<%@LANGUAGE="JAVASCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> God Save The Sex Pistols - Live At Loch Lomond Festival, Scotland, 3rd August 2008: Review
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LIVE AT LOCH LOMOND FESTIVAL, BALLOCH, SCOTLAND REVIEW
3rd August 2008
God Save The Sex Pistols Review by Phil Singleton

Never Mind The Balloch.....

The Sex Pistols on the banks of Loch Lomond, under the watchful eye of Balloch Castle was strangely surreal. Such tranquil and beautiful surroundings shaken up by 90 minutes of Pistols magic. The more "unpunk" the setting, the more magnificent the Sex Pistols appear to be. Out of place, yet so perfect; the Pistols are meant to be out of place, perhaps that's why it seems so fitting?

The day was to prove memorable to me personally, for three reasons.

Firstly, the mud. A complete contrast to the Isle Of Wight, with its baking heat and rock solid, dusty fields. I forgot the Isle Of Wight was many hundreds of miles south where sun tends to be plentiful, while up here in Scotland rain is the name of the game. Having said that, the day before the Pistols played the sun was shining and I took a leisurely cruise on Loch Lomond with my wife and got sunburnt. It had all lured me into a false sense of security.

The heavy rain overnight should have tipped me off, but it wasn't until arriving on site that it dawned on me - oh dear, my best pair of trainers were going to get ruined. During the day it continued to rain and the place turned into a total mud bath. It was so muddy near to the toilets, people were choosing to relieve themselves just about anywhere, women included. Perhaps I've lived a sheltered life, but I've never seen a girl having a dump in public before.

Secondly, the show. The rain stopped just prior to the Pistols coming on stage. As at the SECC last November, the intro song was I Belong To Glasgow, which made a welcome change to good old Vera. Johnny told us his voice was tired but you wouldn't have guessed; it was perhaps the strongest vocal performance I've heard from John. He pulled out all the stops tonight; so did the band.

This was the first UK show since the recent media "racist" furore; John addressed the issue directly prior to Baghdad Was A Blast and got the full support of the crowd. Let's hope the matter's been finally put to bed. John seemed to have responded to the situation in part by increasing the humour. Not piss-taking, but wit. Addressing both Allah ("I'd like to buy Allah a pint of lager") and Jesus in equal measure, he was giving out a clear message regarding religion. John said he'd had a word with Jesus and He stopped it raining for the Pistols, but added that He (Jesus) might change his mind after the next set of songs! Ironically, the next song was Liar, and for a couple of seconds a few drops fell, before stopping just as suddenly. I'm sure Jesus was looking down, pondering how to respond to John's comments, before deciding to let us all keep dry.

Steve's deadpan expression and mock quizzical looks make him fascinating to watch. As an object flew past him, he looked skyward in fake bewilderment as though it had dropped out of the sky above him. Steve doesn't leap about as much these days, but just study those fingers as they pull that glorious sound out of his guitar. It's great to watch. And what a fabulous sound it was. A terrific mix, sonically perfect with guitar, bass, drums and vocals all crystal clear.

With Glen seemingly getting younger with age (!), he was putting himself about, fixing some mean grimaces, strutting around and throwing some rock 'n' roll shapes. All done with a neat balance of purpose and humour. The bass in the Pistols is not merely an accompaniment, but a vital part of the sound.

The rapport within the group is evident and has clearly grown over the past year, as can be seen by Steve sticking his guitar through Glen's legs - hazard potential! - with neither missing a note, and later Glen striding across stage towards Steve with a mean look on his face while Steve backed away - a look of terror on his!

Paul is simply faultless. Never missing a beat, he dictates the pace. Watch him as No Fun reaches its climax and the speed picks up. Glen and Steve gather around the drum kit as Paul leads the way.

Musical highlights? Two couplings. No Fun/ Problems and Silver Machine / Roadrunner. Oh and Bodies, I just love the way Steve teases the audience as he hangs onto that pre-opening verse note.

It may have been a festival, but loads of Pistols fans were there, they must have accounted for a good percentage of the punters. In spite of it being damp and treacherous underfoot, the crowd gave a vociferous response. The mud meant there was less leaping around which in turn meant it was easier to get closer and sing along without getting crushed. In fact, having additional lung capacity resulted in even louder singing.

The outro music was fittingly, The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond as performed by Noel Coward. What else could it be?

Thirdly, ouch. We've all heard Johnny berate those "cowards" who hide in a crowd and throw things. We've also all been covered in beer (or worse) while at concerts. Plenty of empty or almost empty beer cups get lobbed about without much injury - although I don't see the point myself. However, when someone lobs a full pint cup straight up into the air, they know it's going to come down. Somewhere. Or on someone.

Just prior to Stepping Stone, one such vessel (& contents) did come down, on my head. The bottom of the cup hit my skull with such force it almost knocked me senseless. It felt like I'd been hit over the head by a bag of cement. It took me at least a song to come out of my daze and a few more to fully re-focus. Two days later and I'm still sore from the incident. Would the person who threw it have walked up to someone and punched them in the head? I don't think so. The result however, is the same. Next to me in the crowd was a fan - a heavily tattooed big guy - who showed a great deal of concern over my welfare, and who checked if I was OK on more than one occasion as well as alerting a steward. By pure coincidence, I've since found out he goes by the name of Big Toosh, and is a friend of Steve Noir, a contributor to God Save The Sex Pistols. Thank you Toosh, it was appreciated.

The incident could not take away another majestic performance by the Sex Pistols. They rock with a confidence these days that's a joy to behold. Are " majestic" and "joy", words that should apply to a Pistols show? Of course they are. Let go of any hang-ups and embrace the splendour of the greatest band in the world.

Whether you took the high road or the low road to get there, or whether I got to Scotland afore ye, the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond was the centre of the universe on August 3rd.

Review and pictures by Phil Singleton

Combine Harvester Commemorative Section

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

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