Punk titans Sex Pistols, featuring Frank Carter, have announced headline shows for summer 2026, including one in Manchester, to mark 50 years of punk. The original members of the Pistols Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock, will be joined by frontman Frank Carter for four headline shows across the UK. The punk movement in the UK was born in 1976 and led by the Sex Pistols, who kicked down conventions of music and style, shaking up and changing society forever.
The new Pistols once more emerged in 2025 as a force of chaos and celebration – and 2026 will see them celebrate 50 years since the band’s infamous show at Manchester’s The Lesser Free Trade Hall. The band is now set to perform at The Piece Hall in Halifax on July 11, followed by Castlefield Bowl in Manchester on July 12, then Cardiff Castle on August 1, followed by Scarborough Open Air Theatre on August 2. For their Castlefield Bowl gig, the band will also be joined by Dr John Cooper Clarke and The Undertones.
From Australia to Japan, through European festivals and a legendary show at the Royal Albert Hall – where Carter conjured a giant circle pit – the band has torn venues apart throughout 2025. Formerly of Gallows and Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, Frank Carter joined the lineup in 2024, to help save London’s iconic Bush Hall and soon received rave reviews for his energy and new life brought to Sex Pistols’ music.
In summer 1976, Sex Pistols played two gigs at The Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester – shows cited as responsible for the punk rock boom in Northern England. The shows played to audiences of fewer than 50 people, but among them were future members of Joy Division, New Order, The Smiths, Buzzcocks and Simply Red, along with Factory Records’ founder Tony Wilson.
Sex Pistols feat Frank Carter UK 2026 shows
Saturday 11th July – TK Maxx Presents Live at The Piece Hall, Halifax, with The Undertones and Panic Shack
Sunday 12th July – Castlefield Bowl, Manchester with Dr John Cooper Clarke
Saturday 1st August – TK Maxx Presents Depot Live at Cardiff Castle with The Stranglers, The Undertones and Panic Shack
Sunday 2nd August – TK Maxx Presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre with The Stranglers, The Undertones
How to get tickets to see Sex Pistols in Manchester
Tickets to see Sex Pistols and Frank Carter at Castelfield Bowl in Manchester will go on sale at 10am on Friday 28th November via Ticketmaster and Gigsandtours.
