Sex Pistols ft. Frank Carter
House of Blues
September 13, 2026
John Lydon, the first but long-departed frontman of the Sex Pistols, has decried the current tour of the band as “karaoke.” His former bandmates – Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and Paul Cook – are all original members of the seminal punk group and they hit the road last week with Frank Carter delivering vocals on some of punk’s most notorious and essential songs, songs with lyrics written and first spat into the world by Lydon.
If Lydon’s take on the 2026 Sex Pistols is meant to unnerve the band in some way, last night’s Houston stop suggests he’ll need to try a lot harder than deeming them “a karaoke band.” There was nary a word about Lydon or any mid-song chatter at all about the band’s historic but dysfunctional past. For an outfit filled with senior citizens – save its new, Millennial vocalist, recruited from the hardcore English band Gallows – there wasn’t much looking back. The focus was squarely on the here and now. And, Carter summed up the here and now in a single sentence as he made his way off the stage and into the pit during “Seventeen,” just the second song of the set.
“When I’m on stage with these cunts, I cannot fucking slow down and I’m having the time of my fucking life,” he said, drawing a roar of approval from his company in the pit, near the bar, by the merch tables and sitting in the balcony at House of Blues, which was teeming with thrilled music fans. Then, he and the band proved it, ripping through a dozen of the genre’s best-known gems, loving smiles plastered on their faces in place of the menacing, snarling looks they once wore in photos which captured the time they took over music in the late 1970s.
Fun. It’s a word that gets lost in the conversation about punk music, since its so rooted to the struggles of the world, the soundtrack for pushing back against the authority and the evils it exacts upon us all. Sex Pistols songs did that and still do to some degree, but the performers who created those songs missed out on the fun they might have had bringing them to life for fans. The current tour seems fun, though, with Carter at the helm to implore the gents in the crowd to get the fuck out of the way for an all-women’s circle pit during the band’s cover of The Stooges’ “No Fun;” or, calling off the names of his legendary bandmates like a game show announcer during a fun but unnecessary band intro; or, sharing that he too is a fan, who considers “Bodies” his favorite Pistols’ song.
A word about karaoke: it’s fun. Even killjoys who claim they dislike it can’t ignore there’s something freeing about grabbing the mic and doing one’s worst in front of an audience of strangers. You feel alive when you say fuck it and attempt those high Mariah Carey notes or get all emo if Radiohead’s “Creep” is your go-to karaoke song. So, if there were moments of the night given to Carter willingly and cheekily wearing the skin of one Johnny Rotten, then that too was part of the fun. Whether screaming about no future in “God Save the Queen” or contorting his face and body while going “Pretty Vacant,” those moments were like homages to the impact the Pistols’ songs had on Carter.
Carter might never admit it, but this audience member likes to think that his occasional morphing into Johnny Rotten was intentional and meant to stir things up a little, particularly in light of these karaoke claims. There were moments, seen in blinks – like those horror films about possession showing some demon’s visage quick-flashed over the poor possessed person’s face – where Carter was possessed. It wasn’t Lydon’s spirit overtaking him, it was the idea that he was having a blast singing these songs.
In our pre-show interview with Jones, who co-founded the band, he said the band was enjoying its time with Carter, feeding off his youthful energy. “I mean, the point is having fun, right? That’s it. That’s it, full stop,” Jones told us. He also said he’d shake Lydon’s hand if offered the chance when the Sex Pistols and Lydon’s Public Image Ltd both play Riot Fest in Chicago this weekend. Maybe that won’t happen, but if Lydon could set some things like ego aside in search of a bit of fun, he’d do worse than catching the set by 2026’s version of his former band.
The Openers: Panic Shack was an inspired choice to open these first Sex Pistols dates. The Welsh band is young and decidedly female, a bookend opposite of the blokes they usher onto the stage nightly during the Pistols’ first several dates this tour. Songs like “Girl Band Starter Pack” and “Jiu Jits You” give a glimpse of their takes on punk and its longtime male-dominated scene. They closed their brief but lively set with “Who’s Got My Lighter?” and “Pockets,” a pair of earworm tunes being added to the punk playlist post haste. The beauty of gathering to hear the songs that built a genre is seeing what now stands on that foundation and Panic Shack delivered a frenzied, inspired and fun (there’s that word again) set, proving punk’s not dead. This building’s got good bones.
Personal Bias: “I got no emotions for anybody else, you better understand I’m in love with myself, myself – my beautiful self! No feeling for anybody else, except for myself!” I admit, this isn’t my typical philosophy on life and the people in it. I’m a third decan Cancer with my Leo deep in Venus (sounds naughty) so I’m profoundly sympathetic, fiercely protective, annoyingly sentimental and have intense affection for my people. I’m just too predestined to love y’all to adopt the nihilistic, snarling attitude Johnny Rotten summons in this standout track. But part of the fun of punk is sometimes being a big ol’ poseur (clickbait) and singing “No Feelings” at the top of my lungs has been particularly therapeutic for those times when I’ve felt left out, slighted, unloved and unlovable. (Hey, it happens. I’m a Cancer sun with Libra rising, after all).
The Crowd: A lot of older dudes wearing Vans and at least one person smothered in Ben Gay or Icy Hot. Houston punk royalty, like The Hates’ Christian Kidd and Los Skarnales Nestor “El Tiburon” Aguilar, in attendance. The expected olds who once led the way were in force (if not in the pit) and a pretty good blend of younger fans who respect the legends.
Random Notebook Dump: Many, many thanks to Ray at House of Blues for helping out when some media stuff went slightly awry last evening. Our local venues are blessed with good, hard-working people who want others to experience the joy of live music and deserve some notice, even when it’s just coming from a lowly music writer who appreciates a solid done on his behalf.
Also, huge thanks to my man Bob Ruggiero – y’all know him as Classic Rock Bob – for connecting me to the folks who connected me to Steve Jones for our pre-show chat. I listened to Jonesey’s audio book Lonely Boy to prep and was thrilled to talk about English football and our respective crushes on Chrissie Hynde when we Zoom chatted. Just another cool perk of a life that was made better by paying attention to how the written arts could make this all more interesting, as taught by Ann Ball, my all-time favorite English teacher.
Sex Pistols ft. Frank Carter Set List
Holidays in the Sun
Seventeen
New York
Pretty Vacant
Bodies
I’m Not Your Stepping Stone (Paul Revere and the Raiders cover)
Liar
God Save the Queen
No Fun (The Stooges cover)
No Feelings
Problems
Anarchy in the U.K.
