Sex Pistols fire all the old shots

"Fat, forty and back - oh how you longed to see the day" sneered John Lydon (also known as Johnny Rotten) as he led the Sex Pistols on stage for the first tour since the band split up in January 1978.

Finsbury Park in north London rang to the sound of "No Future (God Save the Queen)", "Submission", "EMI" and other Pistols favourites as the crowd (mostly) looked on with nods of appreciation. A hard core pogoed furiously in front of the stage.

"It's fucking rough in there," said Gary Naylor, as he emerged from the heaving. "They're playing 10 times better than before but I'm too old for that, I'm 36 now."

"It's brilliant, it's excellent, I'm glad they've done this," said Steven Stroud, a 24-year-old singing along. "I was too young for the Sex Pistols the first time around but I always liked their music and this is unbelievable."

But the band had come a long way since the early days although they played with the original line-up, including bassist Glen Matlock in place of the late Sid Vicious - they could actually play.

And the Sex Pistols were introduced by the latest English hero to triumph over tragedy - Stuart Pearce (England player and ace penalty-taker). He wasn't the only celebrity. Guests included Liam Gallagher of Oasis who said he was expecting "not much", Patsy Kensit and Tenpole Tudor.

Although a sprinkling of yellow, green and orange hair-dos enlivened the crowd they could not disguise the absolutely normal look of the majority. Most of the punks were too young to have seen the Pistols first time around. Those who were old enough were dressed in jeans and trainers, strappy sandals, high-street fashions, and some brought their children.

Despite the backdrop of giant mid-Seventies headlines from the tabloids scandalised by the antics of the Sex Pistols, the concert last night was good, clean fun.