Usher Hall, Edinburgh Four stars “Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?” By rights, the then Johnny Rotten’s almost final words as a Sex Pistol at the end of a shambolic 1978 San Francisco show should have marked the death knell of punk. Now here we are almost half a century on, and the snot-nosed anti establishment rebellion is packing in those who keep the faith at the fanciest concert hall in town. The nostalgic night out that follows is as showbiz as any other rock and roll revival, and none the worse for it. A three-piece house band set the tone as they plough through an authentic sounding Anarchy in the UK. The rapid-fire assault of now classic pop-punk hits that follow is introduced by a leather-jacketed Kevin Kennedy, aka Coronation Street’s Curly Watts. Kennedy’s musical roots in Manchester include a stint in teenage band Paris Valentinos with future Smiths Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke. This makes for a perfect CV to be the night’s MC and Narrator. ...
An archive of arts writing by Neil Cooper. Effete No Obstacle.