Sex Pistols to headline major Cardiff Castle punk celebration as 50th anniversary looms

Punk pioneers the Sex Pistols – now fronted by Frank Carter – will headline a huge night of live music at Cardiff Castle next summer to mark 50 years since the birth of punk.

The re-energised line-up of Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock, joined by Carter as vocalist, will top the bill at TK Maxx Presents Depot Live on Saturday 1 August 2026.

The show is being billed as one of the most significant punk events Wales has hosted in decades.

They will be joined by two heavyweight special guests: fellow punk trailblazers The Stranglers and Northern Irish legends The Undertones, with Cardiff’s rising DIY outfit Panic Shack opening the night.

Tickets go on presale at 10am on Thursday via depotlive.co.uk/sexpistols, with general sale opening at 10am on Friday through depotlive.co.uk and ticketmaster.co.uk.

Comeback

The appearance continues a remarkable comeback run for the Sex Pistols, who have spent 2025 playing high-profile shows across Europe, Australia and Japan. A riotous night at London’s Royal Albert Hall  cemented their return, while a recent gig at London’s 100 Club drew the likes of Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller and Bobby Gillespie.

The band’s 2026 touring will mark half a century since their incendiary 1976 shows at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall, widely considered the spark that ignited punk in the north of England and sowed the seeds for future bands such as Joy Division, The Smiths, Buzzcocks and Simply Red.

Guitarist Steve Jones was typically blunt about the band’s return: “If it ain’t fun, I ain’t doing it. I’m too old for bullshit.”

Carter, formerly of Gallows and Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, joined the Pistols in 2024 during efforts to save London’s Bush Hall and has since earned rave reviews for injecting fresh fire into the band’s classic material.

Peaches

The Stranglers, one of the longest-running punk bands with 24 UK Top 40 singles, will bring hits including Peaches, No More Heroes, Always The Sun and Golden Brown. Their 2021 album Dark Matters reached No.4 – their highest chart placing since 1983.

Also marking 50 years, The Undertones will bring fan favourites including Here Comes the Summer, Jimmy Jimmy, and the genre-defining Teenage Kicks.

Local heroes Panic Shack – known for their high-energy sets and sharp, uncompromising punk sound – will kick off proceedings in front of a hometown crowd.

DEPOT Live

The event forms part of the growing Depot Live at Cardiff Castle programme, which in 2026 already includes Bastille, Bowling For Soup, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Garbage, Skunk Anansie, The Wombats and The Streets.

DEPOT Live founder Nick Saunders said: “What an incredible night of punk legends this will be – Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter, The Stranglers and The Undertones all in one show. And adding our hometown stars Panic Shack into the mix… it’s going to be spectacular.”

Presale tickets are available at 10am Thursday via depotlive.co.uk/sexpistols  and all tickets go on general sale at 10am on Friday via www.depotlive.co.uk and  www.ticketmaster.co.uk