Punk legend wiped out after wild Dundee night

Former Sex Pistol worse for wear after drinking session

Sex Pistols hell-raiser John Lydon has admitted a drinking session in Dundee left him wiped out.

The 62-year-old punk pioneer stayed up drinking into the early hours following a special question and answer session at Dundee’s Whitehall Theatre on Thursday.

Lydon — former Sex Pistol Johnny Rotten — eventually made it back to Carnoustie where he was staying before cancelling broadcast media interviews planned for Friday to “preserve his voice” before he performed with his band Public Image Ltd at Church later that evening.

He eventually appeared on stage with the band on Friday night and told the crowd he was slightly worse for wear following his Thursday night session.

“I stayed up late last night and look what it did to me,” he said.

Lydon swigged from a bottle of brandy to “steady the ship” during the 90-minute set but the heavy night did not affect his performance which was utterly captivating throughout.

The funk-pop band delivered a solid fist of sound throughout a blistering 13-song ‘best of’ set which included Warrior, Death Disco, This Is Not A Love Song and Rise which prompted a mass sing-along from the sell-out crowd of “I could be wrong, I could be right”.

“There are plenty of substitute Rottens in the building tonight,” he said.

Rising from the rubble of the Sex Pistols’ spectacular implosion in 1978, John Lydon’s second band was playing in Dundee on Friday night as part of the Public Image I s Rotten world tour which was organised to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

Lydon’s name is already etched into the very fabric of Dundee music history following the most famous gig that never was – a cancellation that was to change the face of music history in the UK.

Lydon’s Sex Pistols played Dundee’s bowling alley in October 1976 as a young punk band intent on shaking up the establishment just days after signing with EMI Records.

The band’s first single Anarchy In The UK was due for release on November 26 and manager Malcolm McLaren put together a tour to promote the record which would include a second gig in Dundee on December 1.

The Caird Hall date became the gig that never was when the band pulled out to appear on Thames Today instead.

Picture: Paul Smith. John Lydon with Public Image Ltd gave a “blistering” performance at Church on Friday.