All photos: Depot LIVE
It’s been 50 years since punk exploded on London’s King’s Road and while the anarchy may now come with artisan food stalls and VIP wristbands rather than spit and safety pins, the music still carries plenty of bite. There’s an unmistakable sense of occasion around Cardiff Castle for the return of the Sex Pistols, Britain’s once most-feared band, with their last in the city coming way back in 1976.
Topping a stacked bill opened by hometown heroes Panic Shack, plus The Undertones and The Stranglers, who both prove that age is no match for a great punk anthem, the rejuvenated Pistols, comprising guitarist Steve Jones, bassist Glen Matlock and drummer Paul Cook alongside frontman Frank Carter, who proves to be far more than a stand-in for the absent John ‘Johnny Rotten’ Lydon, are greeted by a crowd mostly old enough to remember the headlines, but young enough to still know every single lyric.
Wasting no time reminding everyone why these songs caused such a stir in the first place, the sound of marching jackboots, Cook’s pounding kick drum and Jones’ snarling power chords launch Holidays In The Sun with the same ferocious energy and conviction that came when the dam burst all those years ago.
For more than an hour, the Pistols tear through a set built mainly around ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’, with the former Gallows and Rattlesnakes vocalist injecting an unfiltered, raw fury into Seventeen, New York, and Pretty Vacant, which is delivered from the middle of the circle pit. Rather than mimicking Lydon’s mocking sneer, he brings his own venom to the visceral Bodies, Liar and the inevitable God Save The Queen, outstripping the energy required to front a Country Life butter advert.
Carter doesn’t just recreate the Pistols’ past, he ensures everyone gets involved in it, calling for a women-only circle pit for No Feelings. In a genre that can sometimes spend too much time looking backwards without acknowledging contributions from anyone who isn’t a white dude, it’s refreshing to see that punk actually still belongs to anyone brave enough to jump in.
Any pre-gig worries of dodgy knees and replacement hips disappear as the crowd throw themselves into Problems and EMI, before a nod to the late Sid Vicious with an explosive run through Frank Sinatra’s My Way. Then comes the only possible finale, Anarchy In The UK, which arrives right on cue for a final three minutes that deliver exactly what the title promises. Half a century on, the sweaty dive bars are charming summer concerts at historic venues, but the spirit of rebellion still knows how to make a racket.
Sex Pistols ft. Frank Carter Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Mon December 07 2026 - DUBLIN 3Arena
Wed December 09 2026 - EDINBURGH Corn Exchange
Thu December 10 2026 - GLASGOW O2 Academy Glasgow
Fri December 18 2026 - LONDON O2 Academy Brixton
Sun December 20 2026 - LONDON Eventim Apollo
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