The Sex Pistols’ performance at the 9:30 Club was full of memorable moments, but one in particular stood out.
As photographers in the photo pit were taking their last shots and preparing to clear out after the first three songs, I was capturing legendary guitarist Steve Jones on stage left when Jonesy, 71, noticed me. He locked eyes with me for a beat, then promptly turned around and waved his butt at my camera.
It felt like a classic moment of punk attitude, and I couldn’t help but smile for the rest of the night.
The rest of the Sex Pistols’ show burst with similarly outrageous moments as new frontman Frank Carter seized the opportunity to sing 14 songs alongside three bona fide punk rock icons: Jones, drummer Paul Cook, and bassist Glen Matlock.
The songs were short and fierce, and the three veteran musicians played them with grit and precision. That left most of the theatrics to Carter, whom the Sex Pistols recruited two years ago to take over vocal duties from John Lydon.
And Carter absolutely ran with the opportunity, tearing into the Sex Pistols’ catalog with gleeful abandon and unmistakable adoration for the music.
The enthusiastic 9:30 Club audience was there for it on Sept. 29, cheering Carter from the opening number, “Holidays in the Sun.” The crowd parted for Carter as he waded onto the floor to sing amid a circle pit. By the fourth song, “Pretty Vacant,” he was in the thick of the audience, meeting fans at eye level.
Back onstage, Carter introduced “Bodies” as his favorite Sex Pistols song and delivered it with the intensity it warranted.
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About two-thirds through the show, Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter performed “No Fun” by Iggy Pop and the Stooges. I loved this moment for several reasons. The Pistols recorded the song in 1976, embracing the Stooges’ proto-punk sound as an inspiration for their own incendiary movement. They released it as the B-side of “Pretty Vacant” in 1977. Watching Jonesy, Cooky, and Matlock tear through it nearly half a century later offered a thrilling connection to the band’s earliest days.
Near the end of the night, Carter and the band revived “My Way,” the Frank Sinatra standard that Sid Vicious famously mangled into a punk rock anthem in 1978. It was a fitting acknowledgment of the late bassist’s place in Sex Pistols history before the band launched into the inevitable finale, “Anarchy in the UK,” arguably punk rock’s most recognizable anthem.
Throughout the evening, Jones was a focused professional, making his earlier cheeky gesture even more memorable. Cook was a dynamo on drums, delivering concentrated punk power. Matlock, long one of my favorite musicians, was his dapper, buttoned-down self, but he didn’t hesitate to let loose on bass. I’ve enjoyed seeing him perform with Blondie several times in recent years.
Another favorite moment, captured in the photos below, came when Jonesy and Glen met in front of Cooky’s drum kit and exchanged satisfied smiles.
And the gents had every reason to be pleased. The show was a smash.
Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter not only keep the punk revolution launched by Jones, Cook, Matlock, and Lydon alive but also showcase what incredible musicians the three continuing members remain. With Carter, they’ve found one hell of a frontman.
This is a show I’d gladly see again.
I also want to thank the Sex Pistols for inspiring so many of the British punk and post-punk bands that followed. Famously, Jonesy, Cooky, and Matlock performed at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall on June 4, 1976, in a concert attended by future members of Joy Division, The Smiths, and The Fall, among others. Buzzcocks members Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto helped organize the show. The Sex Pistols’ DIY revolution lived on through those musicians and countless others, even during the decades when the band itself was largely absent.
Here are some photos of Sex Pistols performing live at 9:30 Club on Sept. 29, 2026. All pictures by Mickey McCarter.
