UBLIC IMAGE LTD–described as “a musical force taking a jackhammer to pop music’s boundaries” (Phil Gallo, Billboard, 5/19/12)–have announced a much-anticipated North American headlining tour. It launches October 3 in Orlando and concludes November 3 with an appearance at the Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin (see full itinerary below). The tour is in support of THIS IS PiL, their acclaimed first album of new music in 20 years that was released this past May via their own PiL Official label, with distribution through Redeye in the U.S. and Cargo in the U.K. Tickets for the PiL shows will go on sale August 3 and 4: see www.pilofficial.com for ticket links.

The potent and eclectic PiL line-up–JOHN LYDON (vocals), LU EDMONDS (guitar), SCOTT FIRTH (bass) and BRUCE SMITH (drums)—will make stops at such venues as New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom (October 13), Montreal’s Club Soda (October 16), San Francisco’s Regency Ballroom (October 25) and Los Angeles’ Club NOKIA (October 28), among others.

The tour marks PiL’s first return to North America since their 2010 trek which kicked off at Coachella and culminated in New York City at The Music Hall of Williamsburg. In his live show review for the New York Times, Jon Pareles noted:

“Mr. Lydon sings the songs with all their taunts, injuries, fury and sarcasm in a voice that’s as cutting as ever. And this lineup of PiL–with two members who joined the band in 1986, the guitarist Lu Edmonds and the drummer Bruce Smith, along with Scott Firth on bass and keyboards–finds its own way to make the songs bristle and churn. The band didn’t copy old albums; it redrew songs within the original outlines. …Mr. Edmonds set the major chords chiming; the beat surged forward; and Mr. Lydon was a figure of irascible integrity. Rock’s antihero had become, against all expectations, a rock hero.” (5/20/2010)

This past April, PiL played two special shows at London’s Heaven on April 1 and 2 showcasing new tracks “Lollipop Opera,” “One Drop,” “Deeper Water,” and “Out of the Woods” (a song written about the Battle of Chancellorsville) among the group’s classics. In a live review, The Times (U.K.) noted: “This was an evening of uncompromising art music, worthy of the total concentration of the audience.” JOHN LYDON recalls this performance at Heaven this spring, an epic Coachella moment and returning to the U. S. for the fall North American headlining tour in this webisode:

Watch PiL perform the classic track “Religion” and “Deeper Water”–one of the standout tracks from THIS IS PiL–both recorded at the electrifying April 2 Heaven show which is included in full as a bonus live DVD, “There is a PiL in Heaven,” on the deluxe edition of THIS IS PiL. Online exclusive links below:

John Lydon: After fronting the Sex Pistols, John Lydon formed PUBLIC IMAGE LTD in 1978.  Outside of PiL, John has released several solo records and collaborations. He also brings quality TV to the masses.

Lu Edmonds: Multi-instrumentalist and former guitarist in The Damned Lu joined PiL in 1986 recording and playing on the album Happy? and co-writing the album 9 adding yet another dimension to the PiL sound.

Bruce Smith: Former drummer in The Pop Group and The Slits became percussionist for PiL also in 1986 playing and recording on the albums Happy? and 9. Seen as a drumming virtuoso, Bruce Smith brought his unique style into the fold.

Scott Firth: A bass player/multi-instrumentalist that has collaborated and played with a variety of top musicians and bands including Steve Winwood, John Martyn, and Elvis Costello.

www.pilofficial.com