When my sister lived in Catford, a few years back, I would visit her, her husband and her two lovely sons. We would walk up the High Street and watch the buses going to Penge and wonder whether to get on them or not. We never did.
Public Image Ltd. are back with a new album called End of World. The first track is called Penge and consists mostly of the band shrieking 'WELCOME TO PENGE!!' at the top of their lungs. It seems as if Lydon and co have no intention into going into the dark night quietly any time soon.
Ten years ago I spent the day with a very good friend on his birthday. In the evening we went to see Public Image Ltd. He'd always said that he didn't like Punk, but he liked this. Lydon barking, chewing the curtains and howling, the band summoning up a groove and raising merry hell. A couple of young girls rubbing themselves against my friend's trousers for a good part of the evening. He'd never known it was possible to have so much fun with his clothes on. These things can happen at PiL gigs.
End of World is more great fun from a band that's already provided plenty down the years. Don't go gently into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. That was Dylan Thomas's advice. He was a mad old cove himself, dying in New York City just short of his fortieth birthday. But not before making a valiant last stand in the White Horse Tavern with one last noble tilt at the house drinking record at the bar a couple of nights before his body finally gave up the ghost.
It seems Lydon and his band, which include veterans of Punk and Post Punk, Bruce Smith, Lu Edmonds and Scott Firth, are made of similar stuff. The record is first and foremost a lot of dirty, unapologetic fun. It covers a lot of ground musically. Lydon was never going to be contained by such basic meat and two veg, offered up by the Pistols. He's on fine form here, despite the recent death of the love of his life Nora Forster who died in April. This is a good record, worthy of what he has always broughr ro the table. Respect. Raise a glass.
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