The Filthy Lucre Photo File is the personal account of the 1996 Sex Pistols reunion tour by their bass player Glen Matlock. Love them or loathe them there is no denying that The Sex Pistols were a massive influence on both punk and the music scene in general and the catalyst for much of what came after. The fact that just one proper studio album spawned so much is legacy in itself. Glen Matlock was a huge part of that and in many ways, the tour, his previous biography and this book reaffirm his place in Sex Pistols folklore and rightly so.
Although marketed as a photo file, the real interest for many will lie in the lengthy text that accompanies the pictures. Matlock gives an honest account of his tenure in the band, both then and now and illustrates both with interesting facts and stories. Plenty of background is given with Matlock recounting the infamous Bill Grundy incident alongside the acrimony of the original split and all the mud slinging that followed. There are insights into the song writing process and the admission that he pinched most of Pretty Vacant from ABBA and the Small Faces. There are plenty of little facts that fans may not previously have been aware of as well as interesting stories such as bumping into ex-manager Malcolm McLaren for a brief and slightly awkward encounter in 2009 and later attending his funeral.
I was at the Finsbury Park gig in 1996 that saw the Sex Pistols play their first UK gig in 18 years and it was a really unique day. The atmosphere was unlike any other gig I've ever been to and the band that day were phenomenal. As young kids growing up as punks, The Sex Pistols had already been and gone, they were the holy grail that we never thought we'd get to see and so when it actually happened it really was something special. Matlock captures the feeling of that day from the bands perspective, illustrated with the press that surrounded it, the anticipation and the build up to what it was like stepping out on that stage to be a Sex Pistol again after all those years.
The book also captures both the excitement and the boredom of life on the road; the endless travelling and eating out and trying to find ways to amuse yourself between shows and sound checks. What's surprising is the relatively few pictures of the band actually performing on the tour, there is only a handful and even those are from some distance away.
Overall though it's extremely well presented, featuring many previously unseen photographs from Matlock's own collection interspersed with copies of press surrounding the reunion. It's an honest and engaging read, at times fascinating and essential for any Pistols fan or those with an interest in punk and its enduring legacy.