03/04/2025

The Sex Pistols ft. Frank Carter – Auckland Town Hall: April 2, 2025

Three out of four Sex Pistols can’t be wrong…and when the fourth one is not Johnny Rotten, they prove to still be a very good band.

Expectations were tempered, to say the least. Who is this Frank Carter guy? Is this really The Sex Pistols or just a glorified tribute act?

Those were some of the comments overheard on Queen Street last night as a colourful group of punk rockers convened to hear 3/4th of The Sex Pistols. Just checking out the t-shirts was entertaining…lots of vintage Pistols T’s, a few PIL shirts and even a Blink 182...what were they thinking?

Bleeders

With the Auckland Town Hall already close to capacity, West Auckland hardcore veterans The Bleeders got things rolling in a fine fashion…by that I mean, they were loud, played hard and fast and with a ferocity that belied their advancing years. Those in attendance were rewarded for their promptness.

The Sex Pistols ft. Frank Carter

And there they were…Steve, Paul and Glen…the three musicians who made that earth-changing racket behind Johnny Rotten back in 1976. And they are looking better than anyone could have thought possible. Matlock and Cook are 68, Jones, 69.

Their new singer, Frank Carter is the baby of the bunch, at age 40, he wasn’t even born when Never Mind The Bollocks was released.

Fortunately, he comes across more as a fan that a replacement for Mr. Lydon.

Carter’s voice is just reminiscent enough of Rotten’s so as to sound authentic without sounding like he’s imitating the original front man.

And Frank Carter is fearless.

The set is barely two songs old and he’s already diving into the audience, crowd surfing without a net.

Later, he took to running around the perimeter of the Town Hall. I was sitting upstairs, safely away from the moshing and at one point I looked to my right to find Carter standing next to me.

The other three remained on the stage. It sems that any animosities have been set aside. Matlock was notoriously canned in 1977 to be replaced by Sid Vicious...but tonight he and Steve Jones seem to be best buddies, arms draped around each other as Cook looks on from behind his kit.

The setlist is classic Sex Pistols…all the hits…Holiday In The Sun, Pretty Vacant, God Save The Queen and Anarchy In The UK along with side dishes such as Problems, Bodies and EMI.

Sid even gets a tribute with Carter’s take on My Way…the first song of the encore…with Jones and Matlock playing while sitting on the drum riser.

It all ends with a glorious Anarchy In The UK, a song perhaps more relevant today than is was almost 50 years ago.

Sure, I wish Rotten/Lydon was there. But I am glad I went as these songs deserve to be heard loud and live and the three Pistols who showed up have every right to play them. If audiences want to pay for that, then fine, after all, wasn’t the 1996 reunion tour all about the Filthy Lucre?

Marty Duda

Click on any image to view a photo gallery by Brenna Jo Gotje

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