2 July 2023

GENERATION SEX? Take two Generation X (1976-1981) punks, Billy Idol (vocals) and Tony James (bass). Add two sex pistols (1975-1978 and several reunions), Steve Jones (guitar) and Paul Cook and you have a punk supergroup.

The veterans got together for the first time in 2018, playing a series of gigs and went back home afterward. But these are music junkies, so this year they returned for another series of gigs (festivals and indoors). One of them was in Utrecht, The Netherlands, last Tuesday.
I travelled to our neighbours to sniff some of the good old punk nostalgia.

And? It was big fun, no more, no less. They sounded as a cover band of their own respectively classics, that came to rock out, nothing more, nothing less and to invite
us to go bananas to all the golden oldies they cranked-up (setlist below) what we all
did of course.

Billy Idol‘s presence was a bit of a letdown. Instead of flaming up the crowd, he stood there most of the time as a shy boy despite the fact that he was a natural-born frontman all his life. On the other hand we had riff maniac Steve Jones who produced enough electricity to get us all loaded for the full show. Lots of dancing by ourselves.

Glastonbury last weekend

PICTURE THIS

“So what’s up, Billy?”

Tony and Billy, old mates

Riffin’ Steve

“So that’s how you play guitar”

Anarchy in The Netherlands

GS: Facebook

All photos by Turn Up The Volume