Public Image Ltd. (PiL) have decided to continue plans to announce their 11th studio album and first album in 8 years, End of World, today, following the sad passing ofJohn’s wife of more than 4 decades, Nora Forster, on 5th April. End of World will be released on 11th August 2023 on PiL Official via Cargo UK Distribution, followed by a 38-date UK and European Tour.
Earlier this year, PiL released “Hawaii,” the most personal piece of songwriting and accompanying artwork that John Lydon has ever shared. The song is a love letter to John’s wife Nora, who sadly passed away from Alzheimer’s on Wednesday 5th April. A pensive, personal yet universal love song that has resonated with many since its release in January, the song sees John reflecting on their lifetime well spent and in particular one of their happiest moments together in Hawaii. John said, “Nora loved the album, she wouldn’t have wanted us to postpone it or change any of our plans.”Previously he has said of “Hawaii,” “It is dedicated to everyone going through tough times on the journey of life, with the person they care for the most.”
The band began writing and recording End of World in 2018, during their 40th anniversary tour. After The Great Pause, the band regrouped in the studio and “there was just this massive explosion of ideas,” Lydon says. The result finds PiL set to release 13 of the best tracks they have ever written.
The announcement comes with the release of new single “Penge,” which John has described as, “something of a mediaeval Viking epic.”
Celebrating their 40-year anniversary in 2018, the band is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and influential bands of all time.
PiL’s music and vision has earned them 5 U.K. Top 20 singles and 5 U.K. Top 20 albums. With a shifting line-up and unique sound – fusing rock, dance, folk, pop and dub – Lydon guided the band from their debut album First Issue in 1978 through to 1992’s That What Is Not, before a 17-year hiatus. Lydon reactivated PiL in 2009, touring extensively worldwide and releasing two critically acclaimed albums This is PiL in 2012 followed by their 10th studio album What The World Needs Now… in 2015, which peaked at #29 in the official U.K. album charts and picked up fantastic acclaim from both press and public. (The album also peaked at number 3 in the official UK indie charts and#4 in the official U.K. vinyl charts). What The World Needs Now… was self-funded byPiL and released on their own label ‘PiL Official’ via Cargo UK Distribution. In 2018 PiL celebrated their 40th anniversary with a career-spanning box set and documentary film, both called ‘The Public Image Is Rotten’, and a 32-date U.K./Europe tour, plus dates in Japan.
John Lydon, Lu Edmonds, Scott Firth and Bruce Smith continue as PiL. They are the longest stable line-up in the band’s history and continue to challenge and thrive.
PiL will be touring the U.K. and Europe in September and October 2023
