Live Review: The Sex Pistols - Academy 1, Manchester 24/09/2024
Punk rock legends The Sex Pistols descend on Manchester Academy for a celebration of their seminal album, whilst defying expectations in the process.
When it was announced that The Sex Pistols would be reuniting for two benefit shows in aid of London’s Bush Hall back in June, it seemed to divide fans quite significantly. On the one hand, many were keen to see what the band would be like in 2024, whilst on the other, there were many that decreed the absence of original frontman-cum-butter merchant Johnny Rotten a travesty. That they’re not The Pistols without him, and the man they’ve brought in to replace him, Frank Carter, being nothing more than an ersatz Rotten in their eyes anyway.
Fast forward two months, and the naysayers were proven wrong; two nights at the aforementioned Bush Hall cementing Carter as the powerhouse many already knew him to be. Indeed, such was the reaction to those two shows, that a full tour was quickly announced, allowing us to be here tonight, sweating at the rear of Manchester Academy, eagerly awaiting the arrival of Steve Jones, Paul Cook and bassist Glen Matlock and of course, Carter himself.
The wait isn’t long. Not when you compare it to how long many of us in the room tonight have waited to see the band. Of course, there’s the grizzled punks in attendance who saw them the first time around. Probably plenty who claim to have been at that gig back in June ‘76. Regardless of having seen them live before or not, the air of expectation that ripples through the venue as the national anthem erupts from the speakers is palpable, reaching fever pitch as the band emerge and the track is replaced by the opening notes of ‘Holidays In the Sun’.
It’s always been easy to make fun of The Sex Pistols for their supposed lack of talent, and if there was any reservations going into tonight, this is one of them. Thankfully, however, it’s a worry that proves unfounded. By the time the familiar opening chords of second number ‘Seventeen’ ring out across the Academy, the audience are sold, and Frank Carter, stalking the stage wild eyed, has us eating out of the palm of his sweaty hand.
An early outing for fan favourite ‘Pretty Vacant’ whips the crowd into a frenzy, as the first surfers of the night are thrown forward above them. At this point, Carter makes his way into the audience for the first time that evening. ‘Bodies’ follows. Arguably one of the band’s most popular tracks, it’s a transcendent moment, teleporting the crowd back to their youth, regardless of which decade that may have been.
Of course, with Never Mind the Bollocks clocking in at just 12 songs long, we hope the band will offer up some deeper cuts from their limited catalogue. They do. ‘Silly Thing’ is the first taste of non-Bollocks material, and though it does stymie the breakneck pace of the set somewhat, it also offers some much needed respite for those in the crowd whose prime mosh-pitting years are behind them.
A mid-set outing for God Save the Queen picks things right up again, as Carter makes his way through the maelstrom, appearing on the edge of the sound desk to finish the track. With an arm spread out in front of him, he appears like a preacher. The religion punk rock. His congregation the 2000 heaving and glistening bodies that swell beneath him, hanging on to his every word.
By this point, it’s clear we’re heading to the evening’s climax. ‘Submission’ and ‘No Feelings’ both allow the crowd to muster up some more energy, and we find ourselves front and centre in something of a short-lived circle pit, that, by the end of the latter, is more of a circle walk than anything else. God loves a trier though.
A cover of The Stooges ‘No Fun’ signifies that we are indeed heading towards the evening’s close, but not before the explosive doubleheader of ‘Problems’ and ‘EMI’ that spur the crowd into one last hurrah ahead of the encore.
It’s something which in itself is short but sweet. ‘My Way’ kicks off proceedings, with Carter succeeding to put his own spin on things whilst still honouring the history the track has within the Sex Pistols’ mythos. It’s ‘Anarchy in the UK’ that brings the evening to its true close however, and as Carter prowls the stage, goads the audience and looks around manically at his baying crowd one last time, it’s safe to say that tonight, we’ve been party to something truly special.
Looking around the venue as the house lights illuminate the grizzled faces of those around us, every single one is plastered with a shit-eating grin. And whilst it might not have been the original line-up, it came pretty damn close to capturing their magic, and Carter is more than a worthy replacement.
Words by Dave Beech
Photos by James Kirkland
