This is Not a Love Song, This is a Masterclass – PiL Live in Cambridge.

9 January 2026 rocknews

The first gig of the year, my first time at Cambridge Junction, and what a night it was!

Public Image Ltd hit Cambridge as part of their “This is Not the Last Tour” tour, and did it in fine style. First, though, we were treated to a thoroughly entertaining set from Swansea alternative rockers Trampolene.

Trampolene

The quartet took to the stage at 8pm just as the intimate venue began to fill up. For a band that have been around for over a decade and with five studio albums in the bag it was a joy to see them giddy as schoolboys and clearly relishing being on stage and performing like it was their first time.

They were fabulously entertaining, with singer Jack Jones commanding the stage from the moment the set started. He was funny too, making quips and interacting brilliantly with the audience. From opening number “Gotta Do More Gotta Be More” to closer “Alcohol Kiss”, it was party time on stage, and this rubbed off on the growing crowd, who were clearly appreciative of what they were seeing. Even fan favourite “Uncle Brian’s Abattoir” was changed “for one night only” to “Uncle Steven’s Abattoir” as a nod to an audience member.

And what of PiL?

Born from the embers of the Sex Pistols and influencers of too many bands to mention, their music has always been challenging, mesmerising and musically off the scale, thanks in no small part to the musicians that have made up the band over the past 48 years. The one constant member is, of course, John Lydon. Always outspoken, often controversial and increasingly divisive, especially when talking about politics and his former (pre-PiL) bandmates.

It can often be hard to separate the art from the artist, especially with someone as contradictory as Lydon, but as Public Image Ltd strode onto the stage in Cambridge and launched into “Home” from the seminal album “Album”, what we got was a band in the form of their life and a masterclass in how to command a stage by one of the best frontmen there ever was. Lydon was clearly struggling with a cold (“can I go home now?” He asked in between the first few numbers) and used the time between songs to blow his nose either into a handkerchief or onto the stage (punk’s not dead, eh?), but his trademark semi-operatic wail was in top form as he squeezed the life out of every syllable, his face contorting with emotion, and none more so than on a glorious rendition of “Death Disco”.

The band has changed slightly since I last reviewed PiL (in October 2023). Drummer Bruce Smith has been replaced by Mark Roberts, and this has given them a whole new feel. The songs have taken on a new life, and we got some new arrangements too. “This is Not a Love Song” was sparser and less urgent than the original recording, and “World Destruction” was just far enough removed from the Time Zone original to make it sound like a whole new song.

The set was career-defining and drew from across PiL’s impressive and eclectic back catalogue. There was nothing from the newest release – 2023’s “End of the World” but we did get “Corporate”, “Know Now” and “Shoom” from “What the World Needs Now” as well as classics from the early days including “Public Image”, “Flowers of Romance” and an utterly glorious “Poptones”. “Warrior” from “9” was the sole number from the John McGeogh era, and has become a live favourite.

Through it all, the bass of Scott Firth, who locks in so well with Mark Roberts, is rock solid while Lu Edmonds lets his genius run wild on guitar and other stringed instruments. He really is a sight to behold and his playing is beautiful, angular, and mesmerising. He plays the parts of Keith Levine, McGeogh and Steve Vai with ease, respect and uniqueness, and his sound is a vital cog in bringing these songs from different eras together in a coherent way. He is, in many ways, the custodian of the music, having first been in the band from 1986-88, and again since 2009 after their hiatus.

After a short break after “Public Image” they were back to huge applause for an encore that included “Open Up” (the song Lydon recorded with dance pioneers Leftfield), the always impressive “Rise” and a 10-minute mash up of “Annalisa”, “Attack” and “Chant”.

At the time of writing, and after the Frome gig on the 7th, PiL posted to their social media channels: “As John says, after this tour it might be the last time we hear some of those songs”. What this means is a bit of a mystery – perhaps they will be making room for newer songs or deep cuts from the back catalogue, or perhaps theres new music on the horizon?

Whatever they do, it will be interesting and challenging.

And as for Mr Lydon, while I cant quite reconcile some of his apparent views (it would be boring if we all thought the same!) we simply can’t ignore what a force of nature he is, how passionate he is about his art and the fact that he changed the musical and cultural landscape – twice.

“This is Not the Last Tour”………. I hope not!