Latest news with #SexPistols
The Herald Scotland
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Glasgow subway staff to walk out on strike during concert days
The strikes – due to take place to take place on 21, 25, 27 and 28 June – will mean standstill for the underground and will mean the subway system will be closed as music fans head to a series of planned concerts in the South side of the city. Unite said that the Punk All Dayer festival featuring the Sex Pistols along with the Sting, Simple Minds and the Stereophonics gigs being held as part of the summer sessions at Bellahouston Park will all be affected. A continuous overtime ban will also be in place from 13 June. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: 'Unite's Glasgow subway members membership feel totally devalued and ignored. 'We will not tolerate our members being exhausted and underpaid. The subway system is running on empty. 'SPT has had every opportunity to resolve the chronic issues that have resulted in this dispute but have chosen not to act.' Sharon Graham (Image: Jacob King/PA Wire) The dispute centres on the working conditions of the SPT workers, as Unite claims the subway system is 'struggling' to operate due to chronic understaffing. The union said that train drivers and station staff are routinely working up to 10 hours beyond contracted hours (39 hours) to keep the system operating without any improvements to the shift, overtime, and weekend allowances. Unite members are repeatedly called in to work shifts at short notice leading to significant work-life pressures. READ MORE: West of Scotland bus services to be disrupted by six weeks of driver strike action Are we about to see a 'summer of discontent' hit the Edinburgh festivals again? Unite has warned that unless there are improvements to the working conditions of the SPT members then strike action could escalate over the summer months.
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Punk legend Johnny Rotten says McGregor 'a bit on the violent side' for politics
Sex Pistols icon John Lydon says Conor McGregor is "a little on the violent side" as he opened up about the MMA fighter's political beliefs. The singer - also known as Johnny Rotten - opens up in a wide-ranging interview on The Michael Anthony Show where he discusses his political views, his drug use, grieving after the loss of his beloved wife Nora and his unstable childhood. John was speaking about the issue around illegal immigrants living in the UK, speculating that Ireland is having the same problem. "Come on, Conor," he joked, referring to McGregor's rants on social media about Ireland's immigration laws. But host Michael Anthony remarked: "Are you serious about the McGregor sh*t?," to which Lydon replied: "I believe what he's saying when he says, 'the time for politicians has ended.' This is a nice slogan, but I'm not quite sure I'd like to follow him into the next situation, because he's a little on the violent side." Lydon also discussed his Irish roots and his summers spent in east Cork with his Irish grandfather, who never spoke to him because he viewed him as English. But he said he would often take him out fishing in rough seas when he was "drunk as a skunk". "We'd basically run around with no shoes on and be Irish, I suppose." "Did you like it?," asked Michael, to which Lydon replied: "Not at the time. The farmhouse, which my granddad built himself, was bigger than what we lived in in London, so that was fantastic. "It was amazing, their pet donkey and horse liked me. "My granddad, who never spoke to me at all because he viewed us as English. But he would take me fishing. He made his own rowboat, and he took me out with a net catching mackerel. "I was thrilled at that. It's only in later years, when you look back on it, I suppose, in a romantic way too, just how fabulous that was, the gift he was giving me, and not a word said, you know, and in ferocious seas, these are all words and lyrics I use in songs ever since. They're all directly related to those moments, because it was a focus on nature, life and the danger of it, and him being oblivious to that rocky, f***ing Cork Harbour, huge waves, and he's standing up there drunk as a skunk." He also revealed his late mother and father asked a priest in Ireland if he should go into the priesthood. "I was furious," he said, laughing. "What on earth were mum and dad thinking I was? "It was viewed as like the nut house, where the stragglers went and just got shooed into the corner and everyone could go 'Holy Jesus'." Lydon also spoke about his friendship with the late Pogues star Shane MacGowan, adding: "I loved him. I knew him when he had a f***ing thick English accent." Lydon also opened up about the final moments of his late wife Nora Forster, who passed away in April 2023 at the age of 80 – five years after she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. He said Nora had a painful death and admits his regrets when he couldn't agree with medics about a DNR. "She died so painfully. Gasping. They call it the death whistle. Hour after hour and trying to adjust her and make her more comfortable. "She died when they took her off the bed and put her on the floor essentially." He said he couldn't agree to a DNR but he admitted now looking back, it might have been "tortuous" for her over the two hours between getting an ambulance and getting her to a hospital. "I couldn't say bye," he admitted, as he became visibly emotional during the interview. Lydon admitted he stopped drinking for six months but can be seen enjoying a beer during the podcast. "I didn't want to get into the habit. I was using alcohol, particularly after the death of Nora, to use it as an escape trying to put the pain away," he added.
