2 Sep 2015

Music of Public Image with Marty Duda

From Nine To Noon, 11:06 am on 2 September 2015

When the Sex Pistols imploded in 1978, Johnny Rotten wasted no time in forming a new band. Now operating under his given name, John Lydon, he formed Public Image Ltd with guitarist Keith Levene, Jah Wobble on bass and drummer Jim Walker. The premiered with their first single, Public Image in October of '78 with a sound not unlike the Pistols. But PiL put everyone on notice with their second album, Metal Box. With their stripped down dub-influenced sound…heavy on hypnotic bass lines and Levene's scratchy guitar lines…PiL seemed intent on tearing down punk and inventing something completely new. The result was what was eventually known as post-punk, a wide-ranging tern that included like-minded bands like Wire, Gang Of Four and Joy Division. Lydon and PiL continued through the 21980s with an ever-changing lineup, scoring their biggest hit in 1983 with This Is Not A Love Song. Lydon eventually disbanded the act in 1992 and went on to reunite the Sex Pistols. Surprisingly, Lydon revived the PiL name in 2009 with several members from the mid-80s. It turns out not to be a one-off and their second album, What The World Needs Now, is released this week.