Public Image Ltd
Parr Hall, Warrington
1st July 2025
Public Image Ltd blast into Warrington in the middle of their This is Not The last Tour 2025 tour. Nigel reports for Louder Than War with Melanie Smith taking the photographs!
England dreamy summer continues unabated as PIL roll into town. It’s hot and steamy in The Parr Hall and Alias Kid is just finishing up. PIL are on stage bang on time; there’s no way Lydon’s going to be late given the rising temperature in this packed room, and after telling us about the death of one of his cousins, (and having ‘gone to a much better fucking place’) they launch into Home. It’s a big blousy beat, underpinned by a huge floor shaking bass, with Lydon’s piercing shrill soaring over the top. You have to admire the constitution of this man; this stoic figure shimmying up to the mic, front of stage, with slightly finger curled jazz hands, a tip of the head and a twinkle in the eye.
It’s more of a rockier opening than the previous shows I’ve witnessed, and the upbeat mood continues throughout the set. The band are here to have fun; they’re perfectly in sync after all the recent gigging, and with a new powerhouse drummer, Mark Roberts on board, they’re polished and slick. The epic Home gives way to the more restrained Know How, before they launch into World Destruction. It’s an inspired choice – the original rapcore Time Zone (Afrika Bambaataa/Bill Laswell) version dominated the coolest airwaves in 1984 and PIL don’t disappoint; Lydon, dancing up to the mic to spit out his lines with just a hint of that old Sex Pistols phrasing in the delivery! The band is in full flow as they move into This is Not a Love Song – it’s a full on dance party and the temperature is rising even more, as a thousand sweaty bodies start moving.
You have to admire this band, with Lydon at the helm in his 70th year. At the heart of all the bluster and ‘news’, John is an entertainer. He could be putting his feet up, maybe doing his spoken word tour once a year and retiring back to Malibu, but here he is, slogging around the UK and Europe, carried by a huge wave of appreciation. Some wish he’d get back and front the Pistols of course, but the simple fact is that he doesn’t need them. He can easily fill venues on his own terms rather than being sucked into a rock and roll circus.
‘I’ve forgotten where we are’, but the crowd quickly forgive as he shouts ‘Warrington’ with a cheeky grin.
There’s no let up as the band segue one hit into another. We dive deep down into Metal Box, opening with Poptones. I’m transfixed and a little emotional as I’m quickly whipped back to 1979, taking one of those 12” records out of a metal film canister (which I’d dropped and dented on the first day of ownership) and listening to this monster of a track for the first time. The combination of heavy dub slithering along under Lydon’s vocal is utterly infectious as we slide into Swan Lake; and there it is again, the shimmy – the little dance up to the mic, the shake of the head to the right, the snort to the left.
Rebuking an audience member, John retorts, ‘Shut Up!, I’m paid to shout – will you be my flowers of romance?’, and boom! That iconic tribal beat introduces a song that utterly confused the main stream back in 1981 – they just didn’t know what to make of it; as John Robb said in his 40th anniversary reappraisal of the album, ‘there was a tripwire sparseness to these off-kilter grooves and a terrifying emptiness’ ‘Flowers of Romance is terrifying. There’s an also a twisted ambient nature to it, as the wailing vocals seem almost detached from the underlying madness, much like later Aphex Twin. It still stands as one of the most unlikely and remarkable hits of all time, and just when you think the rumble can’t get any deeper, Scott Firth pulls out an electronic double bass which makes the floor feel like it’s about to give way!
‘Just imagine what me Marks and Spencers are going through’ spouts the big man, as we launch into the stadium rock of The Body, passing through Warrior into the inexplicable Shroom, before finishing the with the wobbling intensity of Public Image.
After a short fag break the band continue with classic mid-PIL, with the Leftfield/Lydon cover of Open Up, followed by Rise before ending with Chant; and isn’t there a bit of Anarchy in The UK in there, or did I imagine it?
The Tour Continues:
Thursday, July 3rd 2025, Leicester, O2 Academy, UK (Buy Tickets)
Friday, July 4th 2025, Lincoln, Engine Shed, UK (Buy Tickets)
Saturday, July 5th 2025, Portsmouth, Guildhall, UK (Buy Tickets)
Saturday, July 19th 2025, Taranto, Cinzella Festival, Italy (Buy Tickets)
Sunday, July 20th 2025, Bologna, Bonsai, Italy (Buy Tickets)
Monday, July 21st 2025, Genoa, Mojotic Festival, Arena del Mare, Italy (Buy Tickets)
Saturday, July 26th 2025, Cardiff, Depot, Wales, UK (Buy Tickets)
Tuesday, July 29th 2025, Glasgow, Kelvingrove Bandstand, Scotland, UK (Buy Tickets)
Wednesday, July 30th 2025, Sheffield, Foundry, UK (Buy Tickets)
Thursday, July 31st 2025, Northampton, Roadmenders, UK (SOLD OUT)
Friday, August 1st 2025, Holmfirth, Picturedrome, UK (SOLD OUT)
Saturday, August 2nd 2025, Coventry, Empire, UK (Buy Tickets)
Thursday, August 7th 2025, Cheltenham, Town Hall, UK (Buy Tickets)
Friday, August 8th 2025, Scarborough, Spa Grand Hall, UK (Buy Tickets)
Saturday, August 9th 2025, Blackpool, Rebellion Festival, Winter Gardens, UK (Buy Tickets)
Friday, August 15th 2025, Cork, Cyprus Avenue, Ireland (SOLD OUT)
Saturday, August 16th 2025, Belfast, SLF Putting The Fast In Belfast Festival, Custom House Square, Northern Ireland, UK (Buy Tickets)
Friday, August 22nd 2025, Trutnoff Open Air Festival, Czech Republic (Buy Tickets)
Saturday, August 23rd 2025, Wrocław, Centrum Koncertowe A2, Poland (Buy Tickets)
Friday, January 2nd 2026, Butlins Bognor Regis, Rockaway Beach Festival, UK (Buy Tickets)
John slots in his Spoken Word Tour between September and November – Dates here: https://www.johnlydon.com/tour-dates/
~
Public Image Ltd. Website | Twitter | Instagram
Words by Nigel Carr. More writing by Nigel on Louder Than War can be found in his Author’s archive. You can find Nigel on Twitter and Facebook. Nigel is also the Producer of New Dawn Fades – A Play About Joy Division and Manchester
All photos by Melanie Smith – Louder Than War | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Portfolio
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