P.I.L. / ERRORR - Kelvingrove Bandstand, Glasgow 29th July 2025

It’s Tuesday 29th July and tonight is the first of three gigs I’ll be attending at this year’s Summer Nights at the Kelvingrove Bandstand.

I’m half-expecting a bit of confrontation later on - I’ll explain why in a bit.

Tonight I’m here to see a man who has shocked, angered, and entertained throughout his career: the legendary Mr Punk himself, John Lydon - a.k.a. Johnny Rotten - with his band Public Image Ltd.

The Bandstand is an open-air venue in Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow - a bit like a mini Hollywood Bowl. It’s small enough to feel personal but big enough for a couple of thousand fans. The weather can make or break it, but tonight it’s just overcast - no rain, thankfully (not that a bit of rain would ruin the night).

Not every act at the Bandstand has a support, but Public Image Ltd do. The openers are a band I’ve never heard before, so I’m going in with an open mind. They’re called ERRORR - the third “R” printed backwards.

A young woman walks on stage with a guitar, plugs in, and tunes up. For a moment I wonder if it’s going to be a solo performance, but there are three mic stands and two drum kits (one clearly P.I.L’s, with their logo on the bass drum), so probably not. Sure enough, she’s joined by a second guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer.

The woman takes centre stage, but it’s the guitarist on stage left who handles a lot of the vocals. They look a little nervous at first - the bassist barely moves during the set - but as things go on both guitarists loosen up a bit and start using the stage more.

I hate pigeonholing bands... but I do it all the time. While in the photo pit, I’m racking my brain trying to work out who they remind me of, but nothing comes. Later, when I’m standing with my friend Billy and his dad, Billy says they’re obviously influenced by The Pixies. Bingo. I’m not a huge Pixies fan, but I know enough of their music to say the influence is there.

ERRORR go down well with the crowd, and I’m enjoying them more as the set goes on. All too soon they announce their final song - the life of a support band means sticking to a strict time slot.

There’s a longer changeover here than in smaller venues - gives the crowd a chance to hit the bar, grab merch, and so on.

Now, about that possible controversy I mentioned earlier. Last year, John Lydon toured solo with theatre shows in an “Audience With” style. Reports from the early dates said he got heavily political, with heated exchanges between him and audience members. When the show was due in Glasgow, there was talk of a disagreement between John (or his tour manager) and The Pavilion Theatre, and the date was cancelled.

John being John, I half-expected him to come onstage tonight and launch into a rant. But he didn’t.

The band came on to a huge cheer, John grinning from ear to ear. His first words were “Hello Edinburgh!” followed by laughter - nice one, John.

They opened with Home, followed by Know How. The third track threw me - I later found out it was a cover of World Destruction by Time Zone. Next came our first singalong of the night - This Is Not a Love Song, played in a different style to the original.

Poptones was next, then Death Disco. John chatted with the crowd, blaming Aberdeen for giving him a few bottles of whisky, which, he joked, had stopped him staying slim - cue laughter. Then we got Flowers of Romance and The Body.

John’s outfit deserves a mention: tartan waistcoat, black jacket, a builder’s utility belt, and a sporran. At one point he asked how we could wear one, as it kept hitting his “wee man” - another big laugh from the crowd. A couple more songs followed, and then they closed the main set with Public Image.

John announced they’d be back in three minutes after a smoke break.

It didn’t even feel like three minutes before they were back. The first encore song was another cover, Open Up by Leftfield. Then came the biggest cheer of the night for Rise - the crowd sang along so loudly it felt like it could go on forever. Finally, they wrapped up with a medley of Annalisa, Attack, and Chant.

The only vaguely controversial thing John said all night was that “the one thing the world doesn’t need right now is another Sex Pistols cover band” - a jab at his old bandmates. I don’t think anyone here disagreed.

A brilliant start to my run of Summer Nights gigs - next for me is Stiff Little Fingers, followed by The Sisters of Mercy. Both will be reviewed here on Rockfiend.

As always, if you don’t know the bands I’ve mentioned, check them out on your favourite streaming platform - you might find something you like.