Sex Pistols Featuring Frank Carter - Scarborough Open Air Theatre 02.08.2026
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Sex Pistols Featuring Frank Carter
The Stranglers
The Undertones
Sunday at the seaside to celebrate 50 years of Punk Rock? Why the hell not!!!
Three of the remaining legends from the beginning of the genre came together here at Scarborough Open Air Theatre for a big old pogo about!!
On arrival it’s heartwarming to see thousands of people of all ages making their way up from the seafront showing that despite its age Punk Rock still catches younger generations imaginations! Yeah of course many will have grown up with it from family members but there’s also those who on finding love for some of the newer punk bands have delved back in the archives to find their heroes inspirations.
First up to get the place moving is Derrys very own The Undertones and the set is a reminder of just how many great songs they have in their pocket! Most bands would keep a song like 'Jimmy Jimmy' for a closer or encore but they open the night with it here knowing full well they have the goods to back it up and then some!
Paul Mcloone in no time has the crowd on side from the front row right the way up to lady in the Union Jack top dancing in the back row of the seated area.
'Here Comes The Summer' is very apt this August afternoon and despite the cloudy sky it had the temperature warmed up nicely.
'Teenage Kicks' makes a surprising mid set appearance sending many a pint skyward and a lot of old knees are put to the test for the first BIG jump about of the night. Looking around you can see just how much this song means to so many people all dancing and singing together.
John & Damian O’Neill trade licks on the guitars while Michael Bradley & Billy Doherty put in a solid shift on bass and drums respectively powering along the football themed 'When Saturday Comes' and the lovesick 'Get Over You' all building to a set closing anthem of 'My Perfect Cousin' once again filling the Scarborough air with thousands of voices in unison.
And just like that the first course of tonight’s menu is over leaving a very satisfied smile on everyone’s face.
Quick pee and a refreshed pint in hand everyone is back in front of the stage as the pa belts out the ever familiar 'Waltzinblack' announcing the arrival of the men in black themselves The Stranglers who blast straight out with 'Toiler On The Sea', 'Duchess' and 'Get A Grip On Yourself' a triple whammy sending waves of delight through the eager crowd.
Jean-Jacques Burnel is as always the epitome of cool, his instantly recognisable bass lines and tones hitting you square in the chest. He looks like he is having a blast though smiling throughout the set even when punching the crap out of his 4 string tool of the trade!
As I leave the photo pit the harpsichord melody ofGolden Brow strikes up and that beautiful ode to heroin/ girlfriend (delete as applicable) reminds us that there are so many layers to this band from angry punk to gorgeous pop and at times dare I say it an almost prog like tone hidden in there but that could just be the old hippy in me.
Baz Warne as ever is a formidable figure snarling and spitting out the lyrics while giving his telecaster a good beating but then that big grin emerges and all is well with the world! Between tracks he delights in telling the crowd he is from Sunderland and the resulting boos just makes him laugh all the more.
'Tank' takes me by surprise as it hadn’t been in the previous nights set and it was a glorious racket and a personal highlight.
I’m pleased 'Always The Sun' is still in the set as over that last few times I’ve seen them it’s become a favourite of mine.
Jim & Toby were hidden behind drums and keyboards throughout but they absolutely nailed their respective parts both putting their own stamp on the songs.
It’s not all about looking back though with 'White Stallion' and 'Relentless' from the most recent album standing shoulder to shoulder with the classics in the set! Always moving forward!
The triple hit set closer of 'Something Better Change', 'Hanging Around' and a blistering 'No More Heroes' has the crowd going wild and rightly so! These songs have stood the test of time and will continue to do so for many more years.
Right then…. Here we go….. As the sky darkens the dayglo back projection fires up four figures take the stage - three of these were once considered a threat to the establishment because of their attitude to pretty much everything which fired the imagination of the youth at the time, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock, Paul Cook original Sex Pistols now joined by the explosive Frank Carter taking on the vocal challenge celebrating 50 years of a music genre many saw as a flash in the pan that wouldn’t last long …. Oh how wrong you were you “silly things“.
'Holidays In The Sun' gets us off to a fantastic start and from the get go it’s obvious to all these guys are here to have the best night possible and bring the fans along for the ride. Carter as usual is all over the stage having an absolute blast. Through my viewfinder I swear I can see a glint of mischief in his eye as he takes in the 7000 or so out in front of him knowing all eyes are on him waiting to see how this is going to pan out.
'Seventeen' and 'New York' are up next and even this early in the set you can’t help notice this band are firing on all cylinders.
Jones guitar sound is huge as he fires off these iconic riffs that turned a lot of the music world on its head on release!
Paul Cook and Glen Matlock hold down the drum and bass duties effortlessly and Frank Carter well… he’s just living his best life and doing it brilliantly.
We were told Frank was going to go into the crowd during song three and to keep part of the photo pit clear but as he pointed out the crowd were having such a time they didn’t need him in there to help.
However I think that raw power of 'Pretty Vacant' may have got the better of him as he climbed over the barrier to join the mosh!
Carter was always going to have critics and tonight was no exception however the wag who tried to give him some grief picked on the wrong guy as Frank turned the tables getting the whole audience to call the heckler a ****.
'Never Mind The Bollocks' is such an iconic album and to hear these songs all these years later still sounding as vibrant and exciting as ever is a joy I never thought I’d see.
'God Save The Queen' caused so much outrage on release it was banned by the BBC but still made it to number 2 in the charts, hearing it tonight just confirms it as one of Punk Rocks National Anthems and as relevant as ever.
'Before No Feelings' Carter takes the time to organise a “ladies only“ mosh pit , something I’ve seen him do at his solo shows to great effect and it works once again here tonight.
I personally could live without the cover of 'I’m Not Your Stepping Stone' and have 'Silly Thing' (criminally omitted in my opinion) in its place but that’s just me.
I wish I could go back and tell 14 year old me that it was ok to like more than one genre, yeah my long hair would have still got me grief but looking back at when my school mates were discovering these songs as they were happening I know I missed out big time - 'EMI' tonight is prime example of that, incredible short sharp kick in the teeth of the record company that dropped them after just three months scared of the controversy already building, it must’ve been electrifying then as it certainly was tonight.
Throughout the night the screen behind the band is lit up with either graphics in the bold bright Bollocks colours or footage of the band showing them both back in the day with the moody snarling curled lip young bucks right up to the smiling elder statesmen that they are today, intercut with live video of the crowd making it a visual treat.
Again just my opinion but I could give 'My Way' a miss but the crowd totally disagree with me on that one singing their collective hearts out in memory of Sid.
'Anarchy In The UK' rounds off the night again a song both of its time standing strong with so many people still today and whilst Carter has a totally different vocal approach to this and all the other songs he still has that energy and rawness that makes it work.
A relatively short 14 song set but to be fair they only really did one album as such. However everyone looked happy as they made their way out to the streets a little worse for wear not being able to handle an evening like they did in 76/77 haha.
What happens next is anyone’s guess, new material? Who knows?
Photos & Review - G's Gig Shots
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