God Save The Sex Pistols - Public Image Limited. William Aston Hall, Wrexham 25 June 2018

Search God Save The Sex Pistols with freefind

Public Image Limited - William Aston Hall, Wrexham 25 June 2018

To really appreciate how good a band is you have to see them in 2 contrasting environments. So, one week on from the rough & tumble triumph in Manchester, PiL arrived in the more sedate surroundings of North Wales. The university venue is a high ceiling, airy affair which has the vibe of a sports hall. It’s also run by people who care about the acts they put on and the welfare of the punters. There’s no heavy handed bully boy security that often blight the big city venues. Only courteous staff - that makes a change.

The relaxed atmosphere made for a joyous occasion, which was lapped up with enthusiasm by the crowd and PiL themselves. Some of us had come over the border celebrating England having won a World Cup match in the afternoon. This led to an hilarious moment when John mentioned the game, forgetting he was in Wales, causing much laughter. Both the England and Wales fans enjoyed the moment. John quickly realised what he'd done and remarked that we're all basically the same! It all added to the positive, feel good nature of the evening.

Hearing the material again one week after Manchester focused my attention on subtleties I’d missed, such as the different arrangement of Death Disco. I’m Not Satisfied was even more striking in intensity and is fast becoming a PiL war cry. Likewise Cruel sounded better than ever - reviving this has proved another high point in the set.

With all things PiL, the material is stretched hither & thither making no two shows the same. Warrior, Memories, The Body all sounded exciting, yet different tonight. The big hits were met with the adoration they deserved with Rise and Public Image causing a crowd frenzy.

The pairing of Flowers & Love Song works so well, they now seem inseparable. Likewise, the finale of Open Up & Shoom is another bone-shaking pairing that tears into your psyche.

Another top crowd, in an unusual, yet great off-beat venue. As PiL departed, the perfect pop strains of The One continued to run around my brain interrupted only by John’s biting delivery of The Room I Am In. Two polar opposites - that’s what makes PiL so great. The songs and venues may contrast but PiL remain consistently magnificent.

Review & Photos by Phil Singleton

PiL Wrexham 2018

Manchester Ritz 16 June 2018 >

God Save the Sex Pistols