Pistols mock bands out there are now being put out of a career because of this lot who I recommend get on a cruise ship called Uranus Travels. 'That would be the best place for them.' In 2021, Lydon took the other members to court but lost his bid to stop Sex Pistols music being used in a TV drama, Pistol, directed by Danny Boyle. The singer, who is heading to Scotland with his own band, PiL in July, said: 'I'm gonna try and get a shaman to lay a curse a month before I get there. 'If they were worth anything at all as human beings, they'd have written their own songs ever since. 'Instead, they fought me in court.' Original Pistols members Steve Jones, 69, Paul Cook, 68, and Glen Matlock, 68, have replaced Lydon with Frank Carter, 41, on vocals for their headline show at Bellahouston Park on June 21. The Summer Sessions festival will include sets by veteran rockers The Stranglers, Buzzcocks, Undertones, Skids and The Rezillos. Lydon, who formed the post-punk act PiL after quitting the Pistols in 1978, is bringing his band to Glasgow's Kelvingrove Bandstand on July 29. He insists his PiL show, featuring hits such as Public Image, Death Disco and This is Not A Love Song, is not karaoke – despite the fact that he is the only remaining original member. Keith Levine, who was also a founding member of The Clash, died in 2022, aged 65. The original bass player, Jah Wobble, left the band after two albums. Lydon said: 'I set it up. I can't help it that people have to move on for various different reasons. There wasn't much sacking going on, a few but that was the rare exception. 'I think most people that came through PiL learned a lot. It was almost like a college of further education for musicianship. And they've now all got their own solo things, and that's happy days for them. But I don't own people, and I can't keep hold of people in that way. 'I think every band, if you really look at it out there, has problems and issues with membership. It's just the way it is. Personality shifts. And you know, if you've ever watched Spinal Tap, you'll know some blokes girlfriends are just really not worth the effort."
