The Sex Pistols have never truly gone away even though some of the band members have wanted to get as far away from each other as possible. Vocalist/lead agitator Johnny Rotten has had legal issues with others in the band and has seemingly remained a bit less mature in matters related to the band. Of course, Sid Vicious passed away in 1979, but the band had already split up the first time before he passed.
Over the years the Sex Pistols have toured and played some gigs together but the relationship between Rotten and band members Glen Matlock, Steve Jones, and Paul Cook has always been frayed. Now the band, other than Rotten (or as he is more commonly referred to over the last few decades, John Lydon), will be playing the band's only studio album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, in concert in its entirety.
The cause is a good one as well. The money will go toward helping Bush Hall in London stay open. The venue has been open since 1904 and only has a capacity of 400, but the place also has a special place Cook, in particular.
Sex Pistols, sans Johnny Rotten, will perform Never Mind the Bollocks for a great cause
In a press release about the concerts, Cook was reported as saying, "We’re going to be playing Pistols numbers cause they need support and they need the money. We thought it would be a great way to stop it going under. This is my local venue. I grew up in Shepherd’s Bush and I still live 'round here. It would be a real shame to see it disappear and we want to keep it going."
The catch is that while hearing the seminal album played by members of the band is great there will be no Johnny Rotten involved. Instead, the Sex Pistols will be performing with former Gallows vocalist, Frank Carter. There is nothing wrong with Carter as he can spew the right vitriol for the songs and knows how to churn out proper punk, but he isn't Rotten when it comes to being a real part of the band.
Still, if one lives in the area, these shows should not be missed. The concerts will be held on August 13 and 14. Tickets went on sale on June 5, and the start times of the gigs will be 19:00 local time.