Intercourse Pistols returned to the 100 Membership final night time (Friday March 21), virtually 50 years after their legendary 1976 residency on the venue, for an incendiary secret warm-up present for Monday’s Teenage Most cancers Belief present on the Royal Albert Corridor. Try photographs, footage and the setlist under.
The punk icons reformed final yr with Carter, of Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes and Gallows, changing John Lydon as frontman. They performed three small gigs at Bush Corridor within the capital earlier than embarking on an autumn UK tour and saying a headline present at London’s Royal Albert Corridor in help of Teenage Most cancers Belief.
Final week, they ‘secretly’ teased a gig on the iconic 100 Membership as a warm-up for the RAH present as “a thriller group who will probably be often known as The SPOTS”. This was a reputation adopted by the unique Intercourse Pistols – an acronym for “Intercourse Pistols On Tour Secretly”. They used the pseudonym to guide exhibits in 1977, when it was doubtless that police would have shut down Intercourse Pistols gigs because the band confronted intense media scrutiny.
With tickets bought out swiftly through poll, the night time got here for the gig. A crowd together with Noel Gallagher, Primal Scream‘s Bobby Gillespie, Paul Weller, Spandau Ballet‘s Gary Kemp, and former NME scribe Nick Kent – notorious for being bike-chained by Sid Vicious at one of many Pistols’ 100 Membership exhibits – watched the band and their new frontman Frank Carter rip by means of all the band’s 1977 album ‘By no means Thoughts The Bollocks, Right here’s The Intercourse Pistols’ plus a number of b-sides, rarities and covers in a 75-minute set which a rabid Carter described as “a dream come true”.
Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller watch Intercourse Pistols’ historic return on the 100 Membership on Friday pic.twitter.com/xkMh20iEB1
— Oasis Planet (@OasisPlanet_) March 22, 2025
The band, who’ve been fronted by Carter since June 2024 following a authorized dispute with former singer John Lydon, hit the stage with sludgy however fired-up takes on ‘Holidays In The Solar’, ‘Seventeen’ and ‘New York’, going all-out to revive the power and perspective of their earlier exhibits on this 350-capacity Oxford Road basement.
“What number of of you lot have been right here the primary time spherical?” Carter requested the group earlier than a nonetheless visceral ‘Fairly Vacant’, declaring it “a pleasure and a privilege to share the stage with these legends tonight.”
Throughout ‘Our bodies’ he stood on the displays giving followers a fittingly Lydon-esque stare and went strolling throughout the heads of the moshpit, which guitarist Steve Jones referred to as “a superb transfer”.
‘Foolish Factor’, from 1979’s ‘The Nice Rock’n’Roll Swindle’ album, offered a glimmer of extra refined songwriting, nevertheless it was the three-chord barrages of ‘By no means Thoughts…’ which invigorated the group, whilst Carter performed up the unpredictable rigidity of this historic return.
“I can’t inform whether or not it’s pleasure or panic,” he stated to a wide-eyed entrance row because the band – additionally together with authentic drummer Paul Prepare dinner and bassist Glen Matlock – put their foot down on roadster rocker ‘Liar’, “little little bit of each?” ‘God Save The Queen’ was acquired like a rallying cry for a brand new punk riot and the band’s cowl of Paul Revere And The Raiders’ ‘I’m Not Your Stepping Stone’ got here smothered in classic Pistols grime.
Envisioning “a mosh pit within the Royal Albert Corridor”, Carter launched ‘Submission’ as “a ballad”, Jones taking a seat on the drum riser throughout its dirty blues. Chants of “Jonesy! Jonesy!” roused him to his toes for ‘Satellite tv for pc’, nonetheless, and by a very intense and ferocious ‘No Emotions’ Carter was carried throughout the mosh-pit standing on his head, as if strolling on the ceiling above the group.
A wickedly sleazy cowl of The Stooges’ ‘No Enjoyable’ turned an prolonged blues exercise as Carter launched the band – Matlock as “probably the most dapper man onstage”, Prepare dinner as “the sweetest man onstage” and Jones as “the parable, the legend” – however the tempo revived for ‘Issues’ and a storming ‘E.M.I.’.
“What a dream – 5 fucking many years later they usually’re again,” Carter stated, entreating the 100 Membership to “put your palms collectively for the best punk band of all time” forward of a breakneck closing ‘Anarchy In The U.Ok.’.
Intercourse Pistols. 100 Membership. pic.twitter.com/sew5EUtEf4
— Gary Kemp (@garyjkemp) March 21, 2025
Intercourse Pistols with Frank Carter’s setlist was:
‘Holidays In The Solar’
‘Seventeen’
‘New York’
‘Fairly Vacant’
‘Our bodies’
‘Foolish Factor’
‘Liar’
‘God Save The Queen’
‘I’m Not Your Stepping Stone’
‘Submission’
‘Satellite tv for pc’
‘No Emotions’
‘No Enjoyable’
‘Issues’
‘E.M.I.’
Encore:
‘Anarchy In The U.Ok.’
Following their Albert Corridor present on Monday March 24, the band tour New Zealand and Australia earlier than returning to the UK to play at Obtain Pageant and Glasgow Summer time Classes at Bellahouston Park in June. Go to right here for tickets and extra info.
In different information, Pistols guitarist Steve Jones has stated it “wasn’t even price asking” John Lydon to take part within the band’s reunion exhibits.
Elsewhere within the interview, Jones was requested whether or not he would ever get again in contact with Lydon. He replied: “Who is aware of? You by no means know…”
The PiL singer additionally shared his ideas on Jones, Glen Matlock and Paul Prepare dinner, and their choice to hit the street with Carter performing as frontman.
“It’s virtually malicious in its intent,” he instructed NME. And it’s karaoke – that’s all it’ll ever be. Bloody hell, The Three Stooges in that band have had what number of years to put in writing some new songs? That’s what I’d like to listen to.”
As for Intercourse Pistols’ forthcoming date on the Royal Albert Corridor, Jones instructed NME in January: “It’s an excellent trigger. Selfishly, I wanna do it as a result of I’ve by no means even been to the Royal Albert Corridor. Not even to see another bands, which is weird. So I’m enthusiastic about that.”
When requested if he thought the comeback with Carter would have gone down in addition to it did, he responded: “None of us knew. Frank was the primary singer we [tried], as a result of me, Cookie and Glen needed to play. It simply labored right away. He’s rather a lot youthful than us. He’s 40, so he has all that power and us outdated farts can simply jam on the again! It was a lot enjoyable and folks cherished it, and I cherished folks loving it.
“I used to be able to throw it in, touring and all that. I couldn’t care much less. However with Frank, it simply made it straightforward. All of us get alongside. There’s no aggro. It’s simply enjoyable!”
