John Lydon addresses Sex Pistols replacing him with Frank Carter: “It pissed me off”
John Lydon recently addressed the Sex Pistols’ decision to replace him with Frank Carter for their reunion tour, comparing their lineup to “karaoke” and saying that the change “pissed me off”.
Lydon, who fronted the band in the 1970s under the moniker Johnny Rotten, claimed to be blindsided after remaining members Steve Jones, Glen Matlock, and Paul Cook announced a series of tour dates last year with new frontman Frank Carter which has now carried on into 2025.
However, this also follows several years of fractured dynamics, including one notable disagreement in 2021 over Danny Boyle’s series Pistol gaining the rights to their music. At the time, tensions arose from Lydon’s desire to keep their music separate, which resulted in him being sued by Jones and Cook with support from Matlock and the estate of Sid Vicious. Lydon ultimately lost the legal battle.
Last year, Sex Pistols announced a handful of reunion dates in London with Carter, leaving Lydon feeling confused and “annoyed” that he had been left out despite recent strain. “When I first heard that the Sex Pistols were touring this year without me, it pissed me off,” he told The i, “It annoyed me.”
He continued: “I just thought, ‘They’re absolutely going to kill all that was good with the Pistols by eliminating the point and the purpose of it all.'” He also compared their show to “karaoke”, saying, “They’re trying to trivialise the whole show to get away with karaoke, but in the long term, I think you’ll see who has the value and who doesn’t.”
Aside from the differences among the rest of the band members, it also seems they naturally distanced themselves from Lydon recently, with Jones telling the Rockonteurs podcast that he hadn’t spoken to Lydon since 2008.
Of the new 2024 reunion dates, Jones suggested the atmosphere was more refreshing than ever, describing it as “a different vibe” like comparing “night and day”. He also said that Carter “doesn’t try to be John” and that it’s “just fun”.
The Sex Pistols and Frank Carter are set to tour Australia and New Zealand during spring before returning to Europe for a series of festival dates in the summer.
In a four-and-a-half-star review of their show at Kentish Town Forum in London last September, Far Out wrote: “With Frank Carter stepping into Johnny Rotten’s shoes with ease, it all falls into place. Carter’s performance is so perfect, so full of exactly the kind of gobby attitude, raging spirit and pure rockstar power, that it makes the whole band make sense again.”
The review continued: “Suddenly, the original Pistols sound back at their best because you’re not focused on them. Instead, you’re focused on Carter jumping off balconies, pints being thrown, and mosh pits opening. You’re focused on the excitement of being there rather than the technicalities of sound or skill, which is precisely what the Sex Pistols and punk is all about.”
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