‘IF PUNK’S DEAD, THEN THAT WAS HEAVEN’ | FRANK CARTER BREATHES NEW LIFE INTO THE SEX PISTOLS LEGACY

LIVE REVIEW | FRANK CARTER AND PAUL COOK, STEVE JONES, GLEN MATLOCK OF THE SEX PISTOLS | GLASGOW O2 ACADEMY 22/09/24 by Anne Kelly

Whenever the word punk is thrown about, there’s one band whose name will almost always come up: Sex Pistols. As a band who pioneered generations of punk music, the Sex Pistols only have one official studio album to their name, ‘Never Mind the Bollocks/Here’s the Sex Pistols‘ (1977), yet nearly half a century on, the music is still as relevant and well respected than it ever was.

Now, I’m not always the biggest lover of going to see legacy acts. You know they will be good, they have already proved that status well before you even consider buying a ticket. Fuelled by nostalgia, these bands have the capability to evoke powerful emotion with just one note. Equally, they have the power to completely skew that memory – or at least the illusion – of the band they once were; breaking your heart somehow, riddled with disappointment. The Sex Pistols however, have managed to do quite the opposite. Rather than roll out stale nostalgia, the original band line up of Glen Matlock, Steve Jones and Paul Cook have ditched Rotten (John Lydon) for a younger model; in this case with The Rattlesnakes/Gallows front man, Frank Carter. Whilst this may have caused some controversy for die hard fans, this injection of fresh energy into a much loved band has given Sex Pistols a new lease of life, capable of giving the fans the reunion tour they deserved, whilst they still can.

Having reformed with Frank for a “one-off” fundraising run of live shows at London’s iconic grassroots venue, Bush Hall last month, it was at no surprise to most when the new formation would extend that residency, taking the show on a further 5 date run across the UK. Arriving at Glasgow’s O2 Academy on Sunday 22nd September, I couldn’t help but feel that this show should really be the Barra’s (Barrowland Ballroom) on the opposite side of the River Clyde. I’ve never been a massive fan of this ‘Academy‘ venue in all my years going to gigs in Glasgow (and that must be close to 25 years now). As grandiose as it’s interior is, I could never quite warm to the 1930’s former cinema hall; until Sunday night that is. I knew it was going to a show worth seeing, but the result completely surpassed any any expectations I had and gave me a new found appreciation of the Glasgow venue’s intimate authenticity. Having seen the original line-up on their reunion tour of 2007 at Glasgow SECC, I can confirm that 2024 formation of Sex Pistols on another level.

Performing the classic album Never Mind the Bollocks in full alongside some well known covers including ‘No Fun‘ by The Stoogies, it’s tracks such as ‘Pretty Vacant‘, ‘Liar‘ and ‘God Save The Queen‘ which really get this mature crowd moving. From the opener ‘Holidays In The Sun‘ to the set finale ‘Anarchy in the UK‘, there is constant wave of crowd surfing. At one point, Frank laughs “What the fuck is this?” before pointing out “I’ve never seen anybody be pulled out a pit like a fucking dolphin before” as security drag a face down surfer out by their knees.

Those expecting a mere karaoke night, will be generously disappointed. Frank Carter was made for this “job”. Clearly heavily influenced by Johnny Rotten’s menacing intensity on stage, the 40 year old talent performed with the energy and passion of a young lad fulfilling an impossible teenage dream: being in the actual Sex Pistols. The fit is so natural on stage, the rest of the band gel harmoniously with Carter. While they may be creeping into their 70’s now, the three founding members on stage this evening have a magic which remains timeless. Nobody can play that opening riff to ‘Pretty Vacant‘ like this trio do. The songs which have been covered thousands of times before will continue to be covered thousands of times again, but none of them will really sound as rebellious as it does tonight.

Whilst Matlock, Cook and Jones bring their legendary status and flawless punk sensibilities to the performance, it’s all eyes on Frank for the 75 minute set. There’s no sense of imposter syndrome here, nor is there any arrogance, but confidently the front man commands the entire audience in his grasp throughout. Carter gets right into the heart of the show; only four tracks in and he is crowd surfing whilst delivering ‘Pretty Vacant’ at the same time before orchestrating a circle pit of veteran punks, all the whole singing ‘Satellite‘ in the depths of it. It’s this immersive performance which makes Frank Carter such an engaging front man and warm extension of the Sex Pistols family. A personal highlight of the evening was the encore rendition of ‘My Way‘. A track not typically associated with the punk rock genre, but as fans will know, was once recorded and released featuring notorious member, Sid Vicious on vocals on The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle (1980). It went down a storm with tonight’s crowd, however, I did sense some resistance from some “old school” fans who, perhaps, felt this was a sentimental charade too far; even if it was delivered deliciously by Carter.

The third gig of a five night run, the show will come to an apparent end on Thursday 26th September, when the band deliver another night to remember at Kentish Town’s O2 Forum. I speculated after the Bush Hall shows and I confidently will again when I say that I reckon this isn’t the last we will see of these four performing together. They are having too much fun. As much as part of me wants to keep the intimate experience sacred to myself (and the other 2,500 people in the room), I equally feel that more people deserve to experience what we did on Sunday. If anything, to allow the original generations of punk fans to relish in a contemporary version of nostalgia, while they still can; but also, so the Sex Pistol legacy can be carried to the next generation.

Being punk isn’t just an attitude, it’s a state of mind; once it sinks it’s spikey teeth into your neck, you can’t ever really escape it, and tonight was an sentiment to that longevity. If punk’s dead, then that was the pearly gates of heaven.