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].”
Lewis Capaldi reportedly picked up the bill for an entire pub packed with England supporters following their dramatic World Cup win against Mexico.
The singer songwriter was spotted enjoying the match with Rita Ora at the Marlborough pub in Mayfair as the Three Lions secured a thrilling 3 to 2 victory.
Even though his home nation, Scotland, endured a disappointing tournament and were knocked out during the group stage, Capaldi still joined in the celebrations after the final whistle by treating the England fans in the pub to a round of drinks.
“Lewis bought every single person in the Marlborough a drink,” one customer told The Sun. “The bar staff were told to put every drink ordered on his tab. By the end of the night it came to almost £2,000.”
The pubgoer continued, saying it was “such a generous surprise and a genuinely lovely thing to do, especially from a Scotland fan… Lewis was an absolute legend. Not only did he buy everyone a drink, but he was also so kind to every person who came over to say hello.”
Ora also posted several videos from the lively celebrations, writing: “NOTHING beats a London pub game EVER… It’s coming home!!! The fact I woke up with my hair clips in and my hair has not moved says. Watch it till the end… trust me.”
Throughout the celebrations, Capaldi and Ora sang each other's songs before joining the rest of the crowd in celebrating England's victory by chanting, “Football’s coming home, it’s coming home…”
The celebrations come just before Capaldi headlines BST Hyde Park this weekend. The Scottish singer songwriter is set to perform at the London concert series on both Saturday, July 11, and Sunday, July 12.
Those huge outdoor performances are part of his UK and Ireland headline tour this summer, and any remaining tickets can be found here.
Capaldi recently revealed that one of the BST Hyde Park concerts will also be streamed live worldwide on YouTube.
The performance will be the biggest headline show of his career so far. Fans across the globe will be able to watch for free on YouTube without a paywall. The broadcast will feature 26 cameras capturing every moment, along with aerial footage filmed by drones.
Joining him on the July 11 BST Hyde Park lineup are The Vaccines, Absolutely, Nieve Ella, Tyler Ballgame, Kerr Mercer, NECKBREAKERS, Benjamin Steer, Luz, Sebastian Croft, and Luke La Volpe.
Meanwhile, England will face Norway in the World Cup quarter finals on the same evening as Capaldi's opening BST Hyde Park performance.
