| Sus- Sex Pistols |
| Thames Riverboat Gig |
| The Queen Elizabeth II |
| 8th June 2002 |
| I don't usually bother with the tribute bands on the circuit, but seeing as this one was a bit different to all the rest I couldn't resist getting a ticket for it. It was exactly the same trip that the Sex Pistols had made, 25 years previously. The same boat, the same sailing times, and from the same docking point at the Embankment. There was a tidy bar on board, which was made full advantage of more than regularly. They had a support band called the Marones, which were supposed to play first but the Pistols weren't sure what to expect from the law so as not to fuck the day up they decided to play first just incase. |
| The Skipper welcomed us aboard 25 years on, and we were off. It was fucking brilliant, they were spot on, and pissed all over that Brummy lot. The singer was a good Johnny and the bass player looked like Sid. There was a couple of journo's there and a film crew turned up so it might turn up somewhere at some point and to top it all, yes, Plod went by in his boat twice but didn't stop to say anything just had a nose. I could imagine how it must have felt like back in '77. After about 5 minutes up river we went past Parliament and there were some MP's in the grounds and those of us on deck started chanting. Who The Fucking Hell Are You etc. I thought here we go only just got going and the boat is gonna stop at the next dock and chuck us all off. Not so, the captain was fucking loving it, there was a Punk stereo on for a while, which was on fucking full blast and loads of other boats with Day trips and the like kept going past and the people on them must have been wandering what the fuck was going on, especially as each boat was greeted with a bunch of scruffy pissed up herberts leaning out of every window giving fingered salutes and shouting un-pleasantries to all who passed us. The band were amongst most of this and must have decided that they had better hurry up and play, else otherwise they might not get the chance. |
| So on they went, they opened up with EMI and every fucker on the boat went ape shit, it was such a small space and it was packed solid, so the only way you could move was by jumping up and down, they made their way through the Bollocks set, so when they played My Way and then Stepping Stone I made my way out for a piss and another beer. The boat had been up The Thames by now and had turned back, the band had been on for nearly an hour and had almost finished and then in true Retrospective fashion when we reached Parliament they played "Anarchy" to which those that could get to one all made a 2 fingered salute out of the windows. They must have heard and seen us, the band were well loud. The end of Anarchy was the end of the set and a fitting surrounding to finish in. |
| What a fucking good couple of hours, full marks to whoever had the idea and organised the trip. They say you can never re-create an original event and I totally agree, but it was a fucking good laugh copying it. |
| PAUL K. |
