Following huge demand of their three-night stint for charity at London’s Bush Hall last month, Frank Carter and Paul Cook, Steve Jones and Glen Matlock of The Sex Pistols bought their ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’ show on the road around the UK stopping at Glasgow’s O2 Academy.

★★★★☆ (4/5)

FRANK CARTER & THE SEX PISTOLS PERFORMING AT GLASGOW’S O2 ACADEMY
PHOTOCREDIT: CALUM BUCHAN

The Sex Pistols cemented themselves as iconic with Never Mind the Bollocks. Here, the Sex Pistols created a work that would transcend generations as one of the most pivotal albums in punk rock history. On this electrifying night in Glasgow, the Pistols brought that raw energy back to life with a twist—Frank Carter, formerly of Gallows and now frontman of Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes, stepping into the lead singer's role. For fans of both Carter and the Pistols, this was a dream collaboration. The venue was packed with an eclectic crowd of seasoned punks, curious onlookers, and younger fans eager to experience this once-in-a-lifetime gig.

From the moment the lights dimmed and the opening roar of “Holidays in the Sun” rang out, it was clear that Carter was the perfect match for this chaotic, hard-edged reunion. His presence on stage immediately demanded attention—he exuded that sneering, anarchic spirit that made Johnny Rotten such a captivating frontman, but with his own modern, more confrontational twist. Where Rotten was the voice of disaffected youth in the 70s, Carter was the embodiment of punk rage in 2024. Unapologetic and covered in tattoos, Carter moved with intensity across the stage, frequently jumping into the crowd, pushing the boundaries of what most frontmen would dare. Crowd surfers waved by at a constant pace, even between songs, and was only broken by Carter’s creation of a huge circle pit and demanded the tightly packed standing to dive in.

The band itself—featuring original members Steve Jones on guitar, Paul Cook on drums, and Glen Matlock on bass—played as if they had something to prove. Jones, in particular, was on fire, delivering slashing guitar riffs that sounded as visceral and biting as they did back in 1977. Matlock’s bass was solid, driving the music forward with relentless energy, while Cook’s drumming was the glue that held the chaos together. They sounded tight but raw, exactly as the Pistols should.

As they ripped through the album’s tracklist, Carter's snarling delivery on songs like “Bodies” and “No Feelings” brought a fresh edge to the lyrics. While Johnny Rotten’s original performances were laced with sardonic wit, Carter’s approach was more aggressive, almost confrontational. He spat out lines like “I don't give a damn about your morbid mind” with venom, his voice cutting through the crowd with a ferocity that felt dangerous.

Of course, the crowd was a huge part of the performance, as expected at any Pistols gig. In Glasgow, there’s always a heightened sense of community and intensity, and this show was no different. The mosh pit was relentless, bodies crashing into each other as Carter egged them on with every track. During “Anarchy in the U.K.,” the crowd’s energy reached a fever pitch. Carter’s shouts of “I wanna be anarchy!” felt like a rallying cry, echoing through the venue with the kind of defiant energy punk has always thrived on.

One of the standout moments of the night came during “God Save the Queen.” Carter's delivery of the now infamous line, “There is no future in England's dreaming,” felt pointed and relevant. The entire crowd shouted along, fists in the air, as the band thundered behind him. It was a moment that captured the timelessness of *Never Mind the Bollocks*—its themes of disillusionment and rebellion still feel pertinent today. It was also here that Carter made his mark as a worthy successor, twisting the song’s political bite into something more reflective of today’s world, adding his own venom to Rotten's original sarcasm.

As the band powered through the album’s closing track “EMI,” it was clear that this wasn’t just a nostalgic trip down punk's memory lane. This was a celebration of an album and a band that still carries relevance and power, even with a new frontman at the helm. In fact, Carter brought something to the show that was uniquely his own—his sense of danger and unpredictability, traits that the original Pistols would likely have respected. Where other bands reuniting for a live performance of a classic album might have leaned into nostalgia, this felt like a genuine reawakening of the anarchic spirit that defined the Pistols.

In true punk fashion, the show ended abruptly. There was no encore, no unnecessary pandering to the crowd. The lights came up, and that was it. But the energy in the room remained palpable as people filtered out into the night, many of them looking dazed, sweaty, and satisfied.

Frank Carter taking on the daunting task of leading the Sex Pistols through their magnum opus *Never Mind the Bollocks* was nothing short of remarkable. He managed to honour the legacy of the original band while adding his own aggressive, modern twist. If there were any doubters about whether Carter could fill the shoes of Johnny Rotten, this performance in Glasgow put those doubts to rest. He didn’t just front the Sex Pistols—he made the performance his own, channelling the raw, chaotic energy of punk and reminding everyone in the room that the Pistols' music is just as powerful, defiant, and relevant today as it was nearly 50 years ago.