Public Image Ltd.: Last News

Public Image Ltd., Dry Cleaning and The Moonlandingz have been announced as part of the first wave of acts for Rockaway Beach 2025.The winter festival will return to Butlin’s in Bognor Regis, West Sussex from January 2 to 4, 2026. Tickets, including three-day festival passes and accommodation packages, are available here.PiL have been confirmed as the first of the three headliners, with two further announcements to come later in the year.

John Lydon has angrily dismissed any fans who are still hoping for a sequel to the Sex Pistols’ ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’.The seminal punk band’s sole studio album was released in 1977 and is considered one of the most influential records of all time. The group split up only a few months later, with the original line-up dissolving during a US tour in early 1978.Lydon, who went by the name Johnny Rotten in the band, went on to found Public Image Ltd.

John Lydon has spoken to NME about his past controversial championing of Donald Trump, describing him as “one of the most horrible little runts I’ve ever seen,” and clarifying “I’ll never like him. I’ll vote for him but that’s about it.”For years, Lydon has dismayed some Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd fans with his enthusiasm for the 45th and 47th president of the United States, even donning a red MAGA (Make America Great Again) cap during interviews. In 2017, he called Trump “magnificent” and “a cat amongst the pigeons“, before claiming that his opponents would “destroy” America.He would go on to call Trump “the only hope” and state that Joe Biden was “incapable” of leading the US.Addressing his contentious support, Lydon – who now lives in California – has now told NME he liked the idea of Trump as a disruptor rather than an individual.

John Lydon has told NME that he thinks Taylor Swift is “incredibly dull” and he “doesn’t like Lady Gaga as a human being”.The former Sex Pistols frontman and founder of Public Image Ltd. was speaking as part of this week’s edition of Does Rock N Roll Kill Braincells?!, in which he reflected on his time in the music industry and his most memorable moments.He responded to a question about whether he keeps up with contemporary punk bands like IDLES, Fontaines D.C. or Bob Vylan, to which he said there is “not much point”, adding “I’m not responsible for having to check them all out”.That prompted a further question about his previous championing of Lady Gaga, to which he said: “Lady Gaga was a massively layered and textured presentation – very Bowie era and pop music at its finest.

John Lydon has spoken to NME about how the upcoming Public Image Ltd tour and working on new “raucous” music is helping him navigate bereavement.PiL – the influential post-punk band that Lydon formed out of the rubble of Sex Pistols’ implosion in 1978 – are embarking on a series of dates for their ‘This Is Not The Last Tour’, beginning in May.From his home in Los Angeles, Lydon said he was “very much” looking forward to hitting the road again, and poignantly explained how it might help him with the grief he feels after his wife of 44 years, Nora Forster, passed away from Alzheimer’s in April 2023.“I need to get out of the house,” he told NME. “I’ve done enough wallowing, which of course you can’t avoid, even if you think, ‘No, be the bigger man’. You cannot stop it.

Public Image Ltd (PiL) have announced plans to release an alternative US mix of their debut album ‘First Issue’ on Record Store Day 2025.The “long lost” version of the 1978 record from the post-punk band, fronted by former Sex Pistols vocalist John Lydon, features mixes and re-recordings of tracks from the original album that were created during the 1979 sessions for their second studio album ‘Metal Box’.This version of ‘First Issue’ has never been released and it includes different sleeve artwork compared to the original version.According to the official RSD listing “an alternative version of ‘First Issue’ was initially intended for release by Warner Bros. in 1979, but it never saw the light of day.

John Lydon has filed a lawsuit against a photographer over Public Image Ltd‘s (PiL) band logo.Dennis Morris is best known for his images of Lydon’s former band the Sex Pistols and Bob Marley.Lydon claims that he came up with the distinctive PiL logo in the shape of a pill, and asked Morris to use his design tools to finish off the image. But Morris claims he alone suggested using the acronym and the pill design, before sketching out the logo, with its drop-case ‘i’, on a notepad.It comes after Lydon signed a deal with the major streetwear brand Supreme in 2022 to produce a run of clothing featuring the logo on t-shirts, shirts, jackets and caps.

Public Image Ltd (PiL) have added more dates for 2025.Fronted by former Sex Pistols vocalist John Lydon, the post-punk band last performed in the UK in September 2023 before embarking on a run of European dates in support of their 11th and most recent studio album, last year’s ‘End Of World’.Lydon later said that he thought the group may not tour together again, comments which came after his lifelong friend and manager, John Rambo Stevens, died suddenly following the last PiL tour, in December 2023. Lydon’s wife, Nora, also passed away that April.However, the outpouring of support he received from fans when he undertook a spoken word tour of the UK earlier this year inspired him to hit the road with PiL once again.In November, they announced what was initially a 23-date run, with the ‘This Is Not The Last Tour’ kicking off in May 2025, making stops in Bristol, Newcastle, Dublin, Cardiff, Oxford, Sheffield, Northampton, Holmfirth, Coventry, Cork and more.We are pleased to announce 4 more UK shows for 2025.

