In 2023, a new Super Group was born. This one was called Generation Sex and consisted of members of both Generation X and The Sex Pistols. From Gen X we get Billy Idol and Tony James. And from The Sex Pistols we get Steve Jones and Paul Cook. The four legends toured Europe in the Summer of 2023. Of course they performed songs from both bands as that was the whole point of the Tour. And like with almost any tour, you generally can find a bootleg and I did just that.

As you know, I love Billy Idol and so any time I can find anything I don’t have I grab it. This bootleg came out on July 16, 2024 and for a show at the Liseberg Amusement Park in Gothenburg, Sweden. The title of the set is called “Listen To This, Johnny!” which is wonderful shout out to The Sex Pistol lead singer, Johnny Rotten. Maybe a giant middle finger…who knows.

The setlist for that show was a whopping 16 tracks, but we don’t get the full show here sadly. This bootleg only gives us 11 songs from that set, but those songs are great. The bootleg was done like those back in the day (70’s/80’s) which means it is a white cardboard jacket with a sheet of paper wrapped around it with the information crudely printed and xeroxed copied. In a word, awesome!! There is no extra information, just basics and the vinyl label is pretty basic with a giant A on one side and basic white on Side B. And as far as sound, a pretty damn decent audience recording and since we are here for the music, that is a good thing. Let us dive right in.

SIDE A:

The show kicks off with an instrumental piece that is the title music to Clockwork Orange and you can hear the people talking around the guy recording the show. The band comes out, the crowd screams and they kick off the show with The Sex Pistol’s “Pretty Vacant”. There is a lot of hand clapping from the the crowd that is almost louder then the band. Billy’s vocals kick in and off we go. You can hear everyone pretty good considering the source, but there is a little hollowness to it. A great song to kick off the show with.

Next they jump in to a Generation X cover of the classic “Ready Steady Go”, which I love. Billy feels more at home hear, which he should since actually still plays that one live. A lot of energy and angst in the song. Then back to the Pistols with a trio of songs starting with “Bodies”. The playing is loose and wild, not real tight, but these guys are pros so it all turns out alright. Billy’s vocals go a little in and out, but he is giving it his all.

Then we get “Black Leather” which is full of gritty guitars from Steve Jones (and a really nice solo), a swagger filled Idol on vocals, Paul Cook tearin’ up the skins and Tony James slamming the bass. One of the cooler songs on the album. The final song on Side A is “Silly Thing” and I believe Paul sang this back in they day and this time around Billy takes the lead. A song I’m less familiar with, but a pretty good one. A straight ahead rock song with this one…and more slick guitar work from Steve.

SIDE B:

Side B kicks off with some Generation X with “King Rocker” and I love the drum opening on this one. This feels like the most punk-angst filled song. It is loud and rambunctious. I love when the pass the lyrics back and forth between the band members. A fun, high energy song that plays great live. Next we get the Sex Pistol’s classic “God Save the Queen” and talk about angst filled. You can’t get much more anarchist then this one. Billy does a killer job on this one like he knows it intimately. Such a brilliant track to begin with. The energy in that room that night felt electric as the crowd loved this one too!

And the final Generation X song here is “Your Generation”. They did play more songs in the full set, we just didn’t get them all here. These guys might be a lot older now and not have any need to be so called “punk”, but they still have it in them. What a fun show this would’ve been. As we jump to the Encore songs, first up is the Paul Revere and the Raiders cover of “I’m Not Your Stepping Stone” simply called “Stepping Stone” here. Yes, the song The Monkees made famous too! This version is a pretty heavy version, uptempo song much more then I remember. They gave it a little punk edge.

The final two tracks are back to The Sex Pistols with “Problems” leading the charge with the same energy we have seen from the whole show. There is no catching your breath hear folks. The final song is “The Great Rock ‘N’ Roll Swindle” and I will admit I didn’t know this song, but the guys had a lot of fun with it and Billy gets to curse so that made him happy I am sure. It is a little cheesy track, yet still kinda cool.

How cool would it have been to catch these shows in Europe in 2023. I hope we get an official full show at some time as I would love to add it to my Billy Idol collection. This was a fun show, even if the sound wasn’t that loud (I had to really crank the stereo to get to the heart of the show). These guys are all rock & roll & punk icons and to have this Super Group together is one I can get behind. The message behind this tour was fun and nostalgia and they delivered in spades. My Overall Score is a 3.5 out of 5.0 Stars only because it wasn’t a full show and the sound was a little low for me. Outside of that, it is great for what it is.

THE BILLY IDOL SERIES:

1. Generation X – ‘Generation X’
2. Generation X – ‘Valley of the Dolls’
3. Gen X – ‘Kiss Me Deadly’
4. Gen X – “Dancing With Myself” 12″ Single (Bonus Edition)
5. Generation X – ‘The BBC Transcription Disc Series No. 126 1978’ (Bootleg)
6. Billy Idol – Don’t Stop E.P.
7. Billy Idol – Billy Idol
8. Billy Idol – “White Wedding” – 12″ Single (Bonus Edition)
9. Billy Idol – Rebel Yell
10. Billy Idol – “Rebel Yell” – 7″ Single (Bonus Edition)
11. Billy Idol – “Eyes Without A Face” – 12″ Picture Disc (Bonus Edition)
12. Billy Idol – “Eyes Without A Face” – 7″ Single (Bonus Edition)
13. Billy Idol – Whiplash Smile
14. Billy Idol – “Sweet Sixteen” – 7″ Single (Bonus Edition)
15. Billy Idol – To Be A Lover – Single Review
16. Billy Idol – Vital Idol
17. Billy Idol – “Hot In the City” – 7″ Single (Bonus Edition)
18. Billy Idol – “Mony Mony Live” – 12″ Maxi-Single (Bonus Edition)
19. Idol Songs: 11 of the Best
20. Billy Idol – Charmed Life
21. Billy Idol – “Cradle of Love” – 7″ Single (Bonus Edition)
22. Billy Idol – California FM 1990 (Bootleg)
23. Billy Idol – Cyberpunk
24. Billy Idol – “Shock To The System” – CD Single Promo (Floppy Disk)
25. Billy Idol – “Speed” (song from the Speed Soundtrack)
26. Generation X – K.M.D. Sweet Revenge
27. Billy Idol – VH1 Storytellers (Live)
28. Billy Idol – Devil’s Playground
29. Billy Idol – Happy Holidays
30. Billy Idol – The Very Best of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself
31. Billy Idol – Icon
32. Billy Idol – Kings & Queens of the Underground
33. Billy Idol – BFI Live (#RSD 2019)
34. Billy Idol – Revitalized
35. Generation X – Your Generation (7″ Record Store Day Release)
36. Generation X – Generation X Deluxe Edition
37. Billy Idol – Rebel Waltz: Live (Bootleg)
38. Billy Idol – Rebel Calling: Live (Bootleg)
39. Generation X – ‘Demos 1977’ (Bootleg)
40. Billy Idol – The Roadside E.P.
41. Billy Idol – The Cage E.P.
42. Billy Idol – The Albums Ranked From Worst to First
43. Billy Idol – The Best and Worst Song From Every Album
44. Grant’s Rock Warehaus – Billy Idol Career Retrospective
45. Billy Idol – The Collection: Ep. 15 – “Vinyl Idol”
46. Generation Sex – ‘Listen To This, Johnny!’ – Bootleg (2024)