An
early start to the 2026 Gig Year – in fact, the earliest start to any gig year ever
for me – was a late call and courtesy of my old school friend Keith… I’d
actually been umming and aahing about going on the night for this one anyway, a
sadly rare gig at the MECA hosted by 70’s UK punk rock icon Johnny Rotten’s
loose post punk collective Public Image Ltd., but more for the camaraderie than
the music itself! I’d historically never been a big fan of this Rotten lot (in
fact, the one time I’d seen them before – Reading Festival 1992, gig 219 – I’d
walked off midway through their set, considering them old, out of date and out
of touch!) but as the gig wore closer, I thought it might be a fun night out
catching up with some old punk mates, plus at least I’d get to hear the seminal
70’s post-punk track “Public Image” “live”… so when Keith texted on the morning
of the gig offering a free ticket, I was happy to smile and say thank you!
I offered to do the driving (least I could do, really…) and picked the man up at 7.30, parking up in a chilly Euclid Street. First surprise was that this large former Bingo hall venue was already busy, with over 1,000 advance tickets sold for a weekend gig so soon after Chrimbo. Well done Swindon! We grabbed a good viewing spot house right, about 10 rows back, with young openers Trampolene joining us spot on at 8 p.m. “It’s great to be back; Swindon’s just up the road from [their hometown] Swansea… you’re all practically Welsh!” the young, thrusting and enthusiastic singer Jack Jones proclaimed to an inevitable reception of pantomime boos, before getting the crowd back onside with a set of young, thrusting and enthusiastic gnarly, fast-paced punkish indie rock, with occasional forays into late 60’s psych-rock and 70’s glam sleaze. Lots of audience interaction from Jones, asking to swap hats with a front row punter (Jones, of course, not wearing one…) and informing us he’d already broken his New Year’s resolution (“I don’t know what it is about toilet cubicles on the M4!”). An absorbing, moody outlier “No Kisses” was my set highlight, although a singalong number about his Uncle Brian’s abattoir (!) ran it close, in an overall upbeat and well-received opening set.
We kept our spots, being joined by old Brunel face Gary and also running into mate Olly, before Public Image Ltd. took the stage dead on 9, vocalist Johnny Rotten emerging last with a sneering, deadpan, “this is PiL” before the band burst into sinister, stomping opener “Home”, Rotten’s trademark atonal, strident yelping vocals already competing for sonic attention with some excellent resonant post-punk guitar licks from veteran punk axeman and Catweazle clone Lu Edmonds. “Know How”, a punkier blast with Rotten’s vocals delving into stream of consciousness garbling territory, was then followed by the vocalist enquiring, “would you like some more?”, responding to the inevitable cheers with a mock-contemptuous, “cunts!”
For
all his chaotic divisiveness and polarising personality (indeed, another reason
why I’d baulked on getting tix for tonight was his recent pro-Trump proclamations,
but I ultimately decided to separate the artist from the art; and thankfully,
one snidey Starmer comment aside, he kept off the political soapbox tonight),
Rotten is a punk rock survivor who knows how to surround himself with a quite
excellent band. So even during the songs I found frankly dirgelike (and there
were quite a few) in this often freeform, variable set which mixed the
brilliant with the banal, I could appreciate some excellent musicianship.
Edmonds again took centre stage for the sinister march and descending hook of
“This Is Not A Love Song”; strong-armed drummer Mark Roberts provided some
strident tribal beats for the excellent, Eastern-tinged “Flowers Of Romance”,
and of course that bassline intro, one of the most recognisable in all
of rock, was delivered perfectly by bassist Scott Firth for the highlight of
the night, the brilliantly hurtling first encore “Public Image”. And throughout
it all, Rotten was, well, himself… fixed and dismissive wide-eyed stare,
discordant caterwauling vocals, yet commanding the attention; “this is PiL;
members come, members go, [but] no fucking surrender!”
Whilst “PI” was my best-of tonight, the subsequent “Rise” ran it close; freeform, bass-heavy and almost dub-like, with the be-suited Rotten, conducting the crowd singalong to the “anger is an energy” hook from his lectern, looking for all the world like a preacher! A savage medley (!) of 3 early “Metal Box” numbers (the “punk rock kill hate” hook of the “Chant” section taking me back to my punk rock St. Marks rec Summer of 1981) closed proceedings, Rotten and the band taking a bow and the singer proclaiming Swindon, “the best fucking crowd so far… Merry New Year, now fuck off you cunts!” So we did, home just after 11. Thanks again Keith, a splendid night both on and off stage; some troughs for this one but plenty of peaks too, and overall a much better showing than I’d feared. Merry (and Rotten) New Year to you too, Public Image Ltd.!
