Public Image Ltd at The Electric Ballroom

I'm just back from seeing Public Image Ltd at the Electric Ballroom in Camden and I'm still buzzing from the experience. The gig was originally meant to be at Brixton Academy but was switched to the Electric Ballroom and I'm sort of pleased it was since there's no way I would've been able to be so close to the stage at Brixton. I bought the first PiL single - 'Public Image' and it's one of my top ten singles of all time - and first album back in the day, bought 'Metal Box' with it's three 12" records, and have enjoyed John Lydon's band ever since. I never thought I'd see them live though. Until tonight.

The lights dimmed and the speakers thumped out 'The Rabbit Song' as an introduction and then on strode Lu Edmonds, Scott Firth and Bruce Smith followed by John Lydon and the thrumming bass announced 'Public Image', their first single played first in the set and I was in heaven. Heavy heavy bass, drums pounding, guitar skittering over the top and John's manic vocals making a perfect cacophony of sound. And that continued throughout the set which went on for over two hours with, more often than not, one song flowing into the next.

As always, John was a picture of sartorial elegance with his trademarked long shirt in a sort of tartan pattern, hair spiked up and a bottle of brandy on the drum stand for gargling and spitting out to keep his throat clear. The guitarists had keyboards to play when needed but it was all a seemless affair, the band very tight and the perfect dynamo for John's often vitriolic vocals.

They played songs from the full cannon, from 'First Issue' to John's solo album in the late '90s, 'Pyscho's Path', all with thundering bass and a great light show, flooding the stage with colour. John castigated Blair for the war, us for allowing non-smoking, and politicians the world over for making a mess of things.

Favourite songs for me were, of course, 'Public Image', one of the best singles ever, 'Albatross', 'Poptones', 'This Is Not A Love Song', 'Careering'... well, all of them really! I loved, 'Tie Me To The Length Of That', a song I never thought they'd do (but one of my favourites) and 'Annalisa' and 'Religion' from the first album. 'Death Disco' and an elongated 'Flowers Of Romance' were both special, as was 'Warrior'. The whole gig was special.

I saw John last year with the Sex Pistols and now with Public Image Ltd, both great bands with great songs and the common denominator is Mr John Lydon. Wouldn't a knighthood be great? Sir John Lydon has a certain ring to it and it's about time a punkster got a gong (I don't count Bob Geldoff).

My ears are still ringing from the gig tonight and I have memories to last a long time. The gig is a great Christmas present - thanks John! I hope for more in future.


And, of course, you can buy your own souvenir live album here.