TEENAGE CANCER TRUST 2025 PRESENTS... SEX PISTOLS & FRANK CARTER // ROYAL ALBERT HALL, LONDON
A celebration of the punk pioneers
★★★★★ (5/5)
SEX PISTOLS & FRANK CARTER PERFORMING AT LONDON’S ROYAL ALBERT HALL AS PART OF ‘TEENAGE CANCER TRUST CONCERTS 2025’
PHOTOCREDIT: JOHN STEAD
In punk rock, few bands come to mind faster than The Sex Pistols. Now fifty years on from their heyday, we see a band determined to cement a legacy for generations old and new.
On Monday night the attire of the thousands that made their way to the Royal Albert Hall immediately gave away the band set to perform, with seas of yellow and pink T-shirts accompanying safety pin-adorned jackets. The irony of the regally christened venue playing host to the irreverent punks is lost on none in attendance as the band were set to make their way through the 1970s classics that formed the template for punk rock.
Following stellar sets from The Molotovs and Kid Kapichi an electric sense of anticipation blanketed the crowd as the lights dimmed. This shattered the moment the band graced the stage, with a deafening roar braying from the audience which was quickly drowned out by the timeless intro to “Holidays in the Sun”.
This set the tone for the night as the walls of the grand hall reverberated with raw guitar riffs, tight bass lines and a venom-filled snarl. The Sex Pistols current lineup consists of Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock. While guest singer Frank Carter had the unenviable task of stepping into the cavernous shoes of John Lydon. Not aping the iconic yowls of Lydon, Carter made the songs his own.
Thankfully, any worries of time dulling the sensibilities of the band were quickly dismissed as they delivered performances with an intensity straight from 1975. The night's setlist featured mostly from their iconic debut. Cuts such as “Pretty Vacant”, “EMI” and “Bodies” sounded immense in the high ceilings of the hall. The energy was undeniable and many songs in the set saw Carter wade into the audience, commanding circle pits and being held aloft by the crowd.
It was not only while singing that Carter had to step up to the plate, but also in the inter-song banter. But deliver he did as he joked irreverently between tracks, and took a few moments through the show to stress the importance of the work done by the Teenage Cancer Trust. Showing that the Sex Pistols can still connect to wider social causes. Carter successfully filled the Lydon-sized hole in stage presence while the rest of the band struck a more laid-back figure, with little pomp or fanfare. In all the band issued the defiance and passion which one would expect from punk torchbearers.
For a performance that features a band in its fifth decade and which borrows heavily from their debut, the night did not feel like a nostalgia-fest but instead a celebration. This was seen in the passion of the audience. As they sang along to every chorus in a football chant style. With a mix of ages in the crowd showing the enduring legacy of the Pistols. By the end of the set, the vaulted Royal Albert Hall had morphed into a sweaty punk club.
Crashing out an encore of “My Way” and “Anarchy in the UK” could have come straight from the dreams of the fans in attendance. And respond they did in kind as a leather-clad choir belted out the anarchic anthem as the final notes rang out.
Setlist:
HOLIDAYS IN THE SUN
SEVENTEEN
NEW YORK
PRETTY VACANT
BODIES
SILLY THING
LIAR
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN
NO FUN - (THE STOOGES COVER)
SATELITE
NO FEELINGS
PROBLEMS
E.M.I
ENCORE:
MY WAY - (CLAUDE FRANCOIS COVER)
ANARCHY IN THE U.K.
This performance was part of the Teenage Cancer Trust showcase at the Royal Albert Hall. You can donate to the charity here https://donate.teenagecancertrust.org/
SEX PISTOLS & FRANK CARTER PERFORMING AT LONDON’S ROYAL ALBERT HALL AS PART OF ‘TEENAGE CANCER TRUST CONCERTS 2025’
PHOTOCREDIT: JEMMA DODD