Sex Pistols make audience go berserk

The Sex Pistols, one of the most influential bands in rock history and once famous for their attacks on the British monarchy, reunited on Saturday for a one-off gig in London's Crystal Palace to celebrate their own silver jubilee.

Although the Pistols were never what one might call virtuoso, they showed they still know how to throw a good party.

By the time their frontman, John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, started singing what he labelled "the politically incorrect version" of God Save the Queen, the audience had been dancing, jumping, pushing each other and shouting for what seemed like an eternity.

The enfants terribles of the punk era played most of their repertoire - in their meteoric career, they recorded only one album and four singles - and Lydon dedicated one song, Substitute, to the bass player with The Who, John Entwistle, who died last month.

"The best thing ever"

Lydon also profited from the occasion to attack another fledging rock musician of the 70s, the ex-frontman of the Ugly Rumours, whom he called, to the apparent delight of part of the audience, "the new queen, Tony Blair".

Most of those present, however, seemed to be paying very little attention to Lydon's anti-establishment tirades and kept shouting at him "You fat bastard" and asking for more music.

And music they certainly had. Lydon, along with guitarist Steve Jones, drummer Paul Cook and bassist Glen Matlock - who had been with the Pistols before the late Sid Vicious joined them - made their fans go berserk for a good hour and a half.

"I was 15 when I got into the Sex Pistols, but I had never seen them before. I've waited all my life to see this. The best thing ever", said Duncan, a forty-something from the north of England.

"However, the punk scene today is non-existent. It's nowhere near what it used to be. In 1976, 77, 78, it was fantastic. But now it's just people living their memories, hoping to see what they saw all those years ago", he added.