Public Image Ltd (PiL) have announced a UK and Ireland headline tour for 2025 – you can find all the details below.The post-punk band, fronted by former Sex Pistols vocalist John Lydon, last performed in the UK in September 2023 before embarking on a run of European dates the following month.Those shows came in support of PiL’s 11th and most recent studio album, last year’s ‘End Of World’.Lydon later said that he thought the group may not tour together again. This came after his lifelong friend and manager, John Rambo Stevens, died suddenly following the last PiL tour, in December 2023.

John Lydon has said that he believes it’s “wrong” to credit Patti Smith and, more broadly, New York with punk’s origins – saying the UK did it first.Smith was an essential part of the punk movement within the US with her 1975 debut album ‘Horses’. The former Sex Pistol and Public Image Ltd frontman, however, claims that the UK is the actual birthplace of the genre with acts such as David Bowie, T-Rex, Sweet, The Clash, The Dammed and the Sex Pistols.In an interview with The Sun, Lydon said: “I’ve heard an awful lot of American journalists pretending that the whole punk influence came out of New York.

John Lydon has alleged he is being stalked by a woman who claims to be his daughter.The former Sex Pistol and Public Image Ltd frontman added that the woman’s behaviour has left him distressed to the point where he’s filed a police report.The topic came up in an interview with Uncut where he was asked about the meaning of the song ‘Walls’ on PiL’s upcoming album, ‘End Of World’, which is out on Friday (August 11).“We all need barriers,” he said. “We need some degree of separation from others, if only just for a sense of security.“At the moment I’m struggling with a stalker who is letting herself in my yard at night, running around claiming that she’s my daughter,” he continued. “And she’s in her 50s.

John Lydon has shared his thoughts on AI warning that it “will ultimately make decisions for you, and that’s very dangerous”.The Public Image Ltd frontman spoke about the recent developments in the technology in a new interview with The Guardian.When asked about his views on the ever-increasing impact of AI on the arts, Lydon said: “Who’s in charge and who’s feeding the information and giving the guidelines to these artifices? What or where is the moral code? It has infiltrated young people’s minds now to the point of total domination. What will this create?”He continued: “My advice is make small steps against this – and get that fucking Siri or whatever out of your house.

Public Image Ltd have shared their latest single ‘Car Chase’ from their forthcoming album ‘End Of The World’. Listen to it below.Frontman and former Sex Pistol, John Lydon, shared that the song is “Typical PiL, unpredictable to the last.

Public Image Ltd have announced their first new album in eight years and an accompanying UK tour for later in the year.The album, titled ‘End Of World’, is set for release on August 11 and is dedicated to frontman John Lydon‘s late wife Nora Forster, who died last week at the age of 80. She had been living with Alzheimer’s disease for five years and Lydon had been her full-time carer.‘End Of World’ features the song ‘Hawaii’ as its closing track, which Lydon had written as a “love letter” to Forster. The band had used the song in their bid to represent Ireland at this year’s  Eurovision Song Contest, but they lost out to Dublin quarter Wild Youth.“Nora loved the album, she wouldn’t have wanted us to postpone it or change any of our plans,” Lydon said in a press release.

John Lydon’s wife Nora Forster has died.Her passing was announced earlier today on social media. The former Sex Pistols singer – who went by the name Johnny Rotten – had devoted his time to being her full-time carer.Uploaded on the official Public Image Ltd (PiL) Instagram page, the post shared a photograph of Lydon and Forster together and asked fans to “respect John’s grief” by giving him space.“Rest in Peace Nora Forster,” it read. “It is with a heavy heart that we share the sad news that Nora Forster – John Lydon’s wife of nearly 5 decades – has passed away.”“Nora had been living with Alzheimer’s for several years.

Brix Smith has announced details of a tour with Public Image Ltd, for which she’ll be joined by an all new band.The musician, who has been a member of The Fall and a host of other punk bands across her decades in music, will play a series of shows in June alongside John Lydon’s PiL.At the shows, she will launch an all-new, all-female band announced recently, including My Bloody Valentine‘s Deb Googe and Jen Macro – on bass and keys/guitar respectively – alongside Vas Antoniadou (drums) and Ros Cairney (guitar).“It’s time for me to stand up and put my head above the parapet, put my money where my mouth is, having been a strong woman in the music industry for however many years,” Smith said in a statement.“I’ve put together the motherfucker of all girl bands.”See the new tour dates below.JUNE 20226 – O2 Ritz, Manchester7 – O2 Academy, Leeds16 – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London17 – O2 Institute, Birmingham18 – O2 Academy, Bristol20 – UEA, Norwich22 – O2 Academy, Glasgow23 – Rock City, Nottingham The Fall veteran also recently revealed plans to release a solo album called ‘Valley Of The Dolls’.The punk legend was speaking at the AIF Festival Congress 2022 in Bristol earlier this year to discuss her work as as President of The F-List For Music – a not-for-profit organisation set up to help female musicians gain greater representation and professional opportunities in the UK music industry.Towards the end of her talk, Smith shared information about an upcoming record made with Killing Joke bassist and esteemed producer Youth. “Nobody knows about this in public, so hello – get ready,” she began.