aaamusic | On 06, Oct 2015

Wednesday 30th September, Norwich

PiL were in Norwich promoting their new album What The World Needs Now, released on their own self-funded record label. John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) is still a true punk icon with his biting sarcastic humour and persistent hatred of the current government. Now all close and old friends, Lydon appears more comfortable on stage than ever, as show this evening.

Public Image Ltd (PiL) came on and launched straight into new song ‘Double Trouble’, with Lydon as animated as ever, before launching into one of their best known hits ‘This Is Not a Love Song’, which the unusually subdued crowd loved. I have to admit not being a huge fan of PiL, nonetheless, they have been on my bands-to-see bucket list, and it was surprising to find that the new songs fitted so well with the older songs, especially ‘The One’: a brilliant pop tune. Lydon told a full Norwich UEA that he lived in Norfolk for six wintry months in Bacton-on-Sea and loved the howling winds coming off the North Sea, but cheekily added that there was also nothing to do in the county.

After a quieter midsection, ‘Death Disco’ wakes everybody up and the crowd are finally getting into the show. Last song of the set is ‘Religion’, during Lydon repeats over and over, “turn up the bass”, which the sound man duly does – the rumbling gut-wrenching bass reaches painful and trouser-flapping levels. Scott Firth is truly a brilliant replacement for original PiL bassist Jah Wobble.

A short break then a blistering encore of ‘Public Image’ and the crowd go wild with stage invaders swiftly removed by a young Mark E. Smith lookalike who has been standing between the speakers on the left side of the stage throughout the set. Lydon warns the crowd: “This is my f**king stage, and I’ve earned the right to be on here, not you…”.

The night ended with PiL’s best ever song ‘Rise’; the best way to say “anger is an energy”. It was a suitably intense conclusion to a predictably intense show.

Nige Nudds