Former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon has criticized his ex-bandmates’ decision to reform without him, calling the endeavor a “karaoke band” in comments shared via Good Morning Britain.
Lydon was discussing his previous criticism of the band’s reunion with a new vocalist. He explained his objection to the other members continuing with the Sex Pistols name and material.
“Cheek of them. Going out without me, singing the songs I wrote, the words I wrote, the presentation I created,” Lydon said.
He went on to express his view of his relationship with the other band members. “I’ve worked enough with them in the first place,” he continued. “They’re deceitful, lying hyenas, and I never want another thing to do with them.”
Lydon returned to his criticism of the reunion itself. “So can we drop the karaoke band? Because that’s what they are to me — they’re imitating me, and that’s really kind of insulting, because there’s great bands out there that imitate us already.”
Lydon made these comments while discussing the other members’ choice to continue performing Sex Pistols songs with a different frontman. His remarks underline his distance from the band’s reformation.
The reunion that prompted Lydon’s frustration began in August 2024 when the Sex Pistols performed two benefit concerts at London’s Bush Hall with original members Steve Jones, Paul Cook, and Glen Matlock alongside new vocalist Frank Carter. The shows marked the band’s first performance together since their reunion tour ended in September 2008. Following the initial dates, the band announced further performances across the U.K., Europe, Australia, and New Zealand in 2025, with the group billed as Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter.
Jones stated that the band did not ask Lydon about the reunion, noting that the last time he spoke with the singer was in 2008. Jones added that for the first time in a long time, he was really enjoying performing Pistol songs again, saying this was not the case when the Sex Pistols reunited with Lydon in 1996 or in the early to mid 2000s. Glen Matlock, responding to Lydon’s criticism of the shows, said that Lydon was wrong about them being bad, stating “he was wrong, wasn’t he, because they were good.”
Lydon’s grievance extends beyond the musical performance itself. He said he expected some kind of connection from his former bandmates when his wife Nora died in 2023, but received nothing from them. The distance between Lydon and his ex-bandmates was further cemented by legal conflicts, including a court case in which Lydon lost his battle against Jones and Cook over the use of the band’s music in Danny Boyle’s 2022 miniseries Pistol, with a British high court ruling that a “majority rules” clause in the band member agreement allowed them to overrule his veto.
The Sex Pistols are scheduled to tour North America in September and October 2026 with Frank Carter as frontman. The band had cancelled scheduled dates in 2025 due to Steve Jones’s broken wrist.
