Recording Label: ? Running Time: 39 minutes Year: 1999

ISMN: ? Recording Company Code: ? Quality: 7 +

Hanley, Stoke on Trent, Victoria Hall - 7.5.1986  (Thanks Mick)

Despite the quality of this bootleg not being the greatest, it is nevertheless a fantastic document of a very important gig in PiL history. Important because it was the first PiL gig since 1983 to feature a solid, steady lineup. The members of the new PiL would serve with the band for numerous years and contribute to several studio albums. PiL had returned as a band as opposed to Lydon with back up.

This recording begins with a few minutes of house music playing and general audience chatter until the band arrive, tune up a bit then begin with Kashmir. They must have rehearsed diligently as it's impossible to tell from the first moments of Kashmir that it's their first live outing together. Lydon also had adopted a new stage manner. Gone is the high pitched squealing of previous years to be replaced with the gruff, growling and snarling delivery that impressed us all so much on 'Album'. It is a very welcome change!

FFF is stopped after less than a minute due to Lydon being hit on the head with a bottle. He is naturally very angry and orders the perpitrator to be removed, telling the crowd that he isn't going to be anyones dartboard!

A major fuck up worth noting due to its' hilarity is at the end of FFF, Lu must have hit the wrong key and instead of the 'backwards bit' we get a few samples of "Poptones... Poptones...!"

The recording unfortunately ends after Banging the Door. I cannot imagine that the bootlegger ran out of tape after only 39 minutes, so I am confident that a full version will be out there somewhere. Whether it will ever turn up is another matter. If it does, let's hope it features better quality than this recording.

There are no tape cuts.

Note: In August 2010 I made a high quality digital transfer of this gig from my old cassette copy, which I obtained back in the 90's. I removed much of the tape hiss (which was quite bad!) and reduced the bass whilst also pushing the guitars and vocals higher up into the mix. The results have been fantastic and it now almost sounds like from a different source completely.

Track Names:

1. Kashmir.

2. FFF.

3. Annalisa.

4. Fishing.

5. Poptones.

6. Pretty Vacant.

7. Four Enclosed Walls.

8. Flowers of Romance.

9. Banging the Door.