PiL reforms

John Lydon reunites Public Image Ltd for a five-date tour in December

07 September 2009 - Public Image Ltd, the band Sex Pistol John Lydon started after the break up of the seminal punk outfit, are reuniting for a UK tour in December.

Lydon revealed the decision stemmed from the passing of his father in 2008 and his brother's battle with cancer.

"It was a very harsh time for me emotionally and I started paying attention to Death Disco, the record I wrote about my mother dying," he said.

"There's a whole wash of new material that I haven't used yet but I will be doing some kindly drop-ins to some Pil anthems."
John Lydon

The tour marks the 30th anniversary of their second album, Metal Box. Lydon is the only permanent fixture of PiL, which formed in 1978 and has been on hiatus since 1992.

"I've always been wrapped around some sort of emotional tragedy through PiL but also great joy," said Lydon to BBC 6 Music News. "It's a chance to express every single human emotion possible.

"Although the [Sex] Pistols is a most fantastic band to be a member of, there's more going on in me than that."

As for why Lydon started the collective, from the ashes of Sex Pistols which he quit after a turbulent US tour in 1978, he said laughingly: "I had more to say, so I said it."

New material live

The tour kicks off in Birmingham on December 15 with further dates lined-up for Leeds (16), Glasgow (18), Manchester (19) and London (21).

As for a set-list Lydon assured us he plans to mess with fans pre-conceptions and perform new songs.

"Anyone who's ever been to a PiL gig knows that there won't be anything that you're familiar with. It just isn't like that.

"There's a whole wash of new material that I haven't used yet but I will be doing some kindly drop-ins to some PiL anthems," he revealed.

The line-up

Lydon says there are two people in particular he wants to tour with, former Slits drummer Bruce Smith and The Damned guitarist Lu Edmonds.

"They're vastly different people from each other," he explained. "Don't even like each other, but gosh do we work well together."

Speaking about their talents, Lydon said: "Lu can play every whacky instrument that's come out of the middle east. I see him as somewhat of a musical genius.

"Bruce is everything from jazz to soul, to R 'N' B to hard rock, the full rounder, not the hardest of hitters but absolutely rhythmically perfect."

The reformed act does not feature the former Pil bassist Jah Wobble, real name John Wardle.

As for why, Lydon said: "John's a great mate of mine but we see different paths for each other."

"I found it very difficult working again with the Pistols to write new material and I think it was because I was kind of viewing it as imitating the past somehow and I did not want that to be going on in PiL," he admitted.

Lydon will also be joined by bassist Scott Firth, who has worked with John Martyn and Elvis Costello in the past.

Georgie Rogers