Johnny Rotten described Sex Pistols with Frank Carter as “karaoke” in a fiery pushback against the revival earlier this year. That’s not a good look for the reformed band, with original members Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and Paul Cook now playing alongside the legend-in-his-own-right as Carter sinks into the skin that once fit Rotten like a glove.
Long-time fans might be tempted to side with Rotten on this one, but anyone who has seen the new incarnation of Sex Pistols live might want to think twice. In short, Carter does a fantastic job as the snarling, scintillating lead.
It’s his explosive, charismatic presence that does it. Carter is relentless as Six Pistols fire off Never Mind the Bollocks in full to a Hordern Pavilion that does their best to mirror the band’s energy. The venue is clearly undersold but the electricity in the room pushes for a stadium-sized ambiance. Importantly, it’s an energy that becomes more ferocious as the night goes on.
Perhaps it’s to do with expectation. The trio of opening songs, “Holidays In The Sun”, “Seventeen” and “New York” bubble up slowly as the crowd gets a feel of Carter in this role. No one knew what to expect. I certainly didn’t. But once the crowd saw that Carter couldn’t be better at the job, and wasn’t just doing a poor imitation of Rotten, every single riff was met with scorching reception.
Cook’s hefty drumming does a lot of the heavy lifting here, punctuated Carter’s controlled chaos as he stalks the stage, jumps into the crowd, and fires the fans up even further by leading a circle pit. “We don’t get to do this very often, and the fuckin’ old boys deserve it,” he screams. “They fuckin’ invented this shit.”
“Pretty Vacant” was always going to be a standout but it’s given a sharper edge live, more than stepping up to the reputation Carter introduces it with as he describes the crowd-favourite as “one of the greatest fuckin’ punk-rock songs ever written.
By the time “Anarchy in the UK” rounds out the encore, Carter’s raw, impolite and wild figure cuts deep into Sex Pistols’ very identity and pulls out something new. This is Sex Pistols as the fans all know and love, but there’s enough nuance there to say Carter has really morphed into with his own style. One that I hope we’ll see again sooner rather than in decades.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
The reviewer attended this show on Tuesday, April 8th, 2025.
Photo by Pete Dovgan. Check out our full Sex Pistols gallery.
