Sex Pistols and Frank Carter have been forced to postpone their North and South American tour due to guitarist Steve Jones breaking his wrist.
The punk legends were due to kick off their dates with Carter on lead vocals in two weeks’ time with a show in Dallas, Texas on September 16, but the gigs will now be rescheduled to a future date.
In an Instagram post, the band wrote on Tuesday (September 2): “We have some unfortunate news to share about our upcoming North and South American performances.”
In a direct quote, Jones explained: “I’ve got some good news and bad news. What do you want first? Okay, the bad news: I’ve broken my wrist, so unfortunately we won’t be doing any shows for a while. The good news is the surgeon said I will be back playing guitar in the not-too-distant future. The other good news is I’ll be 70 tomorrow! God bless, and God save the wrist.”
The band continued: “The performances will be postponed and rescheduled when Steve has fully recovered. Please check local venue websites and our social media for more information. We appreciate your understanding and support.”
The shows were set to be this incarnation of the band’s first ever stateside shows, and in announcing them in March, they shared a limited edition vinyl pressing of their 1978 performance in Dallas’ Longhorn Ballroom, the site of the planned opening date of this tour.
Original Pistols singer John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, has been repeatedly critical of the group’s decision to tour with Carter. He told NME last year that it was “almost malicious in its intent” and no different to “karaoke”.
In further comments in May, Lydon added: “It’s weird. [It’s] a dumbing down of all the integrity, intensity, genuine honesty and heartfelt emotions I put into that band.”
“Of course, it’s karaoke, but it’s like… Come on, Mr Carter, you’re not Johnny Rotten, I am. Right? Stop it,” he added, before going on to name the one thing about the new frontman that got his seal of approval: “I actually think he took it on in the right spirit.”
As well as calling the comeback “malicious” and like “karaoke” in the aforementioned NME interview, the singer also spoke specifically about Carter. “The poor sausage! Does he know what he’s walked into? Good on him, what a great fucking opportunity, but there’s something darker going on behind it,” he said.
Around that time, Jones chimed in on the tension, and claimed that it “wasn’t even worth asking” Lydon to participate in the reunion shows. He then revealed that he and his bandmates hadn’t spoken to the singer in 17 years.
At a show in Norway in June, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong joined Carter and the Pistols for a rendition of ‘Anarchy In The UK’.
