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].”
NEWS
Lola Young has joined forces with Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) to release a new T shirt for the charity’s Lifelines collection.
The shirt supports CALM’s suicide prevention work, with proceeds helping to fund vital resources such as its helpline and CALMzone mental health app.
CALM introduced the Lifelines range last year, with Fontaines D.C., Blossoms and Inhaler also contributing their own designs to the collection.
Young’s design includes the words, “There’s a flicker of light. There’s always morning after the night”, taken from her track ‘Flicker Of Light’.
“I wrote this song about realising there is hope. I have often felt like there isn’t, but there is always a reason to keep going,” Young said. “That’s even when you don’t want to get out of bed, you do, and that is amazing, and you’re still here, and you’re still alive, and if anything, that’s something to be proud of.”
CALM CEO Simon Gunning also shared his appreciation for the collaboration, saying: “We couldn’t be more grateful to Lola for supporting ‘Lifelines’ and showing just how powerful music can be as a force for good.”
Priced at £30, the T shirts come in both standard and boxy fits and are available to purchase here.
Young has regularly spoken about her experiences with mental health. She returned to performing earlier this year after calling off her 2025 tour because of exhaustion. The decision followed her collapse during a performance in New York City. During her time away, she later discussed receiving support for addiction and attending AA meetings as part of her recovery.
In an interview with NME in May, Young explained that she believes “all healing journeys are never ending”, although she is now “definitely in a much better place”. She also said she feels “excited and ready to perform and to release music”.
Reflecting on the encouragement she received after publicly discussing those challenges, Young said: “My fans inspire me in the same way I hope to inspire them. I feel like I’ve never tried to be especially honest… it just comes very naturally to me.”
“I don’t really have any other choice but to be honest, so if people connect to that, and that’s amazing.”
Several musicians have also applauded the ‘Messy’ singer for honestly addressing the pressure placed on touring performers. Lily Allen said she was “in awe” of the BRIT and Grammy winner, while Victoria Canal credited Young with bringing greater attention to the damaging impact demanding tour schedules can have on artists’ mental wellbeing.
When NME asked whether musicians were beginning to establish firmer boundaries around their health, Young replied: “I never intended it to start a movement, but I hope that it does in some way.”
