"Have a Rotten Christmas and New Year". Public Image Limited announce December/January UK shows

Public Image Limited have announced a batch of winter UK shows.

Under the banner 'Have a Rotten Christmas and New Year', John Lydon's influential post-punk band will play London, Manchester, Wolverhampton, Swindon, Swansea, Cambridge, Frome and Coventry on the newly-announced run.

The dates are as follows:

Dec 27: London Kentish Town Forum
Dec 28: Manchester, O2 Ritz
Dec 29: Wolverhampton, Wulfrun Hall

Jan 03: Swindon Meca
Jan 04: Swansea Patti Pavilion
Jan 06: Cambridge Cambridge Junction
Jan 07: Frome Cheese & Grain
Jan 10: Coventry Empire

There had been doubts as to whether PiL would ever tour again, following the deaths of both Lydon's wife Nora, and his best friend and manager, John 'Rambo' Stevens, but Lydon said he was encouraged to return to the road after speaking with fans during a run of solo spoken word shows.

“The thing is, people were so overwhelmingly positive, and they asked me to tour PiL again,” he said. “With so many people asking and with the band meaning so much to them, I couldn’t just stay on my sofa and not tour – tempting though that obviously is.”

PiL also play two Irish shows this week, at Cork City Hall on August 16, and supporting Stiff Little Fingers in Belfast on August 16 at Custom House Square.

Lydon recently spoke to Classic Rock about doing spoken word shows.

T"here’s nothing quite like standing up on a stage completely alone, the shit fear of it," he said. "I’ve no script, nothing… And I fucking love it.

"But the reception’s not always favourable. There are some real haters who travel miles, buy tickets, just to come in and say yah boo sucks to nanny. At one gig somebody stood up while I was talking about my childhood, and said: “Isn’t it true you’re trying to profiteer off the death of your wife?” That’s evil, beyond any concept I can relate to."