Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter @ The Union 10.10.26

When I was born in June of 1976, the Sex Pistols had just played their legendary show at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall. Despite being six months away from releasing “Anarchy in the U.K.,”  the die had been cast. Music would never be the same safe place it had been. 

50 years later, I find myself stepping into The Union to see the Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter — the closest thing to the Sex Pistols I’ve ever had the opportunity to see. Johnny Rotten may have long since exited the building, but original drummer Paul Cook, bassist Glen Matlock and guitarist Steve Jones will be in the room. Carter, whose previous bands include the hardcore outfit Gallows, the more melodic Pure Love and Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes, will step into Rotten’s shoes.

The night begins with Starcrawler, a glam-punk act from Los Angeles that melds the Ramones with the Blackhearts in an appropriately chaotic way. I previously saw the band open for Garbage, and I’ve been looking forward to lead singer Arrow de Wilde’s unhinged stage presence. De Wilde does not disappoint. Though rooted in an American sound, Starcrawler proves to be a fantastic opener, perfectly setting the tone for what’s about to come.

And it begins with “Holidays in the Sun.” Matlock looks dapper, an elder statesman of rock in a vest and button-down shirt, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Jones looks like somebody’s Midwestern grandfather, dressed in jeans and a baseball cap. Cook’s all-black attire helps him disappear behind his drum kit. Carter, meanwhile, wears a zip-up jacket and jeans.

It sounds like a riot, but the audience needs a little warming up. Having torn through “Seventeen” and “New York,” Carter ventures into the audience and instructs concertgoers to form a mosh pit. The resulting maelstrom plays out to the sounds of “Pretty Vacant.”

Carter isn’t trying to imitate Rotten’s vocals or behavior. I’ve seen Public Image Ltd. numerous times and once spent 30 minutes in conversation with Lydon (formerly Rotten). I know his antics well. Carter isn’t a provocateur. He’s an entertainer, working the crowd and giving the band room to simply hammer through classics like “Bodies,” “Liar” and “God Save the Queen,” alongside a pair of covers: Paul Revere & the Raiders’ “I’m Not Your Stepping Stone” and The Stooges’ “No Fun.”

Before “No Feelings,” Carter asks the audience to clear a space for a women-only mosh pit. He asks both the audience and security to keep an eye on a particular mohawked man who seems either too intoxicated or too stubborn to comprehend his instructions.

The song concludes without incident, and Carter announces that the floor is now open to everyone. 

“Problems” gives way to “E.M.I.” The night slows for a moment as “My Way” plays through its mellow introduction before giving way to the snotty version Sid Vicious made famous.

The night ends with an extended take on “Anarchy in the U.K.,” complete with audience participation on the chorus.

The set is brief, but the bulk of the Sex Pistols’ Never Mind the Bollocks gets an airing. Only those hoping to hear “Submission” will leave feeling cheated. —Ryan Michael Painter

Read more from Ryan Michael Painter:
Review: Rosetta Stone — Executing Nostalgia
Tea in the Tear Garden: Legendary Act Tour for the First Time

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