Public Image Ltd.
Paris au Printemps

THE REVIEW

First live show of this claustrophobic band. The most fitting project Rotten could create after the Sex.

Well, great admiration especially goes to Wobble and Leven, the foundation of the sound and stylistic idea. "First Issue" was a great leap forward for the sparse punk that existed up to that moment, even though with "Metal Box" they reached a miracle. Deep dub bass like few others, unsteady guitar lines, and drum parts more precise than a drum machine.

Even Lydon's voice doesn't just shout and act rebellious, as if he were a hippie in '67. He starts to grow and finds a dark, alienating tone that would mark an entire decade of productions, so much so that he would also be called by Leftfield in "Open Up."

The album dates back to 1980, a year before the other fabulous "Flowers Of Romance." They ignite Paris with class and professionalism, as if they had been playing for twenty years.

The tracks are faithfully reproduced from the originals, although they possess the classic charm of live performance. They revisit all the top tracks from the first two works, even if they discard "Memories," "Albatross," "Death Disco," and "Public Image."

It starts with the trivial "Theme," the famous opening of "First Issue," where they prepare to beat cymbals, snares, and strings. One experiences a dark trance state thanks to the guitar paralyzed in feedback and Lydon's anguished wail. A performance that immediately settles on high levels, focusing more on the noise dimension than the original's cacophonous wall of sound.

They are not afraid of the power being cut. The second track is "Chant." Here too, more stripped down compared to the studio version, and with Lydon despairing in this tunnel of gratuitous unsoundness, it manages to intrigue us immediately. "Careering" and "Bad Baby" support the live show with excellent performances. Lydon doesn’t seem to have any vocal drops, the rest of the band cynically enjoys assaulting the sound, and the French audience is much more than just hypnotized and shocked.

Aware of the greatness they were reaching step by step, they conclude the work with the sweet irony of "Poptones." An album not to be underestimated. Don't think about the probable low audio quality or an unripe live performance by Lydon & Co. Here everything is perfect.