Yesterday the Sex Pistols and myself (together with my wife) visited for the first time Nickelsdorf, where the 3 days mega festival "Nova Rock" takes place in Austria.

We arrived there (without any traffic jam!! - very well organised) at 18:00; we were shown a parking place and then we had to make a walking tour for about 30 minutes to arrive at the entrance. Then we were walking again about 10 minutes to come to the so called "Red Stage", where the Sex Pistols would be playing their gig. As we arrived there my feet were already smoking, but a good beer was able to cool them down from inside. What we immediately noticed was that we were some of the oldest people (maybe the oldest!) there (we are only a few years younger than the Pistols).

Unfortunately the weather was not so good. It was a little bit raining, frosty and windy. But!!! as it was getting later the weather god was on the Sex Pistols side - rain stopped totally, it was a little bit warmer (but still not really comfortable) and the wind stopped. So we were waiting until a few minutes after 23:00, when the gig would start.

Unfortunately on the "Blue stage" was at 23:30 a concert of the "Ärzte", a famous band from Germany, which I think is much more popular for the predominant young audience, so a lot of them were attending that gig. Anyway at 23.15 "There'll Always Be An England" sounded out of the speakers and as it finished, the Pistols entered the stage and the gig began.

The band was in very good form and Johnny communicated a lot with the audience. Often he asked them, why they are so quiet. I think one reason was that the youths were a little bit freezing, and second was that there was a wide area in front of the stage and it was not so obvious that the mood was quite good out in the audience (if not excellent). Although for us it was a fascinating and super gig. When they finished their usual set, they were leaving the stage and it took a lot of time before they returned for one encore, then again a long, long time before they came back again for another song. Then it was over. For us an incredible experience!!

Then our walking-tour started again - about 40 minutes - as we arrived at our car, I was ready for the "Red Cross". BUT IT WAS WORTHWHILE - WE SAW THE SEX PISTOLS IN AUSTRIA - I DIDN'T EVER EXPECT THAT!!! God save them and I am looking forward to them in Lokeren.

Review and pictures by Josef Grossinger (Austria)

Click to see Josef's excellent pictures from the gig.

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Pictures & text © Josef Grossinger 2008.
Feature ©www.sex-pistols.net 2008. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced without permission.
God Save The Sex Pistols ©2008 Phil Singleton / www.sex-pistols.net.