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Never mind the Horlicks, here's the punk rock pensioners Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistol were once simpatico with Roger Daltrey for heaven's sake, in that he hoped to be in Heaven before he got old. Now, this band of superannuated cap-sleeved rockers are set to rock up once again. Is it wrong? Sid Vicious is long dead and John Lydon is not coming to Bellahouston bash (Image: free) John Lydon thinks so. Indeed, Lydon is angry (no change there) that the Pistols have reformed. 'They've killed the content, or done their best to,' maintains the singer and songwriter, 'and turned the whole thing into a rubbish, childishness, and that's unacceptable.' The former Mr Rotten, who fought a high-profile court battle against the rest of the band in a bid to stop their songs being used in a Disney+ series, Pistol, adds: "I don't mean to be digging them out, it's not their fault that they're talentless and can't f****** move on, is it?' John Lydon is arguing that his former bandmates have sold out. Yet weren't the Sex Pistols a sell-out right from the start? The original band were never short of the sweary words your Auntie Cissie would find shocking, and to coincide with the Queen's Jubilee released God Save the Queen and sang of a fascist regime. But these skinny young guys were never really heavy weight anarchists. Pierre Joseph Proudhon most certainly won't be spinning in his plot right now. Read more And to quote Bernie Taupin, it's a little bit funny that the band were described as anti-establishment rebels, given that they were essentially a collection of Vivien Westwood models, a Malcolm McLaren-engineered prefabricated boy band in the same vein as Monkees - albeit without the songwriting skills of a Neil Diamond, or the willingness to use shampoo. The Sex Pistols too wore matching (of sorts) outfits. And when they first played live, they actually covered the Monkees' Steppin' Stone. Yet, there are real arguments for going along to see this latest version of the band. Although they sold pound-shop nihilism to young people (while being backed by a corporately astute management) and their politics were performative, nevertheless, they sold hope. There's no doubt the Sex Pistols were rockets (in every sense of the word) playing damp warehouse-dump-created music which they sent into the stratosphere. There is also no doubt they revealed the perfect energy antidote to the tired glam rock and disco of the day. The Sex Pistols' three chord and a sneer simplicity was so clever that the band proved the inspiration for a range of followers, such as the Clash, Buzzcocks, Green Day and Nirvana. John Lydon (Image: free) Sure, the Pistols made only one album, but in a very short time proved that you don't have to have the musical skills of Elton or Bowie to become a chart success. They may have lacked melody, structure and they were thrashers, producing anything as loud as you would hear on a farm. But that was all a positive, the perfect reaction to the crushing political reality of the mid Seventies. On a more prosaic level, is it wrong to take the sound of a generation and play it again 50 years on? Where is the relevance? What's wrong with wrinklies taking to the stage? Has anyone really demanded that Mick Jagger and co lie down in the showbiz retirement home in North London and take to watching reruns of the Old Grey Whistle Test on iPlayer? No. It's the same for other legacy bands such as The Who and the likes of Van Morrison and Dylan. And Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits, the pop daddy of them all. Who's to say there's an upper age limit on leather jackets? And who's to say that angry young men who grow to be angry old men are pointless? Isn't there even more to mump about today than in the Seventies, when hospital waiting times were measured in days rather than months, when Coronation Street was still half decent and you could buy a Hillman Avenger for about a grand. The Pistols, back in the day (Image: free) And wouldn't Dylan Thomas have had the Sex Pistols in mind if were he writing today, suggesting the Glasgow gig to be right and proper, and possibly lots of fun, that they should indeed 'rage, rage against the dying of the light.' Sure, the Pistols are now half-cocked, and their 60 and 70-something knees won't stand up too much pogo-ing. But they will surely bring a younger audience to the party. And even superannuated pseudo anarchists still need a reason to get out of bed in the morning. The Sex Pistols, Bellahouston Park, June 21, Glasgow, supported by The Stranglers, the Undertones, The Rezillos, The Undertones and The Skids
Sky News
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Kneecap star arrives at surprise gig with tape over his mouth after terror charge
Irish-language rap group Kneecap have performed a surprise London show, with one of its members showing up with tape over his mouth after he was charged with a terror offence. Liam O'Hanna, or Liam Og O Hannaidh, was charged with displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation, at a concert in London last November, the Metropolitan Police said on Wednesday. Just hours later, Kneecap announced on their Instagram account "we're back", adding they would perform at the 100 Club on Oxford Street, London, on Thursday night. The post also included a quote by former Sex Pistols vocalist John Lydon, who told ITV's Good Morning Britain the rap trio "maybe (...) need a bloody good kneecapping" after footage of the band allegedly calling for the deaths of MPs emerged. O'Hanna arrived at the 100 Club ahead of the gig and was later seen going on stage with tape covering his mouth. He also joked about being careful with what he said before thanking his lawyer. It came after at least three police officers were seen walking into the venue at around 7.35pm on Thursday evening. A short queue had formed outside before the doors opened five minutes earlier, including one man in a band T-shirt. The band said on X that the event sold out in 90 seconds, with 2,000 people on the waiting list. Kneecap apologised to the families of murdered MPs last month, but said footage of the incident at their concert had been "exploited and weaponised", adding that they "never supported" Hamas or Hezbollah. The rappers had gigs cancelled after the footage emerged and politicians pushed for Kneecap to be dropped from the Glastonbury Festival line-up, with Tory leader Kemi Badenoch calling for Kneecap to be banned. The group from Belfast in Northern Ireland is still set to headline Wide Awake Festival in south London on Friday. In response to the charge, the group said in a social media statement: "14,000 babies are about to die of starvation in Gaza, with food sent by the world sitting on the other side of a wall, and once again the British establishment is focused on us. "We deny this 'offence' and will vehemently defend ourselves, this is political policing, this is a carnival of distraction. "We are not the story, genocide is, as they profit from genocide, they use an 'anti-terror law' against us for displaying a flag thrown on stage. A charge not serious enough to even warrant their crown court, instead a court that doesn't have a jury. What's the objective?" The charge came after counter-terror police assessed a video said to be from a Kneecap concert. In the footage, O'Hanna is allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London, on 21 November last year. Officers from the Met's Counter Terrorism Command were made aware of a video circulating online on 22 April and an investigation led to the Crown Prosecution Service authorising the charge, the force said. O'Hanna - who performs under the stage name Mo Chara - is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 18 June.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Sex Pistols star John Lydon reveals his heartache over his beloved wife Nora's 'painful' death following five year battle with Alzheimer's disease
Sex Pistols front man John Lydon has opened up on the loss of his wife, who he says suffered 'physical and mental torment' on the day she died. The Punk icon, 69, lost his beloved spouse of 44 years Nora Foster in April 2023 after a five year battle with Alzheimer's disease. John, who was known as Johnny Rotten during his Sex Pistols days, had drawn an incredible amount of public sympathy following her death having selflessly cared for Nora full-time until her final hours. Now over two years after she passed, the extravagant singer has opened up on the 'agony' he felt as Nora suffered a painful death. In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, the 69-year-old said: 'The pain will never go away. She died painfully, suffocating. they call it the death rattle.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Recalling the moment doctors asked him whether they should prolong Nora's life, he added: 'I couldn't say "yes, stop". No, I fought for her life as hard as she fought for it. 'It's insane, and you don't know how to handle it (the death of a partner). And you can end up being really aggressive with people mollycoddling you. But you have to be full of rage to break out of it, or you'll end up as that sympathetic doddering old idiot that you know you would hate yourself.' The singer had previously admitted he 'always loved' Nora having met her in 1975 at a Vivienne Westwood clothes shop - 'there was an instant attracton,' he said. Following her death, John had 'wallowed in alcohol and sadness and self-pity,' he told Metro, but the singer has since come out of that struggle. He insists however that the agony of losing Nora will never go away. Two years after her death, John will be hitting the road on tour again next week on his Not The Last Tour with his post-Sex Pistols band PiL (Public Image Ltd). Despite his grief, the artist insists that the upcoming 28-date tour isn't a farewell but more a tongue-in-cheek dig at bands who falsely claim they're bowing out. 'The industry is riddled with artists claiming they're on their final tour but have already booked themselves for five years after,' he quipped. Johnny Rotten, as he was then known, shot to fame during the 1970s as the Sex Pistols' lead vocalist But while John is kicking off his tour, his old band - consisting of Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock - are enjoying their own with new front man Frank Carter. John previously blasted the Sex Pistols recent tour as 'karaoke', branding the group 'impossible to deal with'. The singer revealed he is indeed no longer on speaking terms with his old band mates after they fell out over a Disney+ TV series he opposed. The dispute resulted in a High Court battle between John and the Sex Pistols over the use of the band's music in the series - which Rotten ultimately lost. John said he 'won't forget' that his old band mates 'dragged him through the courts' while Nora was seriously ill. The Sex Pistols shot to fame after forming in 1975, but just three years later they had split up. Their only album together, Never Mind the B******s* - a UK number one - is now a staple of punk rock. The band - whose controversial legacy rests upon their anti-establishment values - famously called the Royal family 'fascists' in 1977's God Save The Queen. But in 1978, John formed Public Image Ltd, with the first line-up of the band including bassist Jah Wobble and former Clash guitarist Keith Levene. The group's line up has changed a number of times over the last 40-plus-years with Lydon remaining a constant member. Lydon appeared on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here in 2004 and sensationally walked out after just ten days, though not before releasing a torrent of abuse at viewers watching at home.
