David M Rangel / September 27, 2026 / Live Report
PIL were not the first band to define their sound by post-punk (a misnomer for a style of music that actually originated alongside of punk rock) and experimental sensibilities. But they were among the earliest pioneering ones that achieved commercial success and familiarized that sound to a wider audience. Almost 50 years on from the band’s inception, PIL is still going strong with John Lydon (formerly known as Johnny Rotten from pioneering UK punk band, the Sex Pistols) the sole remaining original member in a group that has had notable rock figures including. Martin Atkins, Keith Levene and Jah Wobble among its members. I caught the band at Milwaukee’s Turner Hall Ballroom playing what was one of the most smoothly run, time-conscious concerts I have ever been to.
I arrived early and indulged in some of the venue’s actually reasonably priced beer while my date and I talked and people-watched the crowd of mostly 50 and above men, many of whom looked to be former hipsters and punks who were still keeping at least a bit of that style alive. I met the guy who managed the venue. I had heard of him, but had never been formally introduced. He used to manage a well-known rock star I happen to listen to and is now doing a great job at running the place. He accommodated us with seating arrangements that rose above the floor. He checked in with us a few times to see if we needed anything, and I can’t say enough about his service and also that of all the people behind the bar.
The show began exactly as scheduled at 8 o’clock. Plague Vendor, an outfit from California, who are signed to Epitaph Records, opened the show. I had not heard of them, and I checked their Wiki entry and website where they were described as “graveyard groove“. Though I didn’t hear many similarities to 45 Grave, Christian Death or other bands that might be associated with the term “graveyard”, they had a thoroughly entertaining bluesy, punk-ish sound that also took lots of cues from a number of Sunset Strip hard rock bands like Guns N’ Roses, Hollywood Vampires and Velvet Revolver. Singer Brandon Blaine had a high pitched wail that would rival any hair rock or heavy metal screamer. He had the authentic looking rockstar moves and presence that looked natural and uncontrived. He kept your attention and actually made you forget that you were really anticipating the arrival of the headlining band. All in all, the band held it down with songs that most people probably didn’t know. And they may have shined a bit brighter had they not been the opening act for such a legendary musical institution. But they were decent.
A quick and orderly changeover revealed PIL taking the stage, as if there was not even time to anticipate their arrival. John Lyndon sported an ever so 1977 style mohawk and an all white outfit that looked like he was going somewhere between church and the Kentucky Derby. His rock and roll prowess was immediately on display as the band entered in with the song “Home”, the second biggest single from their record called Album. They immediately dismissed any concerns anyone may have had about them being some half-assed legacy band. Lydon’s voice had not suffered or deteriorated with age. They sounded like a band in their prime and not one heading towards being a half century old. The performance was top-notch, not unlike when I saw them play with New Order and The Sugar Cubes many years ago. This was in no small part to Lydon’s band, which consisted of drummer Mark Roberts, guitarist Lu Edmonds and bassist Scott Firth. All are prominent rock ‘n’ roll veterans who have played with multiple eclectic acts ranging from the Spice Girls to The Damned. This group of players arguably, gives solid competition to what is generally considered the band’s classic lineup that played on the first three records.
Say what you want about Lydon’s politics and sometimes awkward comments. He’s mostly considered a tolerable curmudgeon, anyway. At least by his core audience of Gen-Xers. But this artistically odd septuagenarian brings the goods in a much more solid way than frontmen less than half his age, with a stage presence that belies his 70 years. The power of his voice and the band made the fact that he was occasionally reading lyrics from papers resting in front of him on a music stand, less noticeable. Lydon played it very diplomatic when he exclaimed that he didn’t care about people’s politics. He was an American and it didn’t matter if people were left or right. He concluded this banter with the prominent exclamation of “God bless America!” The audience reaction to this was mixed and likely not all he had hoped for.
Throughout the evening, PIL’s influence on later bands that followed was very apparent. I could hear the vibe of so many more recent acts when they played songs off their Metal Box album, including “This Is Not A Love Song”, and “Death Disco/Swan Lake”. Massive Attack, The Rapture and Death From Above 1979 were but a few bands indebted to PIL whose sound took over the room that night. They delivered a basically satisfying array of songs from their 11 studio albums (save for the senseless ranting of a 2015 “song” called “Shoom”). But there were some grave omissions that were noticeable. I was hoping to hear the title track from their 1987 record, Happy, but was slightly disappointed.
Perhaps the only real egregious thing that made me remember that we were in fact, listening to an (elder) elder statesman, was when Lydon introduced the band, not by name, but by their respective instruments. His constant repetition of each instrument in a very odd kind of surreal way made me think of a freshman away from home for the first time at university, succumbing to his first drunken college party. Not to worry. He introduced his credit-deserving band by proper name at the end when everybody took a bow.
After returning from a smoke break he said he needed, Lydon and crew came back for an encore with their most famous hit, “Rise”. It was obvious by the surge of energy in the room that this was the song most people had been waiting for. It was slowed down to a snail pace while Lydon did the aforementioned musical instrument introduction and the eventual actual member introductions. With this, Lydon proclaimed “John, I’m Only Dancing” and the David Bowie song of the same name blasted throughout Turner Hall as the band made their exit.
I left the venue impressed with the mostly superior performance that I saw, but had not expected. A few throwaway moments and the absence of some songs I wanted to hear, didn’t take away from this overall great night. It’s a sentiment likely felt by the former punks who are now likely things like doctors, lawyers and other professionals who populated the concert. I bought a great black PIL ringer T-shirt to commemorate a concert by a band whose age enhances the chance that I could likely not see them again.
Catch the band on tour now, and listen to their music here.
