*****

From the birth of the punk movement to Country Life butter adverts, John Lydon has been reiterating his status as a staple of British culture since the mid-1970s, creating plenty of merchandising opportunities that a large contingent of Wednesday’s audience had clearly leapt on.

On the night, a swathe of pints and Public Image Ltd (PiL) T-shirts generated an atmosphere of nostalgia that only someone of Rotten’s stature might.

A mistake though (and who would dare?!) to consign Rotten or PiL to the past alone. Besides a rousing rendition of Rise, with its classic incant “anger is an energy” enthusiastically sneered by all, the set was an eclectic one. With 1993 Leftfield collaboration Open Up nestled within bass-heavy electronica, the result was contemporary to the point of feeling a lot like a house club night presided over by an eccentric overlord. Brilliant it was for it, too.

Aside from the music, we were all there for that special feeling of camp subjugation Rotten promises, and we were not disappointed. “I enjoy my job,” informed our Great Leader, “and I’m not gonna waste 20 per cent of my fee talking to you.” Punk lives. He's just a bit softer round the edges.