The Hope and Ruin saw a rewind of the glory days of punk with the Sex Pistols Experience gig on Saturday.

The band were clearly perfectionists – they not only sounded and looked like the Pistols but had adopted their line in gritty banter.

The packed venue could have been forgiven for thinking they were watching an upgraded version of the real thing and the band never missed a chord or a vocal.

Kid Vicious was a carbon copy of a snarling, degenerate Sid and Johnny Rotter’s manic stare and vocals mimicked Rotten’s better performances.

At the end of the evening the venue was a mass of dancing, waving fans for the finale of Something Else, My Way, God Save the Queen, Holidays In The Sun and No Fun.

The show was not just about producing polished versions of the Pistols’ songs but bringing back the best of an era and having fun.

It is not surprising that the band has built up a following of their own.

It was good to see the band supported by a local Brighton outfit and the fledging punk metallists, Negative Measures put on a performance full of attitude and energy.

Four stars