NEW YORK — Nearly five decades ago, the Sex Pistols began carving their niche in the punk scene. The original members—Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones, Paul Cook, and Glen Matlock—took the stage at the 100 Club Punk Special in London, performing alongside bands like Subway Sect, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and The Clash.
This event signaled a pivotal moment for punk, with these groups poised to elevate the genre from its underground roots to the mainstream spotlight.
Fast forward to 2025, and the current lineup of the Sex Pistols, featuring Jones, Cook, Matlock, and new frontman Frank Carter (known from Gallows, Pure Love, and Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes), gathers to discuss their upcoming North American tour. “This is where it all kicked off, really, all the punk,” Cook reminisces, sitting in the same historical venue.
This autumn marks the band’s first North American tour since 2003, a tour that previously featured John Lydon (formerly Johnny Rotten). This new journey with Carter begins on September 16 at the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas, Texas—a location synonymous with the band’s tumultuous 1978 U.S. stop, infamous for the aggressive reception from local audiences.
Jones remembers the chaos: “Pigs’ hooves and bottles and what not slung at us by cowboys.”
The tour is immortalized in three “Live in the U.S.A.” albums, highlighting performances in Atlanta, Dallas, and San Francisco. Purportedly, the San Francisco show where the band initially disbanded will be revisited in an album releasing on April 25. “We were thinking of breaking up in San Francisco again,” jokes Jones.
The 2025 tour will wrap up on October 16 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles but will make stops in cities including Washington, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Montreal, Toronto, Cleveland, Detroit, Minneapolis, Denver, Seattle, and San Francisco, with more dates to be announced soon.
Pre-sale begins on April 2 and 3, and tickets will be available on April 4 at 10 a.m. local time.
During the tour, the band intends to perform their iconic 1977 album, “Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols,” in full, along with other fan-favorite tracks.
Why now? Jones pragmatically responds: “Why not?”
Carter adds, “I think everybody needs this band right now. I think the world needs this band right now. And I think definitely America is screaming out for a band like the Sex Pistols.”
He continues, “At the end of the day, we’re living in a really, really difficult time. So not only do people want to come and just be entertained, they want to enjoy themselves. Punk is an energetic music. It’s one where you can go and vent and let your hair down, hopefully in a safe manner. Fingers crossed, no bottles or pigs’ hooves.”
Carter fronted the Sex Pistols last year for a few performances in the UK. Notably, the band decided against approaching Lydon for this reunion tour. Jones explains, “The last thing he wants to do is have anything to do with us right now,” referencing past legal disputes between Lydon and the band regarding music usage in their TV series “Pistol.” The ruling was against Lydon.
“We wish him the best,” Jones concludes. “Good luck to him,” Matlock concurs, acknowledging a lack of communication but offering goodwill.
Regarding the 2025 expedition, the band promises less of the chaotic antics from their 1978 tour but assures fans of a polished performance. “We’re a bit older but we play just as well, if not better,” Matlock claims. “And I think that’s something that’s got a great deal of aplomb that we’re going to bring to the public over there.”
As for creating new music, Jones remains noncommittal: “It’s early days. Let’s see what happens.”