NEWS
Public Image Ltd (PiL) have announced plans to release an alternative US mix of their debut album ‘First Issue’ on Record Store Day 2025.
The “long lost” version of the 1978 record from the post-punk band, fronted by former Sex Pistols vocalist John Lydon, features mixes and re-recordings of tracks from the original album that were created during the 1979 sessions for their second studio album ‘Metal Box’.
This version of ‘First Issue’ has never been released and it includes different sleeve artwork compared to the original version.
According to the official RSD listing “an alternative version of ‘First Issue’ was initially intended for release by Warner Bros. in 1979, but it never saw the light of day. It was thought the recordings were lost. However, the misfiled tape was later accidentally discovered in the Warner Brothers vault in the USA and features mixes and re-recordings of tracks from the original debut.”
The LP was announced as part of the extensive RSD ’25 list – also featuring exclusive vinyl drops from the likes of Oasis, Charli XCX, Fred Again.., The Cure, Gorillaz and Taylor Swift.
These will be available when the annual event returns for its 18th edition on Saturday April 12.
The band are set to the hit road for their ‘This Is Not The Last Tour’ in May. The UK and Ireland dates also include a headline show at Dreamland Margate.
Elsewhere, Frank Carter is currently fronting the Sex Pistols who are set to perform a gig at London’s Royal Albert Hall for Teenage Cancer Trust on March 24.
The band with Carter in place of Lydon, played a series of shows including an autumn UK tour. In November, they were announced as part of the Download 2025 line-up, and earlier this year an Australian and US tour was announced.
Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones recently spoke to NME, about Lydon’s non-inclusion in their recent tour.
He said: “John ain’t interested in doing it. You think you’re gonna get a negative thing by doing [it without him], but I’m surprised. There was no backlash whatsoever. There was a few die-hards on Instagram, but they hadn’t even seen us. They just can’t see it without John, which I get, but even the ones that came out of curiosity were into it after a couple of songs.”
Jones continued: “I wish him well. He’s going out this year, doing PiL again, and I hope he does well. I know he must be in a weird place, losing his wife and his best mate [Lydon’s wife Nora Forster and long-time friend and manager John “Rambo” Stevens died in 2023].”
MUNA have officially shared full details of their long awaited fourth studio album, Dancing On The Wall, which is scheduled to arrive on May 8.
The news comes with the release of the record’s title track and its accompanying official video, giving fans their first real look at what the trio’s new chapter sounds and feels like.
To mark the occasion, the group are planning a run of intimate underplay performances in Los Angeles, New York and London during release week. It will be a special opportunity to catch MUNA up close before they step back onto larger stages later this year.
Opening up about the project, the band described the title song as a standout moment within their body of work.
They shared: “Dancing On The Wall is possibly our favorite song we’ve made as a band. We think it’s all the best parts of MUNA – it’s coming from a really emotional and lonely place, but the song itself makes us feel powerful and euphoric. It’s written in the moment that the clock strikes midnight at the ball, and you have to give up the fantasy. In this case, it’s the fantasy of loving someone or something that can’t love you back.”
The 13 song album was produced by Naomi McPherson, allowing the band to take full creative ownership of the sound and direction. It is a project that pulls listeners straight to the dancefloor while still keeping its vulnerability front and center.
MUNA, made up of Katie Gavin and Josette Maskin alongside McPherson, have continued to build momentum over the years and were personally chosen by Harry Styles as the opening act for his first solo tour. Since then, they have also performed with Taylor Swift on the Eras Tour, in addition to sharing bills with Lorde, boygenius and Phoebe Bridgers.
Dancing On The Wall follows their 2022 self titled album, which marked their first release as independent artists after signing to Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records in 2021.
Fans can stream the title track across all major platforms now. For tickets to MUNA’s upcoming shows, visit laylo.com/whereismuna/m/munatour.
Dancing On The Wall tracklisting:
It Gets So Hot
Dancing On The Wall
Eastside Girls
Wannabeher
On Call
So What
Party’s Over
Big Stick
Mary Jane
Girl’s Girl
…Unless
Why Do I Get A Good Feeling
Buzzkiller
