PiL

Punk icon John Lydon seemed to have reached the ultimate nadir of his career when he started advertising Country Life butter in 2008 – but when it transpired that he'd used the money to revive one of his old bands, the tittering turned to grudging admiration. And while the most recent Sex Pistols reunion was a flatulent bore, this reborn PiL have turned out to be far more potent. Joined by guitarist Lu Edmonds and drummer Bruce Smith – both veterans of the group's late-'80s incarnation – and newbie Scott Firth on bass, Lydon has been channeling the same demons that inhabited nerve-shredding post-punk masterpieces like Metal Box, while also adding some new songs to the canon. 2012 album This is PiL bucked the trend of reunion records by not being utter cack, while the group's appearance at Summer Sonic in 2011 proved that they're still a vital live act.