Far from the final tour: Public Image Limited brings sharp musicianship, defiant energy, and unexpected warmth to Raleigh’s Lincoln Theatre.
The scent of stale beer and a sea of silver and gray hair quickly filled the Lincoln Theatre floor as the doors opened for Public Image Limited (PiL) and their first-ever show in Raleigh, NC. Laughter and stories of listening to PiL in college were heard throughout the venue as the nearly sold-out audience bonded over their excitement to see John Lydon in person, most for the first time. Excitement was high, nostalgia was flowing freely, and room to move grew tight as showtime neared.
Touring as the sole support on PIL’s This Is Not… The Final PiL Tour, Whittier, California band Plague Vendor delivered a high-octane set, fusing psycho-rockabilly with raw, sleazy garage punk. Frontman Brandon Blaine channeled the frantic stage presence of Lux Interior with the physical unpredictability of Jello Biafra, the scream of Sam Kinison, punctuated by balletic high kicks that tested the strength of his pants’ inseam. Drawing stylistic lineage directly from The Cramps, Plague Vendor ripped through an 11-song set that, despite being unfamiliar to most in attendance, visibly re-energized the veteran crowd.
Opening song “Anchor to Ankles” served as a deceptive warm-up before detonating into “Jezebel,” both drawn from the band’s 2016 album Bloodsweat. Blaine performed with near-frenetic physicality, sending sweat and spray across the stage edge and far into the audience. The rhythm section matched that ferocity, supported by fill-in guitarist Miles, who delivered a seamless performance in only his second live appearance with the group. Cuts including “Roses,” “Black Picket Fence,” “Friction,” and closer “UNC” provided an industrial-strength backbone, hitting the room with the unvarnished aggression of punk’s formative years when PiL first took the stage.
The current lineup, largely intact since 2009, with Roberts taking the drum stool in 2025, sounded unified and locked in through a career-spanning set. “Death Disco” settled into a hypnotic groove, while the lengthy “Poptones” lost energy slightly during its midsection. “Warrior,” off 1989’s 9, generated the night’s most active movement on the floor, extending head nods to full shoulder bobs. Proving the over 50 crowd own cell phones as well, the venue lit up with a sea of mobile phones held up high for “Rise” performed upon returning from a brief cigarette and bathroom break.
Among attendees, the prevailing commentary was the strikingly joyful demeanor of Lydon himself. Dispensing with political broadsides or confrontation, save for a few affectionately profane quips directed at the crowd, he delivered his performance with visible ease and steady grins. Concluding the night by introducing his bandmates as his “best friends in the whole f***ing world,” before announcing he and his mates have no intention of slowing down any time soon, ending on an unexpectedly warm note suggesting this is hardly PiL’s final bow.